Saturday 2nd June:
For the last couple of weeks there has been a lot of preparatory Royal coverage on television and radio and in the press, all designed to soften us up for the imminent Jubilee. I didn’t watch any of the television programmes, but I haven’t been able to avoid various articles in the Radio Times and items on news reports. The usual unctuous gush, of course: the Queen is a paragon, a personification of all the virtues; in connection with a programme made up of the Royals’ home movies, a writer for the Radio Times told us that whereas most people shooting their own films can’t hold the camera straight, the Queen’s efforts were marked by a remarkable steadiness. The nadir came in a supposedly rare interview with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams: the usual list of marvellous qualities, and then he said in that awful rabbity voice, ‘And she’s also a person who is willing to tease and to be teased,’ which conjured up a horrible image of them patting each other on the knee and giggling coquettishly. I am conscious, when the opportunity arises, of ‘pumping’ people on their attitudes to the Jubilee. I had my hair cut yesterday, and raised the topic with the hairdresser, a woman in her mid fifties. I said I hadn’t noticed much in the way of flags and bunting on people’s houses. She told me that they were selling off the union jacks in Asda (six for a pound): ‘They’ll be no use to them after the weekend.’ She thought it was wrong to spend so much in a time of economic hardship – not forgetting the approaching Olympics. Then she said, ‘What about the soldiers coming home without limbs? They’re fighting for her. Who’s looking after them?’ I groaned inwardly, remembering that this was one of her hobby horses, and changed the subject. Walking to work last week, I noticed that only a few shops had Jubilee displays, and these all seemed to be charity shops where perhaps the volunteers are from an older age group and more likely to be pro-monarchy (I know this is a generalization). Or perhaps because these shops are not part of a chain, the assistants have more freedom to express themselves. There is a group of houses and flats for the elderly opposite the hairdressers, and they were the only homes I noticed with much in the way of Jubilee decoration. When I switched on the Today programme on Saturday morning, one upbeat Royal story followed another. Waves of propaganda were coming at me, and I felt for a moment as though I were living in a totalitarian regime like Communist Russia or China. I thought, I can’t listen to this all day and turned over to Radio 2. A British aid worker kidnapped in Afghanistan has been freed by special forces; of course David Cameron is milking this for all its worth, and Number Ten has been drip-feeding fresh aspects of the situation as well as Cameron’s manly role in it throughout the day. I can’t help thinking it’s rather a coincidence that he should have authorized this action on the eve of Jubilee. I read David Copperfield on the train back to S. to visit my mother. A pub outside the station had a huge flag of St. George hanging from an upper storey, but I imagine that this had more to do with the England vs. Belgium football match than the Jubilee. A number of pubs had bunting up. Decorations seemed more popular here. In my mother’s street, I would say about a sixth of the houses had some kind of display (but not my mother’s). We spent the afternoon chatting; later we watched Escape to the Country, and after tea my latest rental from Lovefilm, Jean Cocteau’s 1946 film La Belle et La Bete, which we both really enjoyed. Sunday 3rd June: I got up about 9:30, and thought about getting The Observer and looking at the front pages of the other newspapers for Jubilee reaction so far, but it was raining so I didn’t bother. Several times throughout the morning, the radio news reported that a number of Dunkirk boats would be involved in the river pageant. My mother, exasperated, finally cried, ‘Let it go! Honestly.’ Later, Downing Street let it be known that they had received nine and a half thousand applications for street parties. Hmm. On the day the street parties are being held, it is very late to still be talking in terms of applications; by which I take it that the number of parties actually happening are much lower than the number of applications, and that the Government is attempting to disguise this for reasons of propaganda. In fact a keynote of the coverage so far seems to be the discrepancy between the universal popularity of the Queen and the celebrations as reported and the the visual and other evidence to the contrary. In the afternoon, we taped the pageant and played Scrabble. At the end of tea, my brother phoned. He and his partner M. had been back to the Kent village they have recently moved away from. There was a picnic on the green; then they went to the house of friends to watch the pageant. Was it interesting? I asked; but they had been talking most of the time, and he couldn’t honestly say. M. is strongly pro-Royal (I once had an argument with him about Prince Charles, stemming from a packet of lemon Duchy of Cornwall biscuits I had bought and of which he was wolfing down more than his fair share), and my brother has now absorbed his views like blotting paper; so that he becomes po-faced if Mum or I criticize the Royals. Tomorrow the residents’ association of the town they have moved to are holding a street party, followed by the lighting of a beacon on a nearby hill. Afterwards we had about two hours (before the start of Desperate Housewives) to get through four and a half hours of pageant coverage, so much of it was on fast-forward. To my eyes, boats progressing down a river are intrinsically dull. At least with coach and horses coming down the Mall, you get to see people’s faces properly, and that is always more interesting. The one worthwhile fact I learnt was that the Thames used to be twice as wide and much shallower in central London. I looked at Kate Middleton as was smiling and waving minimally in what amounted to a pen, and thought that it was no life for a young person. The weather became progressively worse and in the end it was bucketing down with rain. However, if we were told once that it wasn’t dampening anyone’s spirits we were told it a hundred times. That British stoicism in the face of terrible weather – which sometimes I find admirable, sometimes irritating – was in full effect. The coverage cut out as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and a chamber choir of young people (I think from one of the London music colleges) were performing Rule Britannia, Land of Hope and Glory, etc. The orchestra was under cover, the choir on deck, looking like drowned rats and with malfunctioning mics. I wonder whether the Queen actually enjoyed it; or whether she was just glad to get home, put her feet up and have a cup of tea. It was so cold, I took a hot water bottle to bed; goodness knows what it was like on the Thames. Monday 4th June: On the radio news this morning, there was a sound bite from the Queen’s ex- personal or private secretary; he was asked which acts she was most looking forward to at the tribute concert. Shirley Bassey, and others with whom she had been familiar throughout her reign, was the answer. JLS not so much, although the secretary pointed out that she was familiar with all types of performance from her tours of the Commonwealth (which made them sound like a Zulu tribe doing a war dance); and that if others enjoyed themselves, the Queen was happy. We went out for a walk after lunch, and coming back we heard that Prince Phillip had been taken into hospital with a bladder infection. All that standing round in the cold and wet yesterday can’t have done a man of 90 much good. We wondered what would happen if he died before the end of the Jubilee weekend, and concluded that the Queen would just carry on, and that they would delay the announcement until Wednesday at the earliest. Considering she made William and Harry go to church the morning they found out their mother was dead, she wouldn’t have any other option. After tea, we played Scrabble whilst the Jubilee concert was on television in the corner of the room. It was far more enjoyable than I expected, and if Gary Barlow (as the organizer) doesn’t get some kind of recognition in the next birthday honours, I’ll be very surprised. Some of the acts were much better than I expected (Jessie J); some were much worse (Annie Lennox’s singing was all over the shop, which reminded me of how ropey I’d thought her at the Golden Jubilee concert ten years ago). Some performers’ voices have gone a bit (Shirley Bassey, Paul MacCartney), but it didn’t matter because the audience held them in such affection and had such a history with them. Grace Jones was bizarre (hula hooping as she sang Slave to the Rhythm); Cliff Richard should have stopped capering madly to prove how young he was and concentrated on hitting some of the notes; Cheryl Cole looked tiny, frightened and uncharismatic as she always does when called upon to perform live. Kylie Minogue proved herself a real old-fashioned trouper. Elton John was a bit ragged (but he has just come out of hospital). Tom Jones’s voice was as strong as ever. Opera singer Alfie Boe was an embarrassment when he tried to rock out. My favourite part was when Rolf Harris, called upon to fill in during a technical difficulty, sang Two Little Boys a capella. The Queen didn’t arrive until about an hour in – just after Tom Jones had finished singing; which, if I was Tom Jones, I would have been quite annoyed about. She did the same at the Golden Jubilee concert (and, it was rumoured afterwards, wore earplugs throughout). Tuesday 5th June: I came back to Birmingham on the train this morning. Zoe Ball on Radio 2 was playing Two Little Boys. I found it unexpectedly moving, and judging by her reaction and that of several callers, so did others. If this song is available for download, I wouldn’t be surprised to see it entering the charts next Sunday. Later I heard a little of Jeremy Vine’s lunchtime phone-in. The first item concerned the Jubilee weekend’s incontrovertible success; and as he and his guests chuntered on in a triumphalist manner, I saw how opinion and personal conviction (what people wish had happened) can be made to stand in for, if not reality, at least a recognition of the complexity and multiplicity of reactions to an historical event. Future historians beware! A political commentator from the Daily Telegraph (who might almost have been a spoof character dreamt up by a satirist) said that although twenty years ago, a republican movement was gathering strength in this country (apparently whipped up in its entirety by the Murdoch press, now vanquished by the phone-hacking scandal), the public have lately come to see the benefits of the monarchy. ‘Good will out,’ he actually said. I have the sense almost of a slight edge of hysteria or panic in the right wing media’s representation of the celebrations as an incomparable triumph. People seem to want to believe in something inhuman (Cameron stating that the Queen had not put a foot wrong in sixty years is one example amongst many, many others). For the rest of the day, I went to the supermarket, read David Copperfield and looked on the internet. At half past nine, I watched half an hour of the BBC News Channel for an overview of the four days of Jubilee: about the only thing I hadn’t seen before was Katharine Jenkins at Epsom Races on Friday, inaudibly singing either God Save the Queen or Land of Hope and Glory, stood in the middle of what looked like a muddy field and looking ridiculous in a strapless silver evening gown. After that I watched a programme on Channel 4 where the artist Grayson Perry visited Sunderland with a view to collecting material on working class life to inspire him in designing a pair of tapestries |
Saturday, 30 June 2012
B3227
I am 45 years old, male, and unmarried. I live in Birmingham and am currently working as an administrator for a religious studies centre.
S3035
I am a 65 year-old male retired banker (born 1947), who ultimately worked in the business banking sector, looking after small businesses, after a career in branch banking. I took early retirement at the age of 50 and haven’t regretted it for a moment. I completed a part-time degree course in Landscape Studies at Sussex University in 2006, obtaining my BA. I live at Southwick in West Sussex, and I am married with two grown up daughters, and three grandchildren.
SATURDAY 2ND JUNE
8.45am Awoke. To bathroom & toilet. Washed and shaved. Adjourned to my dressing room and dressed in old clothes as I intended to paint garage door.
9.10am To kitchen to prepare breakfast of slice of toast and marmalade and a glass of orange juice.
9.15am To conservatory to eat breakfast and read morning papers (Daily Mirror & Brighton Argus. I will save Daily Telegraph to read later). Listened to Radio 2 at the same time (Sounds of the Sixties and Graham Norton). Wife left to help with lunch club at her church.
10.40am Returned to kitchen to make myself a cup of coffee and then moved to my study. Turned computer on. Checked my e-mails; did my daily TV questionnaire (regarding which programmes I had watched, and my views on them); read football blogs regarding my local club. Drank my coffee and had a couple of biscuits while doing this.
11.10am Finished reading blogs and coffee. Took empty cup to kitchen. Fed tortoise with some lettuce and the fish in our pond and also checked bird feeders were topped up. Put on overalls and started work on garage door – rubbing down prior to painting. Painted garage door, and then moved on to back garden gate, rubbing down and removing loose paint.
12.50pm Returned to kitchen to prepare dinner of lamb risotto (this was a meal from the freezer. (When making these fresh there is usually sufficient for a third meal which I freeze for occasions such as this). My wife was having her meal at the lunch club. Washed meal down with a glass of Innis & Gunn blond beer. Ate the meal at my computer while reading further football blogs.
1.15pm Had strawberries, meringue and ice cream for dessert, which my wife had prepared earlier. It started to rain while I was eating.
1.30pm Made a small cup of coffee, accompanied by a couple of After Eight chocolates, and a small glass of liqueur.
2.00pm Stopped raining, and my wife returned. Was therefore able to return to working outside. Undercoated back gate.
3.00pm Tidied up my painting equipment and came back inside. Went into study and played games on the computer.
4.12pm Finished playing, and moved to conservatory to read the Daily telegraph.
5.15pm Moved to the sitting room to watch England Football International, while continuing to read paper.
6.00pm Half time. Went into garden to water pot plants using water from butts.
6.20pm Returned to sitting room to watch second half of football, and continued reading paper.
7.10pm Football and papers finished, so turned TV onto National Geographic Wild channel to watch the Giant Crystal Cave. Did puzzles from newspaper while watching.
9.00pm At end of programme went to kitchen and made myself some cheese and biscuits, which were accompanied by a glass of Dubonet & lemonade, with a dash of rum. Paused TV while making this. Returned to sitting room and continued to watch NG Wild on Natural Disasters.
10.00pm Turned TV off, but continued to do puzzles.
10.20pm Moved to study to read latest football blogs, before playing more computer games. There was torrential rain outside, with thunder and lightning.
12.23am Went upstairs to bed.
SUNDAY 3RD JUNE
8.15am Awoke alone as wife had already gone to church to prepare early morning communion. To bathroom for shower and shave.
8.45am To dressing room. Put on jeans rather than shorts as weather turned colder, and still raining.
8.50am To kitchen to prepare breakfast of toast marmalade and orange juice. Fed tortoise in garden.
8.55am Sat in conservatory to eat breakfast, and read papers (Sunday Express and Sunday Telegraph) while listening to Radio 2. Wife returned about 9.20am, briefly, before going out again at 10.00am for normal communion.
10.40am Made myself a coffee.
11.00am Went upstairs to my dressing room to pack my bag for our few days away on our narrow boat.
11.20am Watered all our indoor plants using rainwater from butts (which were overflowing again, following last night’s downpour).
11.45am To study, turned on computer to check e-mails, do TV questionnaire and read football blogs, before playing computer games again.
12.45pm Wife returned from church and we then had our dinner in the dining room (beef casserole from slow cooker which my wife had put on before going out, followed by strawberries meringue and cream, accompanied by a small bottle of French beer and followed by coffee and chocolates). Helped wife wash up afterwards, and then packed car up with bedding, food etc. for our trip to the boat.
1.40pm Left home to drive to boat. Took a detour to our daughter’s hose to put her papers and post through her inner door, as she and her family were away camping for the weekend. Then made our way along A27, A23, M23, M25 & M40.
