A streaker at the polo, a restaurant off the beaten track and inspiring shows

Posted on 09/06/10

You expect the odd streaker at a football match. The most amusing part of the spectacle is watching the streaker getting arrested; the reluctant officers grappling with a naked body. At MINT Polo in the Park at Hurlingham, the crowd was very Sloany; beautifully dressed ladies; lots of guys sporting clashing colours, including more red and pink than the women. Food stalls served homemade, organic fare; people queued patiently for the Pimms tent; classical boyband Blake sang in between matches before heading for beauty treatments at the Elemis bus and stunt riders from films such as Robin Hood (not sure where the horse stunt scene is in Batman Returns, but it was also mentioned) entertained the crowds.

After the semi-finals (Paris had beaten Sydney), we were sitting in the sun when a cheer broke out as a streaker dashed across the pitch. My Swedish friend was particularly amused as ‘streaking’ was a new term for her.

I was too slow to get tickets for RHS Chelsea Flower Show, but Clifton Nurseries had a more relaxed alternative; drinks, canapés and talks from this year’s three gold Chelsea Flower Show winner Mark Gregory and garden designer Joanna Herald, who spoke about gardening trends. Mark’s amusing anecdotes included his numerous attempts to get Jamie Oliver to promote his garden designed for teenagers for The Children’s Society. Eventually, one of Jamie’s team suggested he get Jamie involved; ironically exactly what Mark had been asking for.

It’s always great to share a friend’s off-the-beaten-track favourite restaurant. South Indian restaurant Vijay [49 Willesden Lane, NW6] was the first of its kind to open in the UK. Its décor is plain, but the food is excellent and great value. One waiter was clearly new to the job and we noticed his hand shaking.

Grammy award-winning musician Mark Knopfler manages to disprove the oft-quoted saying that artists get less creative as they get older. The former Dire Straits frontman’s gig at the Royal Albert Hall kept everyone spellbound and my friend noted that Knopfler hasn’t done too badly for someone who isn’t a great singer while swiftly adding that he is one of the best guitarists in the world.

Yesterday evening I headed into central London to see Swedish hip-hop company, Bounce’s version of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. It was a very slick performance and as my friend and I walked to Circus for a drink we agreed that seeing amazing performances is one of the reasons why we’re living in the capital.