Jubilee Celebrations

Sixty years is a long old time to be Queen, and so it seemed very appropriate to have an extra long bank holiday weekend and a great variety of celebrations throughout the country and the Commonwealth.

For the past few weeks shop windows have been decked out in red, white, and blue displays, bunting has slowly appeared on the fronts of houses and across streets, and the sale of Union Flags has steadily risen. I'm not big on patriotism, I must admit, but I actually have a great deal of respect for our monarchy, and in all honesty I did feel proud to be British this weekend, taking the opportunity to partake in some local community events held in honour of the grand occasion.

On Saturday evening we went along to a 'Right Royal Razzmatazz' event at church. A delicious barbeque of local, organic meats and very tasty salads was served, followed by a royal family themed quiz in the church and fantastic live music from some of our in-house musicians. The church looked great decked out in bunting, and red, white, and blue flowers. Everyone had a great time, and it was a perfect way to kick start the Jubilee!

On Monday we overcame our social anxiety to attend a neighbourhood garden party a few doors down. Street parties were happening up and down the country over the course of the weekend, but they can be something of an organisational nightmare as it can take so long to apply for permission to have the road closed, so our neighbours seem to prefer the much easier option of an open garden or house for the whole street instead. We actually had a pretty good time, despite some initial awkwardness, and it was good to finally meet a few more of our neighbours.

That evening thousands of beacons were lit across the UK, and with several more being lit throughout the Commonwealth. From the top of our house we had a great view of one of the beacons on the South Downs, accompanied by a very pretty firework display.

My husband had to work on the Tuesday so I spent the day with my parents. The weather was pretty grim, so my mum and I settled down in front of the TV with a cup of tea to watch the Queen's carriage procession from Westminster Hall to Buckingham Palace. This was followed by the Queen, joined by Prince Charles & Camilla, Prince William & Kate, and Prince Harry gathering on the balcony to wave to the crowds and to witness the flyover of the Lancaster Bomber, flanked by Spitfires and a Hurricane, and then followed by the Red Arrows displaying their customary red, white & blue smoke trails.

So, all in all it was a jolly good weekend. Even though Prince Philip was taken ill after the Thames Pageant on Sunday, the Queen continued to take part in all the special events planned for her in the city, and despite her age she never once appeared to look tired or fed up. I have a great deal of respect and admiration for her, and sixty years as monarch is no mean feat, a lengthy reign only currently beaten by Queen Victoria. As I said, I may not always be the most patriotic individual, but God bless Her Majesty!

However, as fun as all the festivities were, it has all been completely trumped by the wonderful news I received this morning that my dearest friend gave birth to a healthy little girl last night! What a fantastic start to June 2012!


First photo my own. Second photo from BBC Radio Wales website.