3.30pm Stropped at Oxford Services for toilet break, and had a drink of hot chocolate and a cake. Wife had a cup of tea and an iced bun.
4.00pm Set off again along M40, A43 & A5 to boat.
4.45pm Arrived at boat, which I unlocked, and turned on water, gas and electricity, before unloading car. Raised TV aerial and tuned in TV.
5.20pm Turned on TV and watched the end of the Jubilee Regatta on Sky News Channel, as this gave the best reception with the boats passing the Queen. Although I was not that interested in the event, which I thought was a bit over the top, nevertheless, it still brought a lump to the throat, especially when the drenched choir were belting out ‘Land of Hope & Glory’, and ‘Rule Britannia’. I was also impressed by the stamina of the Duke of Edinburgh and the Queen, especially in view of their age.
6.20pm Made tea of toast and marmalade, coffee and chocolate biscuit while continuing to watch regatta, followed by highlights on Sky News Channel. It was raining hard outside, so we did not want to go out.
7.00pm Started doing puzzles while continuing to watch regatta highlights on TV.
7.10pm Changed channels to ITV for news. Watched highlights again! As well as rest of day’s news.
7.30pm Turned to Channel 5 to watch ‘Once Upon A Time’, while still puzzling.
8.30pm Watched second half of Yesterday Channel programme on ‘Coronation Day Memories’.
9.00pm Turned to ITV again to watch ‘Vera’. Stopped puzzling to concentrate on programme.
11.00pm Turned TV off, and helped wife make bed up. Washed in bathroom, before going to bed. Finished puzzle, before settling down to sleep at 11.25pm
MONDAY 4TH JUNE
8.30am Woke up, and went to bathroom to wash, shave and dress.
8.45am To kitchen area to make breakfast of toast, marmalade and orange juice, which I sat in the dining area to eat.
9.30am After breakfast did some more puzzling, before assisting wife with washing up and then did some more puzzles.
10.30am Prepared to go out. As not very warm, put on jumper. There were many boats passing by on the canal, many sporting red, white and blue bunting, and union flags.
11.05am Arrived at Canons Ashby (National Trust property) after short drive. Had coffee and scone in tea shop before taking ‘taster’ tour of house at 11.30am. Very interesting, as we have not been here before.
12.10pm Finished tour and strolled around some of the grounds. Returned to tea shop, but as there was a long queue we went to the church to view their flower festival display, which included a floral crown outside, presumably for the jubilee.
1.00pm Back to the teashop for lunch of sausage & onion baguette and bottle of Frog Island Beer, followed by a small slice of carrot cake.
1.40pm Returned to house for more comprehensive, unguided, tour which enabled us to see a lot more than the ‘taster’ earlier.
2.45pm When tour of house finished, we strolled around gardens more extensively, before returning to car at 3.10pm for the drive home.
3.40pm Arrived back at boat. Sat and read guide book from Canons Ashby from cover to cover.
6.10pm Wife served up dinner of spaghetti Bolognese, followed by strawberries, meringue and cream again, all washed down with a glass of cider.
6.45pm Finished dinner, and did some more puzzles.
7.15pm Helped wife wash up.
7.30pm Turned TV on to watch Jubilee Concert, while doing puzzles. I must be getting old! Not only had I never heard of most of the opening acts, neither did their music appeal. I am sure the Queen felt the same, although she was not there to hear it. It did improve as it went along however, although was I the only one to be embarrassed by the American performers wishing the Queen a happy birthday. Do they not understand the meaning of the Jubilee? Why were they there? It should have been confined to Commonwealth performers.
At the end I was impressed by Prince Charles speech, and thought he was funnier than most of the comedians, and hit the right note in what he said, and made me proud to be British, and thought how well we tend to organise these events. Perhaps he will make a decent King after all.
10.50pm Watched news, before going to bathroom to wash and undress, and then go to bed at 11.10pm
TUESDAY 5TH JUNE
8.50am Woke up. Went to bathroom to wash, shave and dress.
9.15am Put TV on for jubilee Thanksgiving Service. Sky News had best reception as both BBC & ITV digital pictures kept breaking up. One of the Sky News presenters summed up my feelings by saying we Brits are shy of getting involved with these events until they actually happen, and then we get drawn in.
9.30am Wife cooked breakfast of bacon, egg and fried bread with a cup of coffee.
10.10am Washed up, and then continued to watch Service while doing puzzles.
11.45am Started loading car up to return home. Closed boat up after turning off all services.
12.00noon Left boat for journey home along A5 and A43. Stopped for fuel 12.25pm.
12.50pm Stopped for lunch at Fox & Hounds PH at Ardley. Had chicken escalope with chips and salad, accompanied by a pint of Spitfire Bitter. Had a coffee after.
1.30pm Left pub and travelled south along B4030 to enable us to see some different scenery, rather than stick to the Motorway. Joined A34 then turned off through Islip to the A40/M40. Turned off near end of M40 and travelled through Slough, Windsor Ascot, Guildford, Loxwood, Adversane, Ashington, and Wiston. There was still a fair amount of bunting in the various villages along the route.
4.40pm Arrived home. Unpacked car. Checked out garden – no damage from rain storms while we were away.
5.15pm Caught up with e-mails on computer, and made tea of bread crust with peanut butter and strawberry jam, and apple juice, followed by a toffee yoghurt.
5.45pm Turned on TV in sitting room for Queens Speech, while catching up with papers, then watched ITV news.
7.00pm Watched recording of ‘Eggheads’ as a friend of ours was on it. We don’t usually watch this programme, but made a special effort on this occasion.
7.30pm Watched recording of yesterday’s ‘Springwatch’ while still reading papers.
8.30pm To dining room to watch TV in there while wife caught up with her recorded programmes in sitting room.
9.00pm Watched ‘Silk’ on BBC1.
10.00pm Returned to sitting room to watch recording of today’s’ ‘Springwatch’, and then ‘Search For Bigfoot’.
11.50pm To study. Played games on computer before going upstairs to bed at 1.00am.
Additional observations
As I was away for most of the weekend, I am not sure what local events were organised, although I know my wife’s church was having a street party on the Monday afternoon. I do not know if it went ahead outside, or whether the weather forced it into the church hall.
My wife was the only person I have seen over the weekend, and apart from some general comments to each other regarding the event, we did not discuss it in any depth.
8.45am Awoke. To bathroom & toilet. Washed and shaved. Adjourned to my dressing room and dressed in old clothes as I intended to paint garage door.
9.10am To kitchen to prepare breakfast of slice of toast and marmalade and a glass of orange juice.
9.15am To conservatory to eat breakfast and read morning papers (Daily Mirror & Brighton Argus. I will save Daily Telegraph to read later). Listened to Radio 2 at the same time (Sounds of the Sixties and Graham Norton). Wife left to help with lunch club at her church.
10.40am Returned to kitchen to make myself a cup of coffee and then moved to my study. Turned computer on. Checked my e-mails; did my daily TV questionnaire (regarding which programmes I had watched, and my views on them); read football blogs regarding my local club. Drank my coffee and had a couple of biscuits while doing this.
11.10am Finished reading blogs and coffee. Took empty cup to kitchen. Fed tortoise with some lettuce and the fish in our pond and also checked bird feeders were topped up. Put on overalls and started work on garage door – rubbing down prior to painting. Painted garage door, and then moved on to back garden gate, rubbing down and removing loose paint.
12.50pm Returned to kitchen to prepare dinner of lamb risotto (this was a meal from the freezer. (When making these fresh there is usually sufficient for a third meal which I freeze for occasions such as this). My wife was having her meal at the lunch club. Washed meal down with a glass of Innis & Gunn blond beer. Ate the meal at my computer while reading further football blogs.
1.15pm Had strawberries, meringue and ice cream for dessert, which my wife had prepared earlier. It started to rain while I was eating.
1.30pm Made a small cup of coffee, accompanied by a couple of After Eight chocolates, and a small glass of liqueur.
2.00pm Stopped raining, and my wife returned. Was therefore able to return to working outside. Undercoated back gate.
3.00pm Tidied up my painting equipment and came back inside. Went into study and played games on the computer.
4.12pm Finished playing, and moved to conservatory to read the Daily telegraph.
5.15pm Moved to the sitting room to watch England Football International, while continuing to read paper.
6.00pm Half time. Went into garden to water pot plants using water from butts.
6.20pm Returned to sitting room to watch second half of football, and continued reading paper.
7.10pm Football and papers finished, so turned TV onto National Geographic Wild channel to watch the Giant Crystal Cave. Did puzzles from newspaper while watching.
9.00pm At end of programme went to kitchen and made myself some cheese and biscuits, which were accompanied by a glass of Dubonet & lemonade, with a dash of rum. Paused TV while making this. Returned to sitting room and continued to watch NG Wild on Natural Disasters.
10.00pm Turned TV off, but continued to do puzzles.
10.20pm Moved to study to read latest football blogs, before playing more computer games. There was torrential rain outside, with thunder and lightning.
12.23am Went upstairs to bed.
SUNDAY 3RD JUNE
8.15am Awoke alone as wife had already gone to church to prepare early morning communion. To bathroom for shower and shave.
8.45am To dressing room. Put on jeans rather than shorts as weather turned colder, and still raining.
8.50am To kitchen to prepare breakfast of toast marmalade and orange juice. Fed tortoise in garden.
8.55am Sat in conservatory to eat breakfast, and read papers (Sunday Express and Sunday Telegraph) while listening to Radio 2. Wife returned about 9.20am, briefly, before going out again at 10.00am for normal communion.
10.40am Made myself a coffee.
11.00am Went upstairs to my dressing room to pack my bag for our few days away on our narrow boat.
11.20am Watered all our indoor plants using rainwater from butts (which were overflowing again, following last night’s downpour).
11.45am To study, turned on computer to check e-mails, do TV questionnaire and read football blogs, before playing computer games again.
12.45pm Wife returned from church and we then had our dinner in the dining room (beef casserole from slow cooker which my wife had put on before going out, followed by strawberries meringue and cream, accompanied by a small bottle of French beer and followed by coffee and chocolates). Helped wife wash up afterwards, and then packed car up with bedding, food etc. for our trip to the boat.
1.40pm Left home to drive to boat. Took a detour to our daughter’s hose to put her papers and post through her inner door, as she and her family were away camping for the weekend. Then made our way along A27, A23, M23, M25 & M40.
3.30pm Stropped at Oxford Services for toilet break, and had a drink of hot chocolate and a cake. Wife had a cup of tea and an iced bun.
4.00pm Set off again along M40, A43 & A5 to boat.
4.45pm Arrived at boat, which I unlocked, and turned on water, gas and electricity, before unloading car. Raised TV aerial and tuned in TV.
5.20pm Turned on TV and watched the end of the Jubilee Regatta on Sky News Channel, as this gave the best reception with the boats passing the Queen. Although I was not that interested in the event, which I thought was a bit over the top, nevertheless, it still brought a lump to the throat, especially when the drenched choir were belting out ‘Land of Hope & Glory’, and ‘Rule Britannia’. I was also impressed by the stamina of the Duke of Edinburgh and the Queen, especially in view of their age.
6.20pm Made tea of toast and marmalade, coffee and chocolate biscuit while continuing to watch regatta, followed by highlights on Sky News Channel. It was raining hard outside, so we did not want to go out.
7.00pm Started doing puzzles while continuing to watch regatta highlights on TV.
7.10pm Changed channels to ITV for news. Watched highlights again! As well as rest of day’s news.
7.30pm Turned to Channel 5 to watch ‘Once Upon A Time’, while still puzzling.
8.30pm Watched second half of Yesterday Channel programme on ‘Coronation Day Memories’.
9.00pm Turned to ITV again to watch ‘Vera’. Stopped puzzling to concentrate on programme.
11.00pm Turned TV off, and helped wife make bed up. Washed in bathroom, before going to bed. Finished puzzle, before settling down to sleep at 11.25pm
MONDAY 4TH JUNE
8.30am Woke up, and went to bathroom to wash, shave and dress.
8.45am To kitchen area to make breakfast of toast, marmalade and orange juice, which I sat in the dining area to eat.
9.30am After breakfast did some more puzzling, before assisting wife with washing up and then did some more puzzles.
10.30am Prepared to go out. As not very warm, put on jumper. There were many boats passing by on the canal, many sporting red, white and blue bunting, and union flags.
11.05am Arrived at Canons Ashby (National Trust property) after short drive. Had coffee and scone in tea shop before taking ‘taster’ tour of house at 11.30am. Very interesting, as we have not been here before.
12.10pm Finished tour and strolled around some of the grounds. Returned to tea shop, but as there was a long queue we went to the church to view their flower festival display, which included a floral crown outside, presumably for the jubilee.
1.00pm Back to the teashop for lunch of sausage & onion baguette and bottle of Frog Island Beer, followed by a small slice of carrot cake.
1.40pm Returned to house for more comprehensive, unguided, tour which enabled us to see a lot more than the ‘taster’ earlier.
2.45pm When tour of house finished, we strolled around gardens more extensively, before returning to car at 3.10pm for the drive home.
3.40pm Arrived back at boat. Sat and read guide book from Canons Ashby from cover to cover.
6.10pm Wife served up dinner of spaghetti Bolognese, followed by strawberries, meringue and cream again, all washed down with a glass of cider.
6.45pm Finished dinner, and did some more puzzles.
7.15pm Helped wife wash up.
7.30pm Turned TV on to watch Jubilee Concert, while doing puzzles. I must be getting old! Not only had I never heard of most of the opening acts, neither did their music appeal. I am sure the Queen felt the same, although she was not there to hear it. It did improve as it went along however, although was I the only one to be embarrassed by the American performers wishing the Queen a happy birthday. Do they not understand the meaning of the Jubilee? Why were they there? It should have been confined to Commonwealth performers.
At the end I was impressed by Prince Charles speech, and thought he was funnier than most of the comedians, and hit the right note in what he said, and made me proud to be British, and thought how well we tend to organise these events. Perhaps he will make a decent King after all.
10.50pm Watched news, before going to bathroom to wash and undress, and then go to bed at 11.10pm
TUESDAY 5TH JUNE
8.50am Woke up. Went to bathroom to wash, shave and dress.
