Last Tuesday, we had a successful meeting with the tycoon whose vast mansion lies on one of the nicer London hills.
He agreed to our full-sized designs for the 16 stained glass panels we are to make for the skylights in his dining room.
Afterwards, and a little south of the tycoon’s Soho office, David and I were taken on a private tour of the Houses of Parliament.
Inside Parliament
This was so that we could have a close-up look at a lot of the absolutely wonderful glass you cannot normally get to see. I shook hands with the Speaker while David examined Black Rod’s medallion.
For security reasons, photographs are not allowed.
Well, mostly not allowed.
Only in the Palace itself – where Henry VIII used to play tennis – can you snap away.
And that’s how we got this remarkable shot of a badger – loose in the Palace of Westminster.
A most excellent badger – not sure about those two Bohemians, though
Yes, it’s one of those fine badgers with the “Williams & Byrne” name on it – as used by Stephen Byrne to play tennis in the Palace of Westminster on the 12th day of October in 2010.
P.S. Our guide allowed us entry into the crypt beneath the Palace – an extraordinary place with breath-taking treasures. And, strange to say, on a wall to the right of the organ, you will see a larger-than-life portrait of Judas Iscariot. For understandable reasons, such portraits are exceedingly rare.
Well, perhaps someone should have warned the two Bohemians about badgers. They might have been seriously stippled or matted in their attempts to subdue it. This one must have been quite amenable and used to people, especially glass painters.