The waiters, in fact, most of the reception staff and I, are growing old together, even though, for most of the year we are continents apart we have a closeness and fondness of each other, which I treasure. As a hugely successful clothes designer for decades, creating collections for High Street stores, many a late night I would sit here unwinding after a long, typical designer’s day, having dealt with success or disaster putting collections together in the factories. The restaurant was then called the Garden Party, and the grass-green uniforms of the fabulously turbaned waiters always brought a calming mood to my mind. These waiters have seen me furiously sketch when an idea suddenly took hold, even fetching me Hotel letterheads from reception when I need more paper to draw on. They have seen my face tear stained, when that days collection looked as close to the end of the world as I could bear.