9.15am Put TV on for jubilee Thanksgiving Service. Sky News had best reception as both BBC & ITV digital pictures kept breaking up. One of the Sky News presenters summed up my feelings by saying we Brits are shy of getting involved with these events until they actually happen, and then we get drawn in.
9.30am Wife cooked breakfast of bacon, egg and fried bread with a cup of coffee.
10.10am Washed up, and then continued to watch Service while doing puzzles.
11.45am Started loading car up to return home. Closed boat up after turning off all services.
12.00noon Left boat for journey home along A5 and A43. Stopped for fuel 12.25pm.
12.50pm Stopped for lunch at Fox & Hounds PH at Ardley. Had chicken escalope with chips and salad, accompanied by a pint of Spitfire Bitter. Had a coffee after.
1.30pm Left pub and travelled south along B4030 to enable us to see some different scenery, rather than stick to the Motorway. Joined A34 then turned off through Islip to the A40/M40. Turned off near end of M40 and travelled through Slough, Windsor Ascot, Guildford, Loxwood, Adversane, Ashington, and Wiston. There was still a fair amount of bunting in the various villages along the route.
4.40pm Arrived home. Unpacked car. Checked out garden – no damage from rain storms while we were away.
5.15pm Caught up with e-mails on computer, and made tea of bread crust with peanut butter and strawberry jam, and apple juice, followed by a toffee yoghurt.
5.45pm Turned on TV in sitting room for Queens Speech, while catching up with papers, then watched ITV news.
7.00pm Watched recording of ‘Eggheads’ as a friend of ours was on it. We don’t usually watch this programme, but made a special effort on this occasion.
7.30pm Watched recording of yesterday’s ‘Springwatch’ while still reading papers.
8.30pm To dining room to watch TV in there while wife caught up with her recorded programmes in sitting room.
9.00pm Watched ‘Silk’ on BBC1.
10.00pm Returned to sitting room to watch recording of today’s’ ‘Springwatch’, and then ‘Search For Bigfoot’.
11.50pm To study. Played games on computer before going upstairs to bed at 1.00am.
Additional observations
As I was away for most of the weekend, I am not sure what local events were organised, although I know my wife’s church was having a street party on the Monday afternoon. I do not know if it went ahead outside, or whether the weather forced it into the church hall.
My wife was the only person I have seen over the weekend, and apart from some general comments to each other regarding the event, we did not discuss it in any depth.
G3988
I am a woman in my twenties who lives in London. I am a PA who works in the public sector.
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The following was written on the actual days with a very few tweaks when typing up:
Saturday 2 June So today is the first day of the Diamond Jubilee weekend. I have spent it no where near the UK as I have been on holiday for the past week (overseas!) with my family. We planned it ages ago (about a year) and we knew it would be the Jubilee weekend as it meant we’d get a bit longer off work without having to take as much leave. It meant having a nice long holiday! While I’m a bit disappointed to be missing out on such a historic occasion, it couldn’t really compete with a cheap holiday particularly after a very tiring and busy few months at work. I went on the BBC mobile site (free WiFi in our accommodation!) and read that the Queen had started the weekend at the races but that was as much as I have heard. I briefly mentioned it to my family and none of them are at all disappointed to be missing the festivities. Instead of taking part in Jubilee events, I have done a bit of shopping in the town we are staying in and have had a lovely evening meal but have mostly been relaxing. Sunday 3 June Again, we’ve had very little to do with the Jubilee. I mentioned to my family that it was the day of the flotilla but there wasn’t much discussion. I saw on the BBC mobile site that the final preparations were being made but have yet to check up on how it all went. I genuinely hope it went well for everyone involved as I bet there has been a hell of a lot of work behind the scenes. I may look up some reports before I got to bed! As with yesterday, it has been a very relaxing day of eating and drinking and also packing and saying goodbye to friends as we head home tomorrow. Monday 4 June Today was spent travelling. I got back home at about 8.40pm so could’ve watched a lot of the concert but my flatmate isn’t really interested in the whole Jubilee thing and I didn’t want to force her to watch anything so we watched Quantum of Solace instead. I hope to catch some of the highlights. I didn’t read anything about the flotilla yesterday as our free WiFi had run out. But I heard today that Prince Philip is ill and would therefore miss the concert. Part of me is a bit cynical and thinks that he wouldn’t have enjoyed it and therefore feigned illness but I’m sure that’s not the case!! The following was written retrospectively: Tuesday 5 June This was a typical post-holiday day. I spent most of it unpacking, watching TV (the French Open tennis mainly!) and checking up on e-mails. It was another relaxing day. Again, I caught very little of the Jubilee. I saw a bit of David Cameron doing a reading at the service but that was it. However, I did record the highlights of the concert and highlights of the whole weekend on the BBC and I am genuinely looking forward to watching it all – it might be a while until I do though as I have lots of TV to catch up on from while I was away! Overall, I had such a lovely holiday that I can't be too sad to have missed everything. However, I think if I had been in the UK I would've got caught up in it all, maybe tried to watch the flotilla and I would definitely have tried to get tickets for the concert when the ballot was announced. From what I have heard, even where people weren't able to join in the festivities (they went down to the Thames to see the flotilla but couldn't actually see anything because of the numbers of people!) or didn't choose to join in, no one complained about having a long weekend! |
C3167
Male
40
Single
Stoke-on-Trent
Office Worker
40
Single
Stoke-on-Trent
Office Worker
A Jubilee Diary
Saturday 2nd June Woke up earlier than I wanted or had need to since there is no work today, giving me time to lie in bed thinking about the conversation I had with a friend in the pub last night. She was commenting in the amount of bunting the owners have put out for the Jubilee, it covers every inch of the building several times over, and how hard she was finding it to get hold of any since every shop she had visited that day had sold out. It’s amazing really to think that people have the money to spend on such things during what is supposed to be the ‘age of austerity.’ A little later I trooped off to the Co-Op to get the papers and ended up wishing I hadn’t bothered, page after page of Jubilee related nonsense most of it repeated from the day before and not worth reading then. The television news isn’t much better with pious platitudes about the Queen shoe-horned into every story and the troubles of the wider world all but ignored. There were more flags about when I went down to Newcastle to do my shopping and at least two of the banks in the town had closed already and won’t be open again until Wednesday. I’m not sure this is really necessary since the celebrations proper don’t start until tomorrow when the banks aren’t open anyway. At home later on I watched more news coverage, this time of the Queen arriving at Epsom for the Derby, the tone of the commentary was so hushed and reverential it could have been lifted wholesale from a Pathe newsreel circa 1955. Perhaps the most comical incident was when opera diva Katherine Jenkins sang the national anthem; Jenkins is a peculiar performer who seems to have built her career out of combining a small amount of talent with a lot of cleavage. Anyway the microphone didn’t work properly and the crowd mumbled rather than sang along. In an attempt to distract myself from the flag waving I listened to a reworking of Sleeping Beauty broadcast as Radio 4’s afternoon play, this was not your average Disney style fairy tale; it was altogether darker and more overwrought. Frankly I could have done with there being a few singing dwarves on hand to cheer things up. Later I watched the England match on television, every few minutes the crowd would start singing the national anthem, carried away with the Jubilee spirit I suppose. They certainly can’t have been celebrating the thrilling football being played, Hodgeson can grind out the results for sure but his teams seldom deliver much excitement. Sunday 3rd June A rainy and overcast morning, if things carry on like this the water pageant on the Thames is going to be a washout, if you’ll pardon the pun. Yet more nonsense in the papers and on the TV about the Jubilee, all that has changed is that now the presenters are standing on the riverbank in the drizzle conducting fatuous interviews with other journalists; fantastically dull viewing. Incidentally, has anyone in all of human history ever grovelled as cravenly after a knighthood as Andrew Marr does; I really hope he doesn’t get one. Out to buy the papers and noticed that the flag has been hoisted on the pole in the churchyard in honour of the Queen, very nice I’m sure, but why can’t they fly it every other day of the year in honour of everyone else? Listening to The World at One on Radio 4, normally a sensible programme and I am disappointed to say that the tide of sycophancy has swamped even this bastion of common sense. Sandwiched between reverential commentary on people messing about in boats and a dreary non-debate between Phillipa Gregory and Antonia Fraser about the significance of the Queen to our national life was a report on the deterioration situation in Syria. This is the sort of thing news programmes should cover; not the childish antics being acted out in the name of the jubilee. Busy in the afternoon writing a letter for the resident’s association and my weekly blog post, this week the subject was how the Olympics and Jubilee are being used by the government to distract we foolish citizens from the real problems facing the country. Later I watched coverage of the pageant on television, actually it seems to have been quite impressive as a spectacle, although the commentary provided by the BBC was awful, managing to be smug and infantile at the same time. At one point the presenter and her guests spent at least ten minutes debating the significance of the Queen wearing a ‘wrap’ to keep out the cold; dull beyond the bounds of imagination. In the evening I put on my Sunday best and headed to the Greyhound, my local, to attend a party to say goodbye to the former landlord and lady. It was quite an edgy affair with no small amount of tension between them and the incoming couple, who are more popular with the regular customers. Even so I managed to have a good time. Monday 4th June Another day; the same old Jubilee themed nonsense on the box and in the papers, maybe all this is part of a subtly planned propaganda strategy designed to swamp any non monarchists out there with so much information they experience a sort of Stockholm syndrome. Any day now I might find myself staring into a webcam and saying that henceforth the world will know me as Comrade Camilla… I spent the early part of the morning in the kitchen ironing pants, socks and two shirts, an activity more useful, in my opinion, than standing about in the drizzle waving a flag. After that I wrote another letter for the resident’s association, this time about setting up a neighbourhood plan for the village, which will mean a lot of work but could pay dividends in the long term. In the afternoon I did odd jobs in the garden with my father, he is eighty two and his health is starting to fail and so any time we can spend together is a bonus because I think it is becoming ever more finite. Back into the house afterwards to watch the news, only one subject covered of course and there no prizes for guessing what that is. There is some speculation about the Duke of Edinburgh being taken to hospital with a ‘bladder infection’, is that what it is or is it a euphemism for something more serious? I’m not all that interested personally and anyway it hasn’t ‘put a dampener’ on the big concert planned for tonight, which I have no intention of watching; whatever happens the Windsor circus keeps rolling along regardless. Tuesday 5th June I watched the Dean of St Paul’s being interviewed on the BBC this morning, he seems to have come straight from central casting, an upper middle class egghead with a soft voice who clearly represents a ‘safe pair of hands’ from the point of view of the establishment. You have to wonder how the former Dean, Giles Fraser, he of the principled resignation over Occupy, would have approached the Jubilee. Perhaps with a few more questions and a lot less deference would be my guess. Outside it is cold, wet and utterly miserable, so I decide to stay indoors and catch up on what the papers have been saying about the Jubilee. There is a good article by Catherine Bennett in the Observer highlighting the ludicrousness of some of the adulation poured over the Queen by the media. Stephen Pollard and Tim Stanley, both in the Telegraph, have interesting things to say about the awful BBC coverage of the pageant and the Jubilee concert. Perhaps the most surprising article comes from Sunder Katwala, a former Chair of the Fabians if you please, who writes in the New Statesman that the left should stop worrying and learn to love the monarchy; talk about blotting your radical copy-book. What about my own feelings about the jubilee? I am not and never have been a monarchist, partly out of political principle but mostly because I dislike the way its presence always encourages the British to look backwards. That said the present Queen has undoubtedly made a success of her role, due to longevity, never expressing an opinion in public and never having to test her popularity against the whims of the electorate at any given moment. I am not at all sure that her son will make so good a fist of being monarch when his time comes, unlike his mother Charles has no shortage of opinions, most of which are not weighed down by much in the way of knowledge. Not that a short, disastrous, reign by King Charles III will sink the monarchy, if nothing else the cheering crowds of the past weekend have demonstrated that the British public would be likely to put its love for the institution ahead of its frustration with the inadequacies of the current incumbent.     |
T4715
Female, age 40 years (born 1971)
Married with two children, healthcare worker
Living in Nottingham but spent the Jubilee weekend with family in West Kent.
SATURDAY 2ND JUNE 2012
This starts as an ordinary Saturday for my family, except that we are busy packing to go away and I am busy washing my daughter’s filthy clothes as she has arrived back from school camp. Listen to Graham Norton on Radio 2 : his guest is David Baddiel who says that it’s on Royal occasions like this that people start to use words they would never usually use, such as “flotilla”.
We set off at about 3.00pm, anticipating an horrendous journey. There is only one house on our road with bunting and the family who live there are from India. I don’t think we would have put anything up ourselves had we been at home, and unless things change drastically over night, I doubt the neighbours will. No one did anything for the Royal Wedding.
The lady who looks after our rabbits says she’s going to a Jubilee party at her sister’s tomorrow, but she doesn’t hold out much hope for good weather.
We spend three hours on the A1 and some motorways. The traffic is pretty good. I see one car bedecked in Union Jacks but nothing else. There are a few more bits of bunting as we drive through the villages and the estate where my parents live. Mum and Dad’s house has a string of bunting across the front window.
They have bought a gazebo especially for the occasion, and their rather nice back garden looks like a village fete, with lots more bunting. Mum shows me the paper chains and decorations she’s bought, a huge bag full. Mum always gets into the spirit of anything, whether it’s Christmas, Halloween or a Royal occasion. To be fair, a lot of what she’s bought is for a Jubilee concert being put on by her choir in a few weeks’ time. My Grandma has also bought a lot things, including a framed photo of The Queen, smiling, for a pound at the pound shop. I spend the evening teasing mum by threatening to draw a moustache and glasses on The Queen.
I’ve bought Mum & Dad union jack mugs, which they like very much, and use immediately.
We go out for a meal in their town. There is a string of bunting across the bridge on the High Street. I wonder if the council budget for the Jubilee only stretched to a visit to the pound shop. A Union Jack flies from the castle.
At home dad has printed off instructions for the correct way to fly a union flag. The jack, he tells us, is the name of the flag pole. I used to know all of this about thirty years ago when I was in Guides. My daughter, also a Guide, knows none of it. It all used to seem very important. I think it probably still is, at least to know about your country and heritage.
