Saturday, June 10, 2023

to fortnum and mason once more

greetings


does what it says in the title, really. as has been the sporadic case over the last several years i had chance and opportunity to visit that most beloved of establishments, Fortnum & Mason, if not reason. and so i did do precisely that, look you see. 

actually, it is perhaps not correct, or is inaccurate, to say that i had no (actual) reason to visit. in deed, in retrospect, my reason came to a number of two (2). firstly, or in the first instance, i had some colleagues off of verk who had not visited (or heard of) the place, and so of course i felt duty bound to expose them. secondly, well, i wished to purchase an item (or further) in celebration of, indeed commemorating, the recent (at time of writing) coronation of HMKC3(PO). 


in respect of the most important aspect of being (once more) at Fortnum & Mason, indeed yes. my colleagues, or if you will contemporaries (for who of sanity would address me as friend) were most taken by the distinguished splendor of the place. and this was based on visiting the ground section alone. time, and budgetary constraints, prohibited further exploration in this instance. but, with every will and the hope of good health, further sojourns can be done. 

the second element of reason is a tale of mixed fortunes. if we take as a given than the primary celebration of Fortnum & Mason is their (most excellent) tea, then it was to be disappointment with which i was greeted on seeking an item of memorabilia associated with the coronation. for some reason it was so that the tea to celebrate the formal crowning of HMKC3(PO) was a peculiar concoction, with the cylindrical tin threatening that the contents within were "infused" with elements (or the essence) of pineapple and coconut. no good could come of me attempting to drink such, and so i did not purchase.  


merrily, alternate forms of homage were available to procure by patrons such as i. in the above image you can see precisely which of these i did. yes, the yellow tin which stands so proud. as i am sure you are quite capable of reading, it is no less than ling heather honey biscuits which they have crafted in celebration. to be fair they also had some celebratory ground coffee for HMKC3(PO), but i do not have as much use for such as i do for biscuits. 

so far as i am aware it has been a reasonable amount of time to pass since i last included a selfie here. well, this is my blog, so whether you wish to see how i am getting on in this world or not, such an image is very much below. 


yes, that's me (moi) near the eros statue in piccadilly, more or less just off of the tube and prior to paying a visit to Fortnum & Mason. note, if you will, the most intriguing way in which i simply blend in, and don't look at all like tourist filth or in any way awkward. 

did i, per chance, make purchases other than the biscuits. certainly, decidedly so. one (1) item is a gift for the (known and immediate) 75% of my family who(m) i imagine you would still like a good deal more than you like me, so the detail of such shall not feature here. beyond that, i was delighted to see that a modest jar of their splendid Old English Hunt (typed carefully) marmalade had been marked down to a price south of £4, so i purchase one. 


for the sake of completeness, then, is the reverse of the tin of coronation biscuits. no, i did not purchase any darjeeling tea and i certainly don't have such in my lodgings. these biscuits shall be enjoyed with either a fine cup of Yorkshire Tea (perhaps gold blend), or maybe some of the Fortnum & Mason royal blend, which i purchased on my visit most recent previous to this. if that's how one would word it. 

well, there we go, or here we are. i have every confidence that if chance and time permits it shall be so that i attend Fortnum & Mason again. should it be so that this confidence is misplaced. well, let it be recorded that i thoroughly enjoyed those moments which i spent there. 



be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!





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