Love is in the air
13th February 2015
Romance was supposed to be in the air
I took my lovely lady away to London recently. I booked a well-rated hotel near Hyde Park and rang to book a meal in the restaurant for our evening arrival. I thought a nice walk around Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens in the morning would blow out the cobwebs and the Rioja. The weather forecast was clear, so the Serpentine would be sparkling in the morning sun for a few photos, and you never know, we could try to get a wave from Will, Kate and George at Kensington Palace.
Next in the plan was a stroll past the impressive Albert Memorial to the Royal Albert Hall for a coffee and a sticky bun, further into Kensington to the Natural History Museum to see some dodos and dinosaurs, then the romantic finale, a glass of champagne watching the sunset over London from the top of the Shard before a relaxing train journey home
Well, that was the plan. Our train down arrived late into Euston, so after a torturously slow taxi through the rain to the hotel, we were in a bit of a rush to get to dinner on time. So much so, we could only look at each other and laugh when we walked into our hotel room. It’s a testament to modern design and engineering to cram a double bed, a wardrobe, shelving, safe, desk and chair, en-suite shower and toilet into a shoebox. We took it in turns to take our coats off.
We were 10 minutes late for dinner no matter there was no table for us despite our reservation. We weren’t too bothered, it meant we’d get a drink quicker in the bar. When we were finally shown to our table we had to wait for ten minutes before being told it was a buffet that evening. Marvellous. It wasn’t a good buffet.
Hyde Park looked as radiant in the low morning sun as I’d hoped, but clear blue skies in the winter also mean two things it’s freezing cold and you’re lucky if you can take a decent photo without that good old sun ruining it We soldiered on, and after a few hours in the park we arrived at the disappointing café at the Albert Hall, so we wandered down to the museum for a well-earned cuppa and a bun.
The dodos and dinosaurs didn’t disappoint, but conscious that my wife was losing height with every step, we gave the rocks a miss and headed for the Shard, lucky to get a seat on the tube train because I think we might have fought our way past old ladies and pregnant women to sit down and take the weight off.
The Shard? Not too shabby, but as we arrived at Euston for the train home with aching feet and tired legs, finding out our train home was delayed by 45 minutes was not welcome, and waiting in the cold and rain for a lift because we’d missed the connecting train home finished things off nicely.
It just goes to show, no matter how well you plan, things might not turn out how you want! The same goes for your business. It’s essential to consider what risks there are to you, your employees and your business as a whole, then take actions to both minimise them, and transfer them to an insurer when prudent. Talk to us about your business for some Peace of Mind.