The children have a late night. When I come down from putting them to bed Mum has draped a large union flag (I am now wrestling between calling them flags and jacks) across the fireplace, and The Queen’s picture is on the mantelpiece.
“Oh my God!” I say, because it really takes me by surprise. I’m not sure if Mum is joking or not. I suggest we all curtsey as we pass by.
Go to bed and listen to the rain hammering the roof of the gazebo.
SUNDAY 3rd JUNE 2012
Mum wanted to go to London to watch the flotilla but no one else seems very keen. I think it would probably be fun – if you could see it easily above the crowds, if the weather was good, and if the kids weren’t with us. Mum does a nice roast dinner instead, and puts the television on during dinner, which isn’t the usual thing.
I hadn’t intended to watch it, but there’s something magnetising about seeing the Royal Family. I joke about a bit and in an upper crust accent pretend they are saying things. I am also a bit worried about The Queen. She is a year younger than my Grandma, and even though Grandma is fairly spritely, she wouldn’t be able to stand still in the cold for that long.
The Queen gets a bit annoyed with Prince Phillip at one point – he has clearly not heard her, and she mouths at him crossly as she repeats herself. This makes us all laugh a bit.
I think The Duchess of Cambridge looks a bit thin, and my own thought shocks me – I am a slim person myself and hate it when people tut at us skinnies. Also, I don’t usually care what other people, especially famous people look like, and certainly dislike the fuss made by the media about it. Maybe I have become caught up in the moment of it all?
It is quite nice watching the boats though, a real pageant. By the end of it I’m worried about the choir on the top of the orchestral barge. They are drenched and shivering, and I don’t think that’s right.
The children watch a bit of the pageant but lose interest and wander off. They ask a few questions about which Royals are who, but don’t really know who they are apart from the Royal princes, Kate Middleton, and The Queen. Mostly my son (aged 8) is annoyed because it’s too wet to play in the garden.
On spotting Pippa Middleton, my husband shouts, “turn round!” That dress from the Royal Wedding will haunt her forever.
Sort of glad when it’s over as I feel very lethargic. Make cakes for tomorrow, but they don’t turn out that well.
MONDAY 4Th JUNE 2012
Get up at 7.40am, not long after Mum, who is roasting a chicken. It’s still raining.
Spend the morning decorating disasterous cup cakes with red, white and blue icing. I’m not very good at icing cakes so they are rather Jackson Pollack in effect. Daughter sticks cocktail sticks in them with cut-outs of soldiers & phone boxes – very British – in the top of the cakes, and then puts them on my Royal Wedding cake stand. (I only bought it last summer for a birthday party I was having – it was in a sale).
We decorate the house with red, white & blue balloons & union jack paper chains, which fall down a few times. My daughter has drawn a good picture of a corgi – it looks rather smug. My son draws a picture of a queen. The rain stops and he dashes outside with a ball.
Mum and I are busy chopping, slicing and mixing when the guests arrive at 12.30pm. My uncle, aunt, Grandma and great aunt arrive together. My aunt has bought champagne and says, “Well, it’s a special occasion...And it was half price in Sainsbury’s.”
I make a round of tea, because that’s what we always do when we get together. We chat a bit about the pageant yesterday. My uncle watched it but his viewing was interrupted because my aunt and grown up cousin wanted to watch the tennis. My uncle claims that the only reason the Queen managed to stay on top of that boat for hours was because there are actually 5 Queen lookalikes, and I have to admit that she did disappear below deck a few times, so maybe he has a point...
Grandma has come wearing red, white & blue, and my great aunt is also wearing red, white & blue beads. My daughter has hair clips in the same colour. My mum’s wearing an official Olympics scarf I’ve bought her. I also have a scarf but have forgotten to bring it, and I’m dressed in the warmest clothes I’ve got, knowing that we’ll probably have to sit outside at some point.
My son starts up a game of cricket in the back garden, which is curtailed when my aunt hits the ball over the fence twice. The elderly neighbour isn’t celebrating but sends the ball back. The other neighbours, who get the second ball, come to the door in their dressing gowns, my son says. Say no more. A house across the road has a gazebo on the front lawn, and they are celebrating out there under a Scottish flag. Opposite them there is a large Welsh flag.
We all sit in the gazebo for a bit but a very large, dark cloud arrives. We dash inside in the nick of time as it pours down. Mum had thought about having games in the garden but this isn’t going to happen now.
The Jubilee menu is :
• Coronation Chicken
• Potato salad
• Sausage rolls & pork pies
• Other salad
• Crusty bread
• Sherry trifle
• Jubilee cup cakes and tea loaf & Victoria sponge.
• Champagne
The table is heaving and mum still wonders if there’s going to be enough.
There is a lot of chatter whilst we eat. After lunch my aunt opens her bag and produces a really good quiz – lots of those photos with pictures of famous people we have to guess, and questions about the Olympics and royalty. We aren’t that good at the royalty ones. We’re in teams of two, and my aunt has a stash of edible prizes. Me & dad win some Rolos. The whole thing is good fun and we laugh a lot.
More tea is drunk, in fact tea features heavily during the afternoon. The cat gets into trouble for helping itself to some trifle.
It stops raining so we head outside again to sit under the gazebo. My uncle, dad and daughter take photos using the timer functions on their cameras. We try to time it right by pulling party poppers when the timers go off, but it doesn’t quite work, and we have to take loads of photos. There is a lot of shrieking.
The sun is quite warm on our faces and it’s pleasant. I can hear chatter and laughing from the house with the Welsh flag. Then a breeze gets up, and everyone decides it’s a bit chilly to sit outside, so we go back in.
Mum & I make heaps of sandwiches and another bucket of tea.
The tea menu is :
• Sandwiches – egg, cream cheese & cucumber, smoked salmon, ham & tomato, ham & cucumber
• Scones with jam & cream
• More cup cakes / tea loaf (all the Victoria sponge has gone)
The cat helps itself to the crusts from the sandwiches (we’ve decided to go posh), that have been put out for the birds.
My uncle starts to nod off, and decides it’s probably time they went home. The guests leave at 8.30pm.
My husband puts on the Jubilee concert at around the time Tom Jones is on. Dad sets to loading the dishwasher. I have a hoover round, sucking up grass and party popper entrails.
We watch the African Childrens’ Choir and the Military Wives singing the special song written by Andrew Lloyd Webber & Gary Barlow. It’s a nice song, predictable but nice, and ever so slightly emotional to watch.
Dad has found out on the internet that a beacon is being lit at 10.00pm tonight at the castle in town. He also finds out the Prince Phillip is in hospital with a bladder infection, which sets us all off with cries of, “what do you expect, making a 90 year old man stand out in the rain!”
Just as we’re about to leave the house – Mum reckons we need to set off early to beat the throngs at the beacon – my son is struck down with severe nausea, diagnosis “Eaten too much at the party”. This happens every time there’s a buffet. None of us wants to be the one to stay behind with him. My husband does a good job of coaxing him into the car.
Well, so much for crowds of onlookers, the only other people in the car park are teenagers doing handbrake turns. We head up to the castle and there is no one around. The gatehouse is open but there are no posters to advertise the event. It all seems really strange. A couple of women follow us in and ask if we know what’s going on. They think the beacon might be lit at the top of the mound. The mound is the original Saxon Mott & Bailey bit of the castle. I don’t think it’s going to be up there because it’s dark, unlit, and a poor, twisty footpath, and I can’t believe the council wants anyone up there after dark. I don’t fancy going up really. But the others have gone already so I have no choice.
A man and some women call out to me and ask what time it’s happening and where. I tell them I really don’t know, but they follow me up anyway. I still think that maybe it’s not happening at all. I only start to think something might happen when a BBC local news cameraman arrives and sets up his camera beside us. He says it’s not going out live, but he has to call home, and then he tells us his girlfriend has checked the internet and it’s not being lit until 10.15pm because they’re all being lit in relay.
I worry about the children falling over the fence to the ground below. It’s freezing up there. We spot a pole with what looks like a salad bowl on top, on one of the castle towers, with a few people clustered around it. More people join us on the mound, all asking what’s going on / what time is it happening / where is it happening / what’s that thing on the tower? Someone spots a beacon glowing orange in the distance, and then another and another. I start to feel a bit excited. My daughter can’t see any of the beacons, and me and a lady try to get her to focus in the distance. My daughter has been looking at street lamps.
Suddenly there is some movement on the tower and from the green below us, a half-hearted countdown. The beacon is ablaze and a hearty cheer goes up followed by a very British round of applause. I feel quite proud and consider singing the National Anthem, just because something should mark the occasion. But it’s not me to sing out loud in front of strangers. The people on the green sing it very quietly, it’s barely audible up here. But I think it’s a nice thing to do, and I like the fact that complete strangers have come together for it.
My son has forgotten that he’s supposed to be at death’s door.
We head for home & watch Prince Charles’s speech, and remark that the Queen looks sad about Prince Philip. The crowd cheers for him at Prince Charles’ request, which is amazing, as most of the time people mock Prince Phillip. It’s as if deep down, people in the crowd have a soft spot for the old man, or are at least mellowed by the general feeling of good-will around tonight. We watch The Queen light the final beacon – I’m not sure about the lighting method, it looks more like she’s drawing the National Lottery – and the fireworks from Buckingham Palace. It’s a bright way to draw it all to a close.
My husband asks who’s paying for all of this, and points out it’ll be the taxpayer, but we both just shrug in an “oh well” kind of way.
Go up to bed and hear people laughing and having a good time in a garden somewhere. This sort of cheering is usually only observed on TV programmes and there’s something surreal about hearing it in real life.
TUESDAY 5th JUNE 2012.
Get up to see Dad picking up soggy party poppers from the lawn.
Unintentionally watch the parade and church service in St. Paul’s. I’m an atheist but all this clearly means a lot to The Queen. My son watches a little bit and asks if you can be The Queen if you’re not a Christian, and I say that she’s head of the Church of England too. This is all too puzzling for him, and he wanders off. My daughter watches a little bit but has had enough of Royal things for now. I don’t know why I keep watching it, I’m like a moth to a lightbulb.
Mum & Dad get the Telegraph, which is full of people ranting about the shoddy and “lightweight” broadcasting of the pageant by the BBC. Honestly, don’t these people have anything more serious to get angry about?! It was a “lighthearted” afternoon, why did it need a Dimbleby to oversee the proceedings?
Mum insists that we eat lunch in the garden, under the gazebo. It’s not exactly warm out there though. She had planned that we’d have yesterday’s leftovers but there’s not much left so she has to add some quiche and a pizza. I have not eaten any veg for a couple of days.
The children are spending the rest of half term with my parents, and my husband & I leave them just before 3.00pm. We do have work to go to this week, but we try not to look too pleased about being apart from the kids and having the opportunity to have a social life again. The kids don’t hide their pleasure from us. As we leave the Prime Minister is saying a few words about The Queen on TV – it has been a refreshing change not to have to look at him throughout the weekend, and I think it only right and proper that he has stayed out of the way.
The journey home is quiet and quick. I feel satiated by Jubilee broadcasts so we listen to CDs rather than the radio. My husband asks if I’m a Royalist at heart. I say I don’t think the Royal Family is a bad thing, and it’s good for tourism. They don’t do any harm, they can’t help who they are, it’s a part of who we are as a country, and it’s quite nice to have a figure-head who isn’t political or stupid like a lot of Prime Ministers. Perhaps that’s the appeal – to have someone who is sensible and stately at the top, someone with a strong sense of duty and morals, for people to respect, in a time when respect has gone out the window? Most of the time I am indifferent to them, but I don’t wish them any malice.
My husband says his socialist late granddad, and his other socialist relatives don’t approve at all of a family inheriting wealth that they haven’t worked for.(Though I bet there are socialists out there who do the lottery). Sometimes I don’t agree either with that sense of entitlement. I point out to my husband that they probably wouldn’t be too happy about the time we watched the Changing of the Guard on a trip to London, and it was all his idea to go and he got quite excited. But I do tell him well done for watching so much of it all weekend, given his socialist roots. I know he enjoyed himself really. We drive on in silence. Later, I think that the Royal Family have changed a bit in that respect – at least Prince William rescues idiots from the sea, and I can’t see many socialists doing anything as dangerous as that.
We collect the rabbits. The lady says she went to her sister’s party but it was a washout. The street party in her village was better.
Back home there is no sign that anything ever happened on our street. I phone mum to say we’re back safely and she says she watched the flypast. Part of me wants to watch it on the news but I am all Jubilleed-out. Instead we watch some irreverent stand up comedians on TV whist eating my prize Rolos. The comics mock the Royal family in much the same way that I would usually do, but I don’t find it that funny tonight.
I’m glad we joined in. Firstly, as our childrens’ headmaster has written in a newsletter announcing a Jubilee party at school next week, whatever your views on the monarchy, the event marks an important occasion in our nation’s history. Who are we without a history? And secondly, it’s been an excellent excuse for a good old knees up, something the British excel at.
Married with two children, healthcare worker
Living in Nottingham but spent the Jubilee weekend with family in West Kent.
SATURDAY 2ND JUNE 2012
This starts as an ordinary Saturday for my family, except that we are busy packing to go away and I am busy washing my daughter’s filthy clothes as she has arrived back from school camp. Listen to Graham Norton on Radio 2 : his guest is David Baddiel who says that it’s on Royal occasions like this that people start to use words they would never usually use, such as “flotilla”.
We set off at about 3.00pm, anticipating an horrendous journey. There is only one house on our road with bunting and the family who live there are from India. I don’t think we would have put anything up ourselves had we been at home, and unless things change drastically over night, I doubt the neighbours will. No one did anything for the Royal Wedding.
The lady who looks after our rabbits says she’s going to a Jubilee party at her sister’s tomorrow, but she doesn’t hold out much hope for good weather.
We spend three hours on the A1 and some motorways. The traffic is pretty good. I see one car bedecked in Union Jacks but nothing else. There are a few more bits of bunting as we drive through the villages and the estate where my parents live. Mum and Dad’s house has a string of bunting across the front window.
