Last Sunday I was very proud to be made Godmother of the most beautiful girl in London: Miss Daisy Spencer. The christening took place in a church in Chiswick, a beautiful residential part of West London abundant in long wide avenues lined with large trees — bursting with orange and gold leaves at this time of year.
I went with my mother who looked dashing in her new stone pinstriped suit, and had the loveliest of afternoons. We arrived early so we decided to have a cup of coffee at the local Starbucks which was already filled with a Christmas atmosphere, with their seasonal red paper takeaway cups and fairy lights dotted around the place.
Later, having taken part in the ceremony which involved holding a candle and wrapping the little one in a white shawl, Daisy Elisabeth Mahi was christened. My duties as Godmother will be primarily religious in setting a good spiritual example, and generally being there for her whenever she needs a guiding figure. But on a lighter note we all know that the Godmother’s role is also to educate the designated child in the world of shopping and the art of retail therapy.
This not an easy task, but one that will soon become second nature I am sure. I can’t wait to take her to Baby Gap …
After the service it was lunch and drinks at Café Med where the atmosphere was relaxed and homelike. A log fire was burning in the middle of the room and we all sat around on the dark leather couches and wooden chairs mingling and catching up. The brasserie area behind us was rustic and Mediterranean looking and had a big blackboard with a delicious-looking menu written in chalk.
Finger food was served (potato wedges, humus and olives to die for), and as we all got talking and fighting over whose turn it was to hold Daisy it soon became cake time. We drank to Daisy’s health with Champagne, and let’s just say that nobody was left holding the baby for once.
Afterwards, my mother and I drove back to the Grove and stopped at The Bonaparte for a quick drink and a look at the Sunday papers. Actually we barely managed to get through one paper, as the number of supplements they include these days is becoming so large and heavy that they’ll soon need to supply a shopping trolley with each copy to wheel it around.
The Bonaparte was its usual cosy and welcoming self. People’s humming conversation mixed in with the sounds of distant music and laughter. It was a warm contrast to the dark and cold streets outside, and the perfect place to reflect on the days’ events or, more accurately, on Daisy’s day.
Laia Farran Graves
