Hello Spring, nice to see you again. It’s been a while, a year perhaps.

That ghastly winter has turned ponds to lakes, flooded our path well travelled and created a Monday morning ritual of scrubbing mud off my daughter’s white Vans that she insists on wearing to the local park!

Grumbling quietly on Saturday about how limiting it is to entertain children on rainy weekends, as if by magic, Sunday 1st March brought spring.

I had invited some friends for tea to discuss International Women’s Day. Dressed in beautiful sarees, Delhi based designer Suman Bajaj brought me two stunning drapes from her Tea Rose Trunk collection. I was enthralled by the colours, yet totally perplexed by how to put it on. After a few awkward attempts, they all took their time to show me how to dress in 20 seconds! Before I knew it, sparkling jewellery adorned my wrists and an array of bright lipsticks were applied on all the guests by my dear friend Halimah.

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Credit: Nick Gibbons

Within moments, my usual Sunday morning dulcet tones of Classic FM from my kitchen radio were suddenly drowned out by the infectious upbeat songs of Bollywood. They had even invited Selina, a professional Bollywood dancer who brought her own huge speakers. I loved it. We sang (well I hummed), danced, laughed and decided the best way to celebrate International Women’s Day would be a Bollywood party for ladies only at Hotel du Vin, Wimbledon. So there we have it and why not. On 20th March, together, we invite women across the borough to join our intimate Bollywood in Wimbledon event, no men, no alcohol and sarees. In my opinion, it sounds totally liberating!

Our spirits do sometimes need lifting with special occasions. The coronavirus is making us all slightly uneasy as it is slowly impacting life in Wimbledon. My children were looking forward to Wimbledon BookFest's Young Writers’ Competition at New Wimbledon Theatre, which has sadly been cancelled and will surely be rescheduled. Restaurants are quieter than usual, and to be honest, I am not feeling the same usual enthusiasm for a swim and sauna. At least my kids have finally learnt how to wash their hands properly – although hearing them singing Happy Birthday twice (recommended length of hand washing time) is starting to grate. It also has the potential to permanently associate that magical moment of blowing out candles to mark another blessed year, with the subtle fear of the coronavirus!

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Selina, Lady W, Halimah Abubacker, Suniya Qureshi. Sarees by Madhuri Bedi

However, life goes on. Those who can use ‘self-isolation’ as an excuse to stay at home can smugly do so, whilst others who are about to burst with the same force of a cherry blossom tree can have faith that the Dog & Fox are preparing for a sizzling sociable summer. This week they are opening their doors to the public who can enjoy the almighty event space for up to 300 people, right in the heart of Wimbledon Village. Adrian Mills, Flora and I were delighted to take a peek at Young’s latest creation. The fresh smell of paint circulated the room as I stood bemused watching the staff trying to open the connecting doors for the first time. It was easy to imagine how well the sofas on the new Terrace will lend themselves beautifully to the Wimbledon summer vibe of locals and guests mingling throughout the warmer evenings. With 28 new bespoke bedrooms, who knows, if staycation is the buzzword of 2020 and with an abundance of bed and breakfast choices in and around Wimbledon, we could all quite happily eat, drink and be merry on our very own doorstep.

@LadyWimbledon