They have bought a gazebo especially for the occasion, and their rather nice back garden looks like a village fete, with lots more bunting. Mum shows me the paper chains and decorations she’s bought, a huge bag full. Mum always gets into the spirit of anything, whether it’s Christmas, Halloween or a Royal occasion. To be fair, a lot of what she’s bought is for a Jubilee concert being put on by her choir in a few weeks’ time. My Grandma has also bought a lot things, including a framed photo of The Queen, smiling, for a pound at the pound shop. I spend the evening teasing mum by threatening to draw a moustache and glasses on The Queen.
I’ve bought Mum & Dad union jack mugs, which they like very much, and use immediately.
We go out for a meal in their town. There is a string of bunting across the bridge on the High Street. I wonder if the council budget for the Jubilee only stretched to a visit to the pound shop. A Union Jack flies from the castle.
At home dad has printed off instructions for the correct way to fly a union flag. The jack, he tells us, is the name of the flag pole. I used to know all of this about thirty years ago when I was in Guides. My daughter, also a Guide, knows none of it. It all used to seem very important. I think it probably still is, at least to know about your country and heritage.
The children have a late night. When I come down from putting them to bed Mum has draped a large union flag (I am now wrestling between calling them flags and jacks) across the fireplace, and The Queen’s picture is on the mantelpiece.
“Oh my God!” I say, because it really takes me by surprise. I’m not sure if Mum is joking or not. I suggest we all curtsey as we pass by.
Go to bed and listen to the rain hammering the roof of the gazebo.
SUNDAY 3rd JUNE 2012
Mum wanted to go to London to watch the flotilla but no one else seems very keen. I think it would probably be fun – if you could see it easily above the crowds, if the weather was good, and if the kids weren’t with us. Mum does a nice roast dinner instead, and puts the television on during dinner, which isn’t the usual thing.
I hadn’t intended to watch it, but there’s something magnetising about seeing the Royal Family. I joke about a bit and in an upper crust accent pretend they are saying things. I am also a bit worried about The Queen. She is a year younger than my Grandma, and even though Grandma is fairly spritely, she wouldn’t be able to stand still in the cold for that long.
The Queen gets a bit annoyed with Prince Phillip at one point – he has clearly not heard her, and she mouths at him crossly as she repeats herself. This makes us all laugh a bit.
I think The Duchess of Cambridge looks a bit thin, and my own thought shocks me – I am a slim person myself and hate it when people tut at us skinnies. Also, I don’t usually care what other people, especially famous people look like, and certainly dislike the fuss made by the media about it. Maybe I have become caught up in the moment of it all?
It is quite nice watching the boats though, a real pageant. By the end of it I’m worried about the choir on the top of the orchestral barge. They are drenched and shivering, and I don’t think that’s right.
The children watch a bit of the pageant but lose interest and wander off. They ask a few questions about which Royals are who, but don’t really know who they are apart from the Royal princes, Kate Middleton, and The Queen. Mostly my son (aged 8) is annoyed because it’s too wet to play in the garden.
On spotting Pippa Middleton, my husband shouts, “turn round!” That dress from the Royal Wedding will haunt her forever.
Sort of glad when it’s over as I feel very lethargic. Make cakes for tomorrow, but they don’t turn out that well.
MONDAY 4Th JUNE 2012
Get up at 7.40am, not long after Mum, who is roasting a chicken. It’s still raining.
Spend the morning decorating disasterous cup cakes with red, white and blue icing. I’m not very good at icing cakes so they are rather Jackson Pollack in effect. Daughter sticks cocktail sticks in them with cut-outs of soldiers & phone boxes – very British – in the top of the cakes, and then puts them on my Royal Wedding cake stand. (I only bought it last summer for a birthday party I was having – it was in a sale).
We decorate the house with red, white & blue balloons & union jack paper chains, which fall down a few times. My daughter has drawn a good picture of a corgi – it looks rather smug. My son draws a picture of a queen. The rain stops and he dashes outside with a ball.
Mum and I are busy chopping, slicing and mixing when the guests arrive at 12.30pm. My uncle, aunt, Grandma and great aunt arrive together. My aunt has bought champagne and says, “Well, it’s a special occasion...And it was half price in Sainsbury’s.”
I make a round of tea, because that’s what we always do when we get together. We chat a bit about the pageant yesterday. My uncle watched it but his viewing was interrupted because my aunt and grown up cousin wanted to watch the tennis. My uncle claims that the only reason the Queen managed to stay on top of that boat for hours was because there are actually 5 Queen lookalikes, and I have to admit that she did disappear below deck a few times, so maybe he has a point...
Grandma has come wearing red, white & blue, and my great aunt is also wearing red, white & blue beads. My daughter has hair clips in the same colour. My mum’s wearing an official Olympics scarf I’ve bought her. I also have a scarf but have forgotten to bring it, and I’m dressed in the warmest clothes I’ve got, knowing that we’ll probably have to sit outside at some point.
My son starts up a game of cricket in the back garden, which is curtailed when my aunt hits the ball over the fence twice. The elderly neighbour isn’t celebrating but sends the ball back. The other neighbours, who get the second ball, come to the door in their dressing gowns, my son says. Say no more. A house across the road has a gazebo on the front lawn, and they are celebrating out there under a Scottish flag. Opposite them there is a large Welsh flag.
We all sit in the gazebo for a bit but a very large, dark cloud arrives. We dash inside in the nick of time as it pours down. Mum had thought about having games in the garden but this isn’t going to happen now.
The Jubilee menu is :
• Coronation Chicken
• Potato salad
• Sausage rolls & pork pies
• Other salad
• Crusty bread
• Sherry trifle
• Jubilee cup cakes and tea loaf & Victoria sponge.
• Champagne
The table is heaving and mum still wonders if there’s going to be enough.
There is a lot of chatter whilst we eat. After lunch my aunt opens her bag and produces a really good quiz – lots of those photos with pictures of famous people we have to guess, and questions about the Olympics and royalty. We aren’t that good at the royalty ones. We’re in teams of two, and my aunt has a stash of edible prizes. Me & dad win some Rolos. The whole thing is good fun and we laugh a lot.
More tea is drunk, in fact tea features heavily during the afternoon. The cat gets into trouble for helping itself to some trifle.
It stops raining so we head outside again to sit under the gazebo. My uncle, dad and daughter take photos using the timer functions on their cameras. We try to time it right by pulling party poppers when the timers go off, but it doesn’t quite work, and we have to take loads of photos. There is a lot of shrieking.
The sun is quite warm on our faces and it’s pleasant. I can hear chatter and laughing from the house with the Welsh flag. Then a breeze gets up, and everyone decides it’s a bit chilly to sit outside, so we go back in.
Mum & I make heaps of sandwiches and another bucket of tea.
The tea menu is :
• Sandwiches – egg, cream cheese & cucumber, smoked salmon, ham & tomato, ham & cucumber
• Scones with jam & cream
• More cup cakes / tea loaf (all the Victoria sponge has gone)
The cat helps itself to the crusts from the sandwiches (we’ve decided to go posh), that have been put out for the birds.
My uncle starts to nod off, and decides it’s probably time they went home. The guests leave at 8.30pm.
My husband puts on the Jubilee concert at around the time Tom Jones is on. Dad sets to loading the dishwasher. I have a hoover round, sucking up grass and party popper entrails.
We watch the African Childrens’ Choir and the Military Wives singing the special song written by Andrew Lloyd Webber & Gary Barlow. It’s a nice song, predictable but nice, and ever so slightly emotional to watch.
Dad has found out on the internet that a beacon is being lit at 10.00pm tonight at the castle in town. He also finds out the Prince Phillip is in hospital with a bladder infection, which sets us all off with cries of, “what do you expect, making a 90 year old man stand out in the rain!”
Just as we’re about to leave the house – Mum reckons we need to set off early to beat the throngs at the beacon – my son is struck down with severe nausea, diagnosis “Eaten too much at the party”. This happens every time there’s a buffet. None of us wants to be the one to stay behind with him. My husband does a good job of coaxing him into the car.
Well, so much for crowds of onlookers, the only other people in the car park are teenagers doing handbrake turns. We head up to the castle and there is no one around. The gatehouse is open but there are no posters to advertise the event. It all seems really strange. A couple of women follow us in and ask if we know what’s going on. They think the beacon might be lit at the top of the mound. The mound is the original Saxon Mott & Bailey bit of the castle. I don’t think it’s going to be up there because it’s dark, unlit, and a poor, twisty footpath, and I can’t believe the council wants anyone up there after dark. I don’t fancy going up really. But the others have gone already so I have no choice.
A man and some women call out to me and ask what time it’s happening and where. I tell them I really don’t know, but they follow me up anyway. I still think that maybe it’s not happening at all. I only start to think something might happen when a BBC local news cameraman arrives and sets up his camera beside us. He says it’s not going out live, but he has to call home, and then he tells us his girlfriend has checked the internet and it’s not being lit until 10.15pm because they’re all being lit in relay.
I worry about the children falling over the fence to the ground below. It’s freezing up there. We spot a pole with what looks like a salad bowl on top, on one of the castle towers, with a few people clustered around it. More people join us on the mound, all asking what’s going on / what time is it happening / where is it happening / what’s that thing on the tower? Someone spots a beacon glowing orange in the distance, and then another and another. I start to feel a bit excited. My daughter can’t see any of the beacons, and me and a lady try to get her to focus in the distance. My daughter has been looking at street lamps.
Suddenly there is some movement on the tower and from the green below us, a half-hearted countdown. The beacon is ablaze and a hearty cheer goes up followed by a very British round of applause. I feel quite proud and consider singing the National Anthem, just because something should mark the occasion. But it’s not me to sing out loud in front of strangers. The people on the green sing it very quietly, it’s barely audible up here. But I think it’s a nice thing to do, and I like the fact that complete strangers have come together for it.
My son has forgotten that he’s supposed to be at death’s door.
We head for home & watch Prince Charles’s speech, and remark that the Queen looks sad about Prince Philip. The crowd cheers for him at Prince Charles’ request, which is amazing, as most of the time people mock Prince Phillip. It’s as if deep down, people in the crowd have a soft spot for the old man, or are at least mellowed by the general feeling of good-will around tonight. We watch The Queen light the final beacon – I’m not sure about the lighting method, it looks more like she’s drawing the National Lottery – and the fireworks from Buckingham Palace. It’s a bright way to draw it all to a close.
My husband asks who’s paying for all of this, and points out it’ll be the taxpayer, but we both just shrug in an “oh well” kind of way.
Go up to bed and hear people laughing and having a good time in a garden somewhere. This sort of cheering is usually only observed on TV programmes and there’s something surreal about hearing it in real life.
TUESDAY 5th JUNE 2012.
Get up to see Dad picking up soggy party poppers from the lawn.
Unintentionally watch the parade and church service in St. Paul’s. I’m an atheist but all this clearly means a lot to The Queen. My son watches a little bit and asks if you can be The Queen if you’re not a Christian, and I say that she’s head of the Church of England too. This is all too puzzling for him, and he wanders off. My daughter watches a little bit but has had enough of Royal things for now. I don’t know why I keep watching it, I’m like a moth to a lightbulb.
Mum & Dad get the Telegraph, which is full of people ranting about the shoddy and “lightweight” broadcasting of the pageant by the BBC. Honestly, don’t these people have anything more serious to get angry about?! It was a “lighthearted” afternoon, why did it need a Dimbleby to oversee the proceedings?
Mum insists that we eat lunch in the garden, under the gazebo. It’s not exactly warm out there though. She had planned that we’d have yesterday’s leftovers but there’s not much left so she has to add some quiche and a pizza. I have not eaten any veg for a couple of days.
The children are spending the rest of half term with my parents, and my husband & I leave them just before 3.00pm. We do have work to go to this week, but we try not to look too pleased about being apart from the kids and having the opportunity to have a social life again. The kids don’t hide their pleasure from us. As we leave the Prime Minister is saying a few words about The Queen on TV – it has been a refreshing change not to have to look at him throughout the weekend, and I think it only right and proper that he has stayed out of the way.
The journey home is quiet and quick. I feel satiated by Jubilee broadcasts so we listen to CDs rather than the radio. My husband asks if I’m a Royalist at heart. I say I don’t think the Royal Family is a bad thing, and it’s good for tourism. They don’t do any harm, they can’t help who they are, it’s a part of who we are as a country, and it’s quite nice to have a figure-head who isn’t political or stupid like a lot of Prime Ministers. Perhaps that’s the appeal – to have someone who is sensible and stately at the top, someone with a strong sense of duty and morals, for people to respect, in a time when respect has gone out the window? Most of the time I am indifferent to them, but I don’t wish them any malice.
My husband says his socialist late granddad, and his other socialist relatives don’t approve at all of a family inheriting wealth that they haven’t worked for.(Though I bet there are socialists out there who do the lottery). Sometimes I don’t agree either with that sense of entitlement. I point out to my husband that they probably wouldn’t be too happy about the time we watched the Changing of the Guard on a trip to London, and it was all his idea to go and he got quite excited. But I do tell him well done for watching so much of it all weekend, given his socialist roots. I know he enjoyed himself really. We drive on in silence. Later, I think that the Royal Family have changed a bit in that respect – at least Prince William rescues idiots from the sea, and I can’t see many socialists doing anything as dangerous as that.
We collect the rabbits. The lady says she went to her sister’s party but it was a washout. The street party in her village was better.
Back home there is no sign that anything ever happened on our street. I phone mum to say we’re back safely and she says she watched the flypast. Part of me wants to watch it on the news but I am all Jubilleed-out. Instead we watch some irreverent stand up comedians on TV whist eating my prize Rolos. The comics mock the Royal family in much the same way that I would usually do, but I don’t find it that funny tonight.
I’m glad we joined in. Firstly, as our childrens’ headmaster has written in a newsletter announcing a Jubilee party at school next week, whatever your views on the monarchy, the event marks an important occasion in our nation’s history. Who are we without a history? And secondly, it’s been an excellent excuse for a good old knees up, something the British excel at.
R860
female,married,1son,retired,64yrs old,Stockport, Cheshire.
Fri. eve.decorated village community centre with bunting ready for the Parish coffee morning next day. Then went up to church for choir practice,special celebrations on Sun. morning but I doubt I'll make it as I'm organising a street party for ''the Big Lunch''.
