A first brush with celebrates and their largess once led to an unsettled stomach and pincers in the brain. After the opening night party of Labelled With Love, a musical based on the music of Squeese, I gained possession of the largest bottle of champagne I had ever seen. A Methuselah of Verve Cliquot was given to the cast by Chris Difford and Glen Tilbrook and their signatures still adorn the label. Perhaps it was the glass of champagne that I had already consumed that urged me but I was determined to carry that bottle home with me as a memento. The cast and crew of the show however was small; most were also driving home and contented themselves with a single glass or two so . . . after consuming as much champagne as was humanly possible, more than was sensible, I tipped the remainder away (horror of horrors) and was driven home clutching said bottle by none other than the wonderful Eamonn Walker, a cast member who went on to an illustrious acting career.
The next day was a milk and dry toast day, nevertheless a love of champagne was ignited that evening; a passion that never faded away. The signed bottle now stands in a quite corner of my home and became the first of a collection that mark some of the most memorable moments of my life.

alison limerick