Unusually for us we have booked to stay in the same hotel for 14 nights, fingers crossed it is good. It is the low level building overlooking the bay in the picture above and we dug deep into the children's inheritance and have a nice room with a balcony overlooking the harbour.
There seem to be plenty of restaurants withing walking distance one of which we will try after I have posted this blog.
A famous visitor was Churchill who spent 12 days on the island in 1950 and painted the bay from opposite the hotel. The hotel was not built then and most photographs show him on the opposite side of the bay but the hotel have tried to associate themselves with him by having a statue placed close by and copies of his work appear in the hotels decor. Gill kept her mask on for the photo, I am not sure what Churchill would have thought of that!
The picture on the wall of our room below is one of his (I don't think he painted our room) but rather disconcertingly there is a picture on the other wall of Churchill in his swimming cozzy, not a pretty sight.
Whenever I hear of Madeira I am afraid my small brain suddenly jumps to a rendition of "Have Some Madeira M'Dear" the classic Flanders and Swan song.
It was written in the early 60's so perhaps it was one of the first songs I remember although I am sure at the time I preferred their obscene song - Pee, Po, Belly, Bum, Drawers.
Just in case you don't know the words I have printed them out below so you can all sing along.
1st Verse
She was young, she was pure,
She was new, she was nice,
She was fair, she was sweet seventeen.
He was old, he was vile,
And no stranger to vice,
He was base, he was bad, he was mean.
He had slyly inviegled her up to his flat,
To view his collection of stamps;
And he said as he hastened to put out the cat,
The wine, his cigar, and the lamps:
1st Chrous
"Have some madeira, m'dear,
You really have nothing to fear;
I'm not trying to tempt you, that wouldn't be right,
You shouldn't drink spirits at this time of night.
Have some madeira, m'dear,
It's so very much nicer than beer.
I don't care for sherry, one cannot drink stout,
And port is a wine I can well do without.
It's simply a case of chacun รก son gout.
Have some madeira, m'dear!"
2nd Verse
Unaware of the wiles of the snake in the grass,
Of the fate of the maiden who topes,
She lowered her standards by raising her glass,
Her courage, her eyes, and his hopes.
She sipped it, she drank it,
She drained it, she did,
And he quietly refilled it again,
And he said as he secretly carved one more notch
On the butt of his gold-handled cane:
2nd Chorus
"Have some madeira, m'dear,
I've got a small cask of it here,
And once it's been opened you know it won't keep,
Do finish it up, it will help you to sleep.
Have some madeira, m'dear,
It's really an excellent year.
Now if it were gin you'd be wrong to say yes:
The evil gin does would be hard to assess
(Besides it's inclined to affect my prowess),
Have some madeira, m'dear."
3rd Verse
Then there flashed through her mind what her mother had said
With her ante-penultimate breath:
"Oh my child should you look at the wine that is red
Be prepared for a fate worse than death!"
She let go her glass with a shrill little cry,
Crash! Tinkle! it fell to the floor.
When he asked, "What in heaven?" she made no reply
But put in a dash for the door.
3rd Chorus
"Have some madeira, m'dear!"
Rang out down the hall loud and clear,
A tremulous cry that was filled with despair,
As she paused to take breath in the cool midnight air.
"Have some madeira, m'dear!"
The words seemed to ring in her ear...
Until the next morning she woke up in bed,
With a smile on her lips and an ache in her head,
And a beard in her earhole that tickled and said:
"Have some madeira, m'dear!"