Saturday 2nd. June, not a bad day weather-wise,took my cakes, raffle prize and tombola items early [9:15 am.] to help,set up room, learnt that my friend and myself were selling flags[already numbered] and the recorded numbers put into a draw, the winner got 20% of the takings. We decided to position ourselves by the main entrance so we could get the money of them before they went into the coffee morning[ we took over £50 !! At 12 o'clock we cleared the room and then helped to set it up ready for Sunday when the Wednesday coffee morning crowd were taking the hall over [free for the day] to screen the river pagent for those who were on their own and would like company.In the afternoon I went last minute shopping as my cousins from Australia were arriving for the street party on the Sun.
Prepared food and bunting and balloons for the next day.
Sun. well what a day terrific winds and Rain!!! in the morning I changed our bed so the visitors could have our bedroom till Weds. and packed a weekend case so we could sleep in our campervan [ my husband was not getting a new bed or rearranging our spare room just for a few days]. Lunch time when a neighbour returned from church the marquee was set-up or rather they tried to put it up [7 men],after it blew 15 ft. in the air and eventually sand bags, potting compost bags were tied to the base it was thought too cold to be out so we migrated to a good neighbours conservatory where a good time was had by all, food appeared from nowhere mountains of it ,i did hot pork barm cakes and cranberry,jacket potatoes and salads, there were over 40 of us, we had a quiz games and stories. then 7:00pm we cleared away ready for hotpot curry and chichen pie, we started to drift away about 10.
Monday,what a beautiful sunny day!!!wearing red,white and blue we took my cousins to the local Hall and gardens,where they filmed Pride and Prejudice, as she is a classics nut, had lunch there then went up to the sports ground where we were having a family funday starting at 3:00pm. slow start my husband and 1 cousin went off to look at trains and my cousin and I helped with the childrens races. A really great time.In the eve. when husband and cousin returned we had hotdogs and sat in the bar area watching the concert and at 10:00pm. our beacon was lit then a fantastic firework display,[we as a jubilee committee raised quite a good amount of money to finance the day and it was free to visitors]
home then, I felt it was a job well done by everybody.
Tues. weather was cooler but fine so we took off to Bakewell to let our visitors taste the Puddings and journey through the Derbyshire landscape, I didn't like missing the Queen going to the abbey but thought it would be shown again , we thought of Prince Philip and we wish him well,What an acheivement 60yrs. I did send a card and had a lovely acknowledgement back which was such a surprise.
Thankyou for letting me share this fantastic few days with you.
Fri. eve.decorated village community centre with bunting ready for the Parish coffee morning next day. Then went up to church for choir practice,special celebrations on Sun. morning but I doubt I'll make it as I'm organising a street party for ''the Big Lunch''.
Saturday 2nd. June, not a bad day weather-wise,took my cakes, raffle prize and tombola items early [9:15 am.] to help,set up room, learnt that my friend and myself were selling flags[already numbered] and the recorded numbers put into a draw, the winner got 20% of the takings. We decided to position ourselves by the main entrance so we could get the money of them before they went into the coffee morning[ we took over £50 !! At 12 o'clock we cleared the room and then helped to set it up ready for Sunday when the Wednesday coffee morning crowd were taking the hall over [free for the day] to screen the river pagent for those who were on their own and would like company.In the afternoon I went last minute shopping as my cousins from Australia were arriving for the street party on the Sun.
Prepared food and bunting and balloons for the next day.
Sun. well what a day terrific winds and Rain!!! in the morning I changed our bed so the visitors could have our bedroom till Weds. and packed a weekend case so we could sleep in our campervan [ my husband was not getting a new bed or rearranging our spare room just for a few days]. Lunch time when a neighbour returned from church the marquee was set-up or rather they tried to put it up [7 men],after it blew 15 ft. in the air and eventually sand bags, potting compost bags were tied to the base it was thought too cold to be out so we migrated to a good neighbours conservatory where a good time was had by all, food appeared from nowhere mountains of it ,i did hot pork barm cakes and cranberry,jacket potatoes and salads, there were over 40 of us, we had a quiz games and stories. then 7:00pm we cleared away ready for hotpot curry and chichen pie, we started to drift away about 10.
Monday,what a beautiful sunny day!!!wearing red,white and blue we took my cousins to the local Hall and gardens,where they filmed Pride and Prejudice, as she is a classics nut, had lunch there then went up to the sports ground where we were having a family funday starting at 3:00pm. slow start my husband and 1 cousin went off to look at trains and my cousin and I helped with the childrens races. A really great time.In the eve. when husband and cousin returned we had hotdogs and sat in the bar area watching the concert and at 10:00pm. our beacon was lit then a fantastic firework display,[we as a jubilee committee raised quite a good amount of money to finance the day and it was free to visitors]
home then, I felt it was a job well done by everybody.
Tues. weather was cooler but fine so we took off to Bakewell to let our visitors taste the Puddings and journey through the Derbyshire landscape, I didn't like missing the Queen going to the abbey but thought it would be shown again , we thought of Prince Philip and we wish him well,What an acheivement 60yrs. I did send a card and had a lovely acknowledgement back which was such a surprise.
Thankyou for letting me share this fantastic few days with you.
S1399
63, married, female, Tunbridge Wells
thius was a pretty typical weekend - Sat and Sun, but I did attempt special food, like salmon en crute from Iceland, fried sausages and hot cross buns for tea. which are a lot more than I usually do for tea at w./ends-- sandwiches usually! I avoided the jubilee as much as possible and am surprised by the sheer amount of newspaper coverage, I saw about 10 minutes of the river afternoon and it was dire, -- BBCthe few minutes of the concert were pretty awful-- OK if you kije that sort of thing .Bank holidays are very tiring from the sheer number of meals and washing up, but these things at least get one away f rom the TV and radio. no one I spoke to was doing anything re the Jubilee and most thought it daft of the Queen to stand for so long and that it contributed to the Duke's illness.
thius was a pretty typical weekend - Sat and Sun, but I did attempt special food, like salmon en crute from Iceland, fried sausages and hot cross buns for tea. which are a lot more than I usually do for tea at w./ends-- sandwiches usually! I avoided the jubilee as much as possible and am surprised by the sheer amount of newspaper coverage, I saw about 10 minutes of the river afternoon and it was dire, -- BBCthe few minutes of the concert were pretty awful-- OK if you kije that sort of thing .Bank holidays are very tiring from the sheer number of meals and washing up, but these things at least get one away f rom the TV and radio. no one I spoke to was doing anything re the Jubilee and most thought it daft of the Queen to stand for so long and that it contributed to the Duke's illness.
Wednesday, 20 June 2012
S4872
Female 43 Single Solihull
Senior Financial Risk Manager for Life Insurance Company
Since Christmas 2011 I had not had more than the odd day off work (I do not work weekends) so I intended to try to get away and enjoy a few days break. I had invited my mother to see a show on Saturday 2nd June (her Mothers’ Day present) so we had lunch out and then saw the show. My intention was to travel to Wales for the rest of the weekend.The forecast, however, was for rain so I decided to stay home until Sunday and then take a view. I took the opportunity to put in some training for some cycling events I am due to take part in.Sunday 3rd June was a bit of a washout where I live – the rain was unrelenting and I did not fancy spending much time outside. I watched the Jubilee Pageant on the TV though agreed with many social commentators that the BBC coverage was not to my taste. I found that they provided little information or commentary and tended to cut away at key moments (such as when the Royal barge passed under Tower Bridge) for chatter with ‘celebs’ that I found juvenile and uninteresting. At those times I tended to switch to Sky or CNN coverage instead.I spent Monday 4th June on a long cycle ride though part way through I did attend a ‘Jubilee Hog Roast’ in a Cotswold village. It was dry, though cold, but most of the villagers joined in and there was a happy atmosphere. Much of the discussion was about the pageant from the previous day when the Queen and Prince Phillip had stood on their barge in rain and wind for many hours. There was a sense of sympathy and most people were impressed at the sense of duty displayed though there was much irritation at the organisers who were not thought to have prepared adequately for ‘British Summer Time’. We later found that the Duke of Edinburgh had been hospitalised with an infection and no-one was surprised though most felt very sorry for him.In the evening I watched parts of the Jubilee concert on television – it was interesting to cut to the Royal Box and see how they were interacting (and to see the Queen with earplugs in). By and large the live performances seemed quite poor though Tom Jones and Stevie Wonder sang in tune and engaged the audience. Prince Charles made a speech at the end which seemed to display just the right level of reverence for his ‘Mummy’ and humour about the weather/performance etc.The weather on Tuesday 5th June was once again poor though the rain held off in the morning for the Thanksgiving Service in St Pauls Cathedral which was televised. I watched a little of it (enough to see that the BBC had upped their game initially with a bit more gravitas (with Huw Edwards rather than the One Show hosts as anchors)) and more commentary on the historical perspective rather than stories about cakes and drag queens. I understand it was rather spoilt later with a link to Fearne Cotton and Paloma Faith discussing the latter’s new album and sick bags with the Queen’s face on them.I did catch up later with the Royal Family’s appearance on the balcony at Buckingham Palace (just the Queen, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry). It seemed significant for 3 reasons:• The absence of the Duke of Edinburgh• The close presence of the Duchess of Cornwall• The absence of the wider royal familyIn fact the Duchess of Cornwall had shared the carriage with the Queen coming back from the service which seemed a final seal of acceptance of her relationship with the Prince of Wales – unthinkable 10 years ago.Over the weekend there were many film montages of the Queen’s reign but one person noticeably missing was the Princess of Wales who seemed essentially airbrushed from proceedings despite being the mother of the next King but one. Public sentiment seems very kind towards the whole family – 1.5 million on the street to celebrate events, a warmth towards the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and a growing confidence from the Duchess of Cambridge as the public continue to adore her. There were some demonstrations against the monarchy but very few arrests over the whole weekend which was refreshing. Overall the view of people I have overheard has been less about inherited privilege and more that the Queen has a remarkable sense of duty and works really hard. There has been some limited chatter about whether people would prefer to see the Duke of Cambridge accede to the throne after the Queen but less than I expected.It was a pleasure to be spared too much political focus – there were no politicians on the Royal barge and few interviews with any of them – it is hard to imagine that Tony Blair would not have been keen to participate and provide some historical soundbites if this had still been his premiership.Many local shops had jubilee themed window displays in my neighbourhood. Some people had decorated their houses and cars, though my street did not have much of this (we are a mixture of ages, races and demographics – there just seemed little interest in external displays). More street parties were arranged than for last year’s royal wedding - apparently my neighbourhood had a large street party but I didn’t know anything about it. I was surprised by the large number of younger people (meaning in their 20s and 30s) that were lining the streets in London. I might have expected a much older audience (though youthful stamina must have been required to survive the conditions!).
Senior Financial Risk Manager for Life Insurance Company
Since Christmas 2011 I had not had more than the odd day off work (I do not work weekends) so I intended to try to get away and enjoy a few days break. I had invited my mother to see a show on Saturday 2nd June (her Mothers’ Day present) so we had lunch out and then saw the show. My intention was to travel to Wales for the rest of the weekend.The forecast, however, was for rain so I decided to stay home until Sunday and then take a view. I took the opportunity to put in some training for some cycling events I am due to take part in.Sunday 3rd June was a bit of a washout where I live – the rain was unrelenting and I did not fancy spending much time outside. I watched the Jubilee Pageant on the TV though agreed with many social commentators that the BBC coverage was not to my taste. I found that they provided little information or commentary and tended to cut away at key moments (such as when the Royal barge passed under Tower Bridge) for chatter with ‘celebs’ that I found juvenile and uninteresting. At those times I tended to switch to Sky or CNN coverage instead.I spent Monday 4th June on a long cycle ride though part way through I did attend a ‘Jubilee Hog Roast’ in a Cotswold village. It was dry, though cold, but most of the villagers joined in and there was a happy atmosphere. Much of the discussion was about the pageant from the previous day when the Queen and Prince Phillip had stood on their barge in rain and wind for many hours. There was a sense of sympathy and most people were impressed at the sense of duty displayed though there was much irritation at the organisers who were not thought to have prepared adequately for ‘British Summer Time’. We later found that the Duke of Edinburgh had been hospitalised with an infection and no-one was surprised though most felt very sorry for him.In the evening I watched parts of the Jubilee concert on television – it was interesting to cut to the Royal Box and see how they were interacting (and to see the Queen with earplugs in). By and large the live performances seemed quite poor though Tom Jones and Stevie Wonder sang in tune and engaged the audience. Prince Charles made a speech at the end which seemed to display just the right level of reverence for his ‘Mummy’ and humour about the weather/performance etc.The weather on Tuesday 5th June was once again poor though the rain held off in the morning for the Thanksgiving Service in St Pauls Cathedral which was televised. I watched a little of it (enough to see that the BBC had upped their game initially with a bit more gravitas (with Huw Edwards rather than the One Show hosts as anchors)) and more commentary on the historical perspective rather than stories about cakes and drag queens. I understand it was rather spoilt later with a link to Fearne Cotton and Paloma Faith discussing the latter’s new album and sick bags with the Queen’s face on them.I did catch up later with the Royal Family’s appearance on the balcony at Buckingham Palace (just the Queen, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry). It seemed significant for 3 reasons:• The absence of the Duke of Edinburgh• The close presence of the Duchess of Cornwall• The absence of the wider royal familyIn fact the Duchess of Cornwall had shared the carriage with the Queen coming back from the service which seemed a final seal of acceptance of her relationship with the Prince of Wales – unthinkable 10 years ago.Over the weekend there were many film montages of the Queen’s reign but one person noticeably missing was the Princess of Wales who seemed essentially airbrushed from proceedings despite being the mother of the next King but one. Public sentiment seems very kind towards the whole family – 1.5 million on the street to celebrate events, a warmth towards the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and a growing confidence from the Duchess of Cambridge as the public continue to adore her. There were some demonstrations against the monarchy but very few arrests over the whole weekend which was refreshing. Overall the view of people I have overheard has been less about inherited privilege and more that the Queen has a remarkable sense of duty and works really hard. There has been some limited chatter about whether people would prefer to see the Duke of Cambridge accede to the throne after the Queen but less than I expected.It was a pleasure to be spared too much political focus – there were no politicians on the Royal barge and few interviews with any of them – it is hard to imagine that Tony Blair would not have been keen to participate and provide some historical soundbites if this had still been his premiership.Many local shops had jubilee themed window displays in my neighbourhood. Some people had decorated their houses and cars, though my street did not have much of this (we are a mixture of ages, races and demographics – there just seemed little interest in external displays). More street parties were arranged than for last year’s royal wedding - apparently my neighbourhood had a large street party but I didn’t know anything about it. I was surprised by the large number of younger people (meaning in their 20s and 30s) that were lining the streets in London. I might have expected a much older audience (though youthful stamina must have been required to survive the conditions!).
