Wednesday 6 June 2012

Diamond Jubilee

I have been out of the 'blogosphere' for a few days because I have been to London to visit the Queen! Well me and a few thousand others! My family, together with a bunch of our good friends, decided we wanted to be a part of this momentous piece of history.

On Sunday we took our place along the Thames, waiting for six hours for the flotilla of boats to pass us. This was a relatively short time compared to some of the lovely people we met on the day, some of whom camped over night.  As the first boat passed us, in true British style, the rain started again and by the time the flotilla finished we were all soaked. But it was so worth it. The atmosphere and sense of pageantry can only be experienced first hand and it was incredibly humbling to be part of it. I'm sure it will be something our children will tell their families about one day.

We had applied for tickets to the concert on Monday but were unfortunately unsuccessful so we headed to Hyde Park to watch on the giant screens. Again we arrived several hours early to secure a good spot but the weather was, thankfully, much kinder and it was nice to laze around on the grass, enjoying a picnic and a glass of Pimm's. As the time of the concert drew closer the crowds flocked and we soon found ourselves surrounded by people all happy and eager to celebrate.  If anything the atmosphere was more electric than the previous day. The concert was fantastic, my particular favourites were, Stevie Wonder, Sir Paul McCartney and Madness, who played on the roof of the Palace.

I was a child when the Queen celebrated her Silver Jubilee, yet I still remember the day well. The village I lived in at the time held a fete on the school field. There was sports and a fancy dress parade. I went dressed as Queen Elizabeth the I and won! I wore a beautiful outfit my mother had made.

The Golden Jubilee I spent in a field with friends and members of the local community. There was tea and cakes and some rather unusual musical entertainment and a first aid display. But it was memorable and we still talk about it now.

It seemed only right that we should actually see The Queen commemorate her Diamond Jubilee. 60 years is an amazing achievement. Just think of all the things that have happened in the world during that time. It is an occasion that has given a lot of people a chance to celebrate, to relax and enjoy themselves and this in itself can only be a good thing in the tough world we all live in.








2 comments:

  1. WOW! This would be an amazing event to attend! Here in the States, we are getting daily updates on the news. I can't imagine being there in person.

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  2. You're right, Heather it was AMAZING to be there. Hope your news updates bring some of the atmosphere over to you.

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