The Criterion

A pre-Christmas treat in London; dinner at The Criterion Restaurant, Piccadilly with its stunning Neo-Byzantine architecture. We do know it from the past when it was our Christmas Eve lunch spot, an escape from the crowds when the last of the presents had been bought. It is also where Conan Doyle set the first meeting of Holmes and Watson, the suffragette leaders encouraged each other in their common cause, and philosophers (too many to mention) often gathered for lunch.

The minister in his sermon this morning at the Crown Court, Church of Scotland, Covent Garden mentioned that 80,000 children in the UK would be homeless/houseless this Christmas and suggested we all do our little bit to help. So, this occasion tonight may seem the height of decadence but we did do our 'little bits' throughout the day, so maybe we can enjoy it a little while still being aware of those to whom this experience will, for the moment, seem a dream.