C 3603
Male - born 1944MarriedRetired Youth % Community OfficerLiving in Hertfordshire
The Diamond Jubilee 2nd - 5th June 2012(Diary of an anti-monarchist)Saturday 2nd JuneAwoke at 7-15am - unusually early for me - but not through excitement !Made a pot of tea for wife and self. It's a grey, drizzly day. Very similar to the conditions on Coronation Day in 1953. Whilst drinking my tea, I recall watching the Coronation on telly as a 9 year old. Only a minority of folk possessed a television in 1953 - so my family went to a relative's house for the day to watch the proceedings. I recall being utterly bored by it all. It went on for hours and hours. If I wriggled in my chair - or spoke - the grown-ups told me to keep quiet, sit still and watch.I wasn't an anti-royalist when I was nine. I simply found the whole event tedious. And now - 60 years later - I find the Diamond Jubilee celebrations tedious and irrelevant.So - anyone who expects me to recount my personal involvement in the royal celebrations will be disappointed. You should stop reading now. My activities over the weekend will have nothing to do with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.I have another cup of tea - and read the paper. It's no surprise that the front page - and several inside pages are taken up with the Jubilee. I pass over them - and turn to the sports pages.I check my emails - reply to a couple of friends - and then look at the news headlines on the internet. There's an economic crisis throughout Europe - and massacres in Syria - yet the Jubilee celebrations dominate. Our local builder calls round to discuss some work he's doing for us. He asks if my wife and I are attending a street party. No we're not. He says that he is - but sounds less than enthusiastic about doing so.Another cup of tea - and I listen to 'The News Quiz' on BBC Radio 4. It's a panel game - taking a satirical look at the week's news. Naturally, the Queen's Jubilee gets mentioned. The host of the show asks the very question I've been asking myself. The Queen became queen on the death of her father, King George VI, in November 1952. Her coronation was on 2nd June 1953. That's exactly 59 years ago - so why is the nation celebrating her Diamond (60 years on the throne) Jubilee today ? No definitive answer to that is given.It's just turned 1-30pm. My elder son, his wife and their 2 children arrive - having driven down from Sheffield. They are staying with us over the weekend. Thankfully, my 2 grandchildren (aged 5 and 3) are oblivious of the Jubilee - and the nation's contrived celebrations. I'll enjoy playing with them much more than I would enjoy having a picnic in the street with neighbours dressed in red, white and blue, wearing silly hats and rosettes - getting merry on cheap plonk.My three year old grandson has a handheld computerised game. I don't understand how to play it - but his little fingers control it with great speed and dexterity. Just amazing that a child of 3 is demonstrating to a 68 year old how to operate this mini-computer.It's now 3 o'clock. I am anticipating the live television coverage of the England v Belgium football friendly. Just another 2 hours until kick-off.Played with the grandchildren in our garden. They have boundless energy - I don't !5-15pm. Watched England v Belgium - the final friendly match before Euro 2012 starts next Friday. Not an exciting game - but a solid, well-organised performance from England - who win 1-0. 7-30pm. Grandchildren in bed. Adults have their evening meal.9.00pm. My daughter-in-law (who is a physiotherapist) investigates the pain I've been having in my elbow. She diagnoses 'tennis elbow' (though I've never played tennis in my life!) - and suggests some exercises I can do to alleviate the problem.10.00pm. Check emails - and look at football and news websites - avoiding anything Jubilee related.I usually watch at least one TV news broadcast during the day. But not today as I know all news programmes will be dominated by the Jubilee.To bed shortly after 11.00pm - and read for a while.Sunday 3rd JuneAware of grandchildren being up and about shortly after 6.00am - but drift off back to sleep. Re-awoken by my wife bringing me a cup of tea just after 8-30am.It's a dull morning - with light but steady rain. I feel just a twinge of sympathy for folk all over the country who have outdoor celebrations planned. Our village is holding a Jubilee lunch in the grounds of the parish church. I hope they've made alternative 'wet weather' arrangements. Grandson a bit miserable - complains of pains. He worsens. His mother and my wife take him to our local hospital. I walk to local shops (5 mins away) to buy a paper. It's drizzling quite heavily now. I pass a few homes and shops with sodden Union Jacks and bunting hanging limply.Return home with the 'Sunday Times'. Granddaughter wants to play - so I put the paper aside for later.Late morning. Grandson, his mother and my wife return. Doctor at local hospital said grandson has an infection and prescribes antibiotics.Considering it's a long bank holiday weekend - grandson was seen exceedingly speedily. Well done the NHS !Have a cup of tea and get a chance to look at the paper. Just as I feared - many pages and supplements are devoted to the Jubilee celebrations. I ignore those - and read the 'Sports' and 'Finance' sections.Lunch. Little lad obviously still in pain. Hope the antibiotic kicks in soon.2-00pm. My son, daughter-in-law and the 2 children leave to attend a barbecue at a friend's home. It's to celebrate his recent engagement - NOT to celebrate the Jubilee !My wife and I have another cup of tea - and relax. I note that the rain is heavier now - so macs and umbrellas will be the order of the day at local street parties. Either that - or participants will seek shelter indoors.Continue reading the paper. Avoiding the television as it will be wall-to-wall coverage of the Jubilee.6-00pm. Family return. Time for the grandchildren to bath - and get ready for bed.7-00pm. Watch 'All The Queen's Horses' - yes - it's a Jubilee celebration programme - but it features horses. My wife and are volunteers with a local 'Riding for the Disabled' group - so we are both keen on horses.8-00pm. Evening meal - and a glass of wine. 10.00pm I watch the news on BBC 24 (rolling news) . Despite what's happening in the rest of the world - the lead story is the Thames Pageant - today's major Jubilee event.11.00pm. I retire to bed - a bit earlier than usual. Monday 4th JuneSounds of the grandchildren playing woke me about 7-30am. I doze off again until my wife brings me a cup of tea at the more acceptable time of 9 o'clock. Our grandson seems much better today. The antibiotic is working.Family breakfast together - now joined by our younger son as well.It's a brighter, warmer day - though showery.Most of the family walk to the local shops to get a newspaper - and comics for the grandchildren. I choose to stay home and do the washing up - and general tidying.The rest of the morning is taken up with reading the paper, making cups of tea, and reading to the grandchildren.My grandson's comic has a small plastic clapper toy attached - with which he enjoys making a fairly loud noise. He suddenly says, "will this noise distract Grandad ?" Very sophisticated - he's only three !One o'clock - lunch for all the family. Various sandwiches.Afternoon mostly spent entertaining the grandchildren. Playing with Lego, dollies, cars etc. Sunny and warm enough to go out in the garden - so kicked a ball, watched the grandchildren bouncing around on a space-hopper. Took some photographs of them - to add to the thousands I've taken of them previously.I check my emails - only a couple in my inbox. Never much email traffic on a Bank Holiday.6-00ish - evening meal. Then son and daughter-in-law start packing for the journey home to Sheffield. Grandchildren watch CBeebies (BBC TV children's channel.) Wife and I look have a general hunt round to make sure the children aren't leaving anything. Oh - musn't forget the lads antibiotic medicine in the fridge.7-00pm. Much hugging and kissing from our very affectionate grandchildren - and the family departs.My wife and I have a cup of tea - and chat about our grandchildren. I look at news headlines on the internet - and learn that the Duke of Edinburgh has been taken to hospital with a bladder infection. At least he won't have to sit through this evening's Diamond Jubilee concert outside Buckingham Palace.7-30pm. I watch an hours telly programme about being the England football manager. It's light hearted - and quite amusing.Another cup of tea - and a bit more tidying up.10-00pm Switch on the telly to watch the news. Got my timing wrong - BBC is still showing the Diamond Jubilee Concert from outside Buckingham Place. Paul McCartney is on - trying to recapture the sound of the Beatles. He fails ! The broadcast of the concert finishes at 10-45pm - and I watch the news. Shouldn't have bothered. The Jubilee dominates. A report of over 150 dead in a plane crash in Nigeria is well down the running order.To bed about 11-30pm - and spend 20 minutes reading 'Four Four Two' - a football magazine.Tuesday 5th JuneUp, washed and dressed by 8-00am.My wife and I drive the five miles to our local 'Riding for the Disabled' centre where we have worked as volunteers for the past 7 years. There's no riding today because it's a Bank Holiday - and school half-term week.We're greeted at the gate by the yard manager's dog. She's hoping for a biscuit - and I oblige.My wife and I each groom two horses. It's nice to have the time to give them a thorough clean and make a fuss of them . Mornings when we have riders tend to be a bit hectic and it's not always possible to groom them to the highest standard.When we've finished - we lead the horses to the paddock and release them. They inevitably roll - and dirty their freshly brushed coats.The two and a half hours we are at the yard pass very quickly. We're home in 10 minutes and have lunch. I usually watch the lunch-time news on telly - but not today. Even without participating in any of the events - I've had enough of the Jubilee and don't want to hear any more about it.During the afternoon I read the paper - and attempt the cryptic crossword. I'm stumped by 3 clues.I surf the net - mainly to catch up on the latest football news.6-00pm. Evening meal - then on to my computer to write up this diary.7-00pm Watched Channel 4 news. All but 5 minutes of it was given over to 'highlights' of the four days of Jubilee celebrations. I find it hard difficult to accept that so many people were possessed by 'royalty mania'. But they were. 8-00pm - Bit of domestic administration. Made a list of 'things to do' in the coming days.9-00pm - Watched repeats of a couple of comedy programmes on 'Dave' TV channel.11-00pm - To be comparatively early - and read for 20 minutes.* * * * *Some afterthoughts about the Diamond Jubilee.....My objection to all the celebrations is not that I'm opposed to people getting together to enjoy themselves. It is that the country has been celebrating privilege by birth. Having a royal family reinforces class divisions. Monarchy is anti-democratic. It is outmoded. It is time the people had a choice about who represents them as head of state.I bear no ill will to individual members of the royal family. But I object to the institution of monarchy.Celebrating the Queen being on the throne for 60 years should be considered as ridiculous as worshiping Apollo or Zeus.Kings and Queens belong to the past - not the future.And now the country can get back to normal - and worry about the economic crisis - and how England will fare in the forthcoming Euro 2012 Football competition. And if England win (I doubt they will) - that will be something worthy of celebration.6th June 2012
The Diamond Jubilee 2nd - 5th June 2012(Diary of an anti-monarchist)Saturday 2nd JuneAwoke at 7-15am - unusually early for me - but not through excitement !Made a pot of tea for wife and self. It's a grey, drizzly day. Very similar to the conditions on Coronation Day in 1953. Whilst drinking my tea, I recall watching the Coronation on telly as a 9 year old. Only a minority of folk possessed a television in 1953 - so my family went to a relative's house for the day to watch the proceedings. I recall being utterly bored by it all. It went on for hours and hours. If I wriggled in my chair - or spoke - the grown-ups told me to keep quiet, sit still and watch.I wasn't an anti-royalist when I was nine. I simply found the whole event tedious. And now - 60 years later - I find the Diamond Jubilee celebrations tedious and irrelevant.So - anyone who expects me to recount my personal involvement in the royal celebrations will be disappointed. You should stop reading now. My activities over the weekend will have nothing to do with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.I have another cup of tea - and read the paper. It's no surprise that the front page - and several inside pages are taken up with the Jubilee. I pass over them - and turn to the sports pages.I check my emails - reply to a couple of friends - and then look at the news headlines on the internet. There's an economic crisis throughout Europe - and massacres in Syria - yet the Jubilee celebrations dominate. Our local builder calls round to discuss some work he's doing for us. He asks if my wife and I are attending a street party. No we're not. He says that he is - but sounds less than enthusiastic about doing so.Another cup of tea - and I listen to 'The News Quiz' on BBC Radio 4. It's a panel game - taking a satirical look at the week's news. Naturally, the Queen's Jubilee gets mentioned. The host of the show asks the very question I've been asking myself. The Queen became queen on the death of her father, King George VI, in November 1952. Her coronation was on 2nd June 1953. That's exactly 59 years ago - so why is the nation celebrating her Diamond (60 years on the throne) Jubilee today ? No definitive answer to that is given.It's just turned 1-30pm. My elder son, his wife and their 2 children arrive - having driven down from Sheffield. They are staying with us over the weekend. Thankfully, my 2 grandchildren (aged 5 and 3) are oblivious of the Jubilee - and the nation's contrived celebrations. I'll enjoy playing with them much more than I would enjoy having a picnic in the street with neighbours dressed in red, white and blue, wearing silly hats and rosettes - getting merry on cheap plonk.My three year old grandson has a handheld computerised game. I don't understand how to play it - but his little fingers control it with great speed and dexterity. Just amazing that a child of 3 is demonstrating to a 68 year old how to operate this mini-computer.It's now 3 o'clock. I am anticipating the live television coverage of the England v Belgium football friendly. Just another 2 hours until kick-off.Played with the grandchildren in our garden. They have boundless energy - I don't !5-15pm. Watched England v Belgium - the final friendly match before Euro 2012 starts next Friday. Not an exciting game - but a solid, well-organised performance from England - who win 1-0. 7-30pm. Grandchildren in bed. Adults have their evening meal.9.00pm. My daughter-in-law (who is a physiotherapist) investigates the pain I've been having in my elbow. She diagnoses 'tennis elbow' (though I've never played tennis in my life!) - and suggests some exercises I can do to alleviate the problem.10.00pm. Check emails - and look at football and news websites - avoiding anything Jubilee related.I usually watch at least one TV news broadcast during the day. But not today as I know all news programmes will be dominated by the Jubilee.To bed shortly after 11.00pm - and read for a while.Sunday 3rd JuneAware of grandchildren being up and about shortly after 6.00am - but drift off back to sleep. Re-awoken by my wife bringing me a cup of tea just after 8-30am.It's a dull morning - with light but steady rain. I feel just a twinge of sympathy for folk all over the country who have outdoor celebrations planned. Our village is holding a Jubilee lunch in the grounds of the parish church. I hope they've made alternative 'wet weather' arrangements. Grandson a bit miserable - complains of pains. He worsens. His mother and my wife take him to our local hospital. I walk to local shops (5 mins away) to buy a paper. It's drizzling quite heavily now. I pass a few homes and shops with sodden Union Jacks and bunting hanging limply.Return home with the 'Sunday Times'. Granddaughter wants to play - so I put the paper aside for later.Late morning. Grandson, his mother and my wife return. Doctor at local hospital said grandson has an infection and prescribes antibiotics.Considering it's a long bank holiday weekend - grandson was seen exceedingly speedily. Well done the NHS !Have a cup of tea and get a chance to look at the paper. Just as I feared - many pages and supplements are devoted to the Jubilee celebrations. I ignore those - and read the 'Sports' and 'Finance' sections.Lunch. Little lad obviously still in pain. Hope the antibiotic kicks in soon.2-00pm. My son, daughter-in-law and the 2 children leave to attend a barbecue at a friend's home. It's to celebrate his recent engagement - NOT to celebrate the Jubilee !My wife and I have another cup of tea - and relax. I note that the rain is heavier now - so macs and umbrellas will be the order of the day at local street parties. Either that - or participants will seek shelter indoors.Continue reading the paper. Avoiding the television as it will be wall-to-wall coverage of the Jubilee.6-00pm. Family return. Time for the grandchildren to bath - and get ready for bed.7-00pm. Watch 'All The Queen's Horses' - yes - it's a Jubilee celebration programme - but it features horses. My wife and are volunteers with a local 'Riding for the Disabled' group - so we are both keen on horses.8-00pm. Evening meal - and a glass of wine. 10.00pm I watch the news on BBC 24 (rolling news) . Despite what's happening in the rest of the world - the lead story is the Thames Pageant - today's major Jubilee event.11.00pm. I retire to bed - a bit earlier than usual. Monday 4th JuneSounds of the grandchildren playing woke me about 7-30am. I doze off again until my wife brings me a cup of tea at the more acceptable time of 9 o'clock. Our grandson seems much better today. The antibiotic is working.Family breakfast together - now joined by our younger son as well.It's a brighter, warmer day - though showery.Most of the family walk to the local shops to get a newspaper - and comics for the grandchildren. I choose to stay home and do the washing up - and general tidying.The rest of the morning is taken up with reading the paper, making cups of tea, and reading to the grandchildren.My grandson's comic has a small plastic clapper toy attached - with which he enjoys making a fairly loud noise. He suddenly says, "will this noise distract Grandad ?" Very sophisticated - he's only three !One o'clock - lunch for all the family. Various sandwiches.Afternoon mostly spent entertaining the grandchildren. Playing with Lego, dollies, cars etc. Sunny and warm enough to go out in the garden - so kicked a ball, watched the grandchildren bouncing around on a space-hopper. Took some photographs of them - to add to the thousands I've taken of them previously.I check my emails - only a couple in my inbox. Never much email traffic on a Bank Holiday.6-00ish - evening meal. Then son and daughter-in-law start packing for the journey home to Sheffield. Grandchildren watch CBeebies (BBC TV children's channel.) Wife and I look have a general hunt round to make sure the children aren't leaving anything. Oh - musn't forget the lads antibiotic medicine in the fridge.7-00pm. Much hugging and kissing from our very affectionate grandchildren - and the family departs.My wife and I have a cup of tea - and chat about our grandchildren. I look at news headlines on the internet - and learn that the Duke of Edinburgh has been taken to hospital with a bladder infection. At least he won't have to sit through this evening's Diamond Jubilee concert outside Buckingham Palace.7-30pm. I watch an hours telly programme about being the England football manager. It's light hearted - and quite amusing.Another cup of tea - and a bit more tidying up.10-00pm Switch on the telly to watch the news. Got my timing wrong - BBC is still showing the Diamond Jubilee Concert from outside Buckingham Place. Paul McCartney is on - trying to recapture the sound of the Beatles. He fails ! The broadcast of the concert finishes at 10-45pm - and I watch the news. Shouldn't have bothered. The Jubilee dominates. A report of over 150 dead in a plane crash in Nigeria is well down the running order.To bed about 11-30pm - and spend 20 minutes reading 'Four Four Two' - a football magazine.Tuesday 5th JuneUp, washed and dressed by 8-00am.My wife and I drive the five miles to our local 'Riding for the Disabled' centre where we have worked as volunteers for the past 7 years. There's no riding today because it's a Bank Holiday - and school half-term week.We're greeted at the gate by the yard manager's dog. She's hoping for a biscuit - and I oblige.My wife and I each groom two horses. It's nice to have the time to give them a thorough clean and make a fuss of them . Mornings when we have riders tend to be a bit hectic and it's not always possible to groom them to the highest standard.When we've finished - we lead the horses to the paddock and release them. They inevitably roll - and dirty their freshly brushed coats.The two and a half hours we are at the yard pass very quickly. We're home in 10 minutes and have lunch. I usually watch the lunch-time news on telly - but not today. Even without participating in any of the events - I've had enough of the Jubilee and don't want to hear any more about it.During the afternoon I read the paper - and attempt the cryptic crossword. I'm stumped by 3 clues.I surf the net - mainly to catch up on the latest football news.6-00pm. Evening meal - then on to my computer to write up this diary.7-00pm Watched Channel 4 news. All but 5 minutes of it was given over to 'highlights' of the four days of Jubilee celebrations. I find it hard difficult to accept that so many people were possessed by 'royalty mania'. But they were. 8-00pm - Bit of domestic administration. Made a list of 'things to do' in the coming days.9-00pm - Watched repeats of a couple of comedy programmes on 'Dave' TV channel.11-00pm - To be comparatively early - and read for 20 minutes.* * * * *Some afterthoughts about the Diamond Jubilee.....My objection to all the celebrations is not that I'm opposed to people getting together to enjoy themselves. It is that the country has been celebrating privilege by birth. Having a royal family reinforces class divisions. Monarchy is anti-democratic. It is outmoded. It is time the people had a choice about who represents them as head of state.I bear no ill will to individual members of the royal family. But I object to the institution of monarchy.Celebrating the Queen being on the throne for 60 years should be considered as ridiculous as worshiping Apollo or Zeus.Kings and Queens belong to the past - not the future.And now the country can get back to normal - and worry about the economic crisis - and how England will fare in the forthcoming Euro 2012 Football competition. And if England win (I doubt they will) - that will be something worthy of celebration.6th June 2012
M4463
M4463 Male train driver, married, living in London aged 582nd June.I don’t know why the whole of the media assumes that everyone is in favour of the royal family. I believe them to be an expensive anachronism. Which other country in Europe makes such a big thing out of royalty? None of them.Today I watched the one o’clock news on BBC tv and the queen was given a 41 gun salute. I thought it was an absurd number especially when I noticed that it was delivered using only three guns which had to be continually reloaded.. Presumably that was because of budget cuts but I have to say that it looked absurd: the sort of thing we used to mock banana republics for. The queen couldn’t even be there because she was watching the racing at Epsom so how much did it matter anyway?When I went to work there were loads of people on the train I was driving covered in union jacks and having a whale of a time celebrating the diamond jubilee. I can remember being more sympathetic to the silver jubilee in 1977 but that was before a plethora of royal scandals: the Diana debacles, the prince of Wales’ adultery, the duke of Edinburgh’s increasingly xenophobic pronouncements about foreign people - slitty-eyed Chinese etc. The whole idea of a monarchy has become ridiculous and I worry that around half the country has been taken in by it.3rd JuneToday was the parade of ships down the Thames in honour of the Jubilee. It rained for the whole time and some people had queued outside Battersea Park from dawn in order that they could get a good view of the queen. Afterwards sixty people went to hospital because of things like hypothermia and exposure and altogether medics had to deal with five hundred people suffering from the effects of the cold. The commentator on the radio said that the royal family was better than an elected president because they were above politics and always took care not to favour one side over another. Just because someone says it doesn’t make all of this true. It’s well known that they’re all ultra-conservative in their views and why wouldn’t they be? It’s all about self preservation. I have noticed a few cars with union jacks fixed to the doors but not many. I would think that it’s not even one per cent of people who are doing this. I’m afraid that one of them is my friend Derek. I don’t talk to him about royalty because I don’t want to hurt his feelings.4th June The big news of the day is that the Duke of Edinburgh has been taken to a hospitalised due to a bladder infection. This is a result of yesterday when he stood in the rain for three hours. I would have thought that any celebration involving someone in their nineties should include a heated car seat and a rug but then what do I know? He went to the King Edward V11 Hospital for Officers and the queen had to soldier on with all the waving and hand -shaking without him. Last night there was a huge concert at Buckingham Palace which I didn’t see because I was working but on the radio there was a report that mass confusion broke out when the band played the second verse of the national anthem and no-one knew the words.There was a woman struggling with multiple bags of shopping outside Sainsbury’s today. Her daughter looked up at her.‘But don’t you like the queen, mummy?’Impatient look from woman. ‘it’s not that I don’t like her: it’s just that I don’t care.’Cue for the little girl to pout.I think that it’s this way for a lot of people. These are stressful times and many don’t have the time because they’re busy trying to cope. Surely there’s something slightly distasteful about all that privilege being on show while a lot of people have lost their jobs and even more are struggling to keep their heads above water?5th JuneToday there was a service of thanksgiving for the queen’s reign. I think it was at Westminster Abbey though I can’t be sure. A small group of republican protesters were shouted down by people bleating ‘God save the queen’. Then about three hundred selected people had lunch with the queen There are so many members of the royal family that each table had one of them sitting on it.And that was it. It all fizzled out. I have to say that I was under whelmed by every day of it. Thank goodness that the European Football Championships start on Friday.
P3059
Female, co-habiting with boyfriend, Living in Bristol, Librarian
Diamond Jubilee weekend, 2nd - 5th June 2012 Saturday
Today was the first Saturday my boyfriend and I were both off work so we were looking forward to a day together. We decided to go for a long walk to get out and about and get some exercise. My boyfriend set an app on his phone which tracked our journey, so we could measure how far we walked. We set off for Clifton village via Whiteladies Road, noticing lots of bunting celebrating the Jubilee, stopped off for a iced coffee and custard tart from Boston Tea Party cafe, which we took up to the Downs near the Suspension Bridge. After eating and drinking, we walked down the zig zag path to Hotwells and walked along through to the riverside. We followed this along to the Arnolfini, where we stopped off, and then on via St Nicholas Market to Broadmead and Cabot Circus. We ate lunch in a cafe there and walked home via Stokes Croft (I didn't see any bunting there, unsurprisingly, as it's renowned for its bohemian and alternative community). We stopped off in the lovely Here Gallery, where I bought a set of postcards, and we also had a chat with a gallery owner showing some work by someone we know from work). No mentions of the Jubilee at all. We had a quiet afternoon pottering at home and I made dinner for us before watching the final of the Voice. Tomorrow we are going to stay with my parents in Somerset for a couple of nights - we wouldn't be able to do this if we didn't have two days off. I have also taken the Wednesday off so it's nice to have a long weekend. SundayI'm not doing anything different to normal really. I went to a gym class as usual and walked home afterwards. I watched a little bit of the French Open tennis on TV and later had a shower, ate lunch etc. My mum called on the phone to have a quick catch up and she asked me if I was watching the Jubilee celebrations on the TV, which I wasn't. We had a brief discussion about the whole event and our feelings about the monarchy. My view is that I am not a royalist by any means but I kind of think that we could have a lot worse. My mum said the Queen does an awful lot for charity and I said she is also supported by the taxpayer so we agreed there are various opinions on the royals! My boyfriend is very anti-monarchy and he thinks they represent all that is wrong with the country, such as keeping the divide between the classes and so on. After the phone call, I did turn over from the tennis to see what was going on (there is a river pageant on the Thames today which is supposed to be very impressive) and I am watching it as I write this. It's not very interesting! The pageant is supposed to start soon and the presenter is filling time with some history and broadcasts from street parties across the country etc. I found it quite interesting that the Thames was twice as broad at the first Diamond Jubilee for Victoria's jubilee and Canaletto's painting of this event is on show at the National Maritime Museum at the moment. Oh there's a big Cornish flag on one of the boats! 1000 vessels will take place in the pageant and it is a shame the weather is a bit rubbish...Just before 5pm, I drove down to pick up my boyfriend from work and we drove to my parents' house, stopping off to fill the car up for petrol (£40!). We were greeted by the smell of roast lamb cooking at my parents'. We had a nice G+T (pretty much only have these at my mum and dad's!) and some crisps and dips, then later dinner (roast lamb with roast potatoes and parsnips, new potatoes and carrots, mint sauce, peas and asparagus) followed by some vanilla ice cream and home made chocolate sauce. I felt very full afterwards. We then sat down to watch the final of the Apprentice, which was enjoyable. It had started late as the river pageant had overrun on BBC1 so it ended a bit later than scheduled. After that we all headed to bed. MondayIt doesn't feel like a Monday today, especially because I don't have to work tomorrow (national holiday because of the jubilee) or Wednesday (I have a lot of flexitime to use up so booked this day off ages ago). I woke at my normal time of about 7.45 and was glad there was no rush to get up. I read in bed for a bit, as did my boyfriend, and then we showered together and got dressed. It was just about warm enough to have breakfast outside so we did. My Dad has been unwell recently with kidney problems and he wasn't feeling too good this morning, so instead of a planned drive to the seaside all together, my Mum, my boyfriend and I drove to a National Trust place, Barrington Court, which wasn't far and had an Antony Gormley exhibition on. My boyfriend set up the satnav, which my Mum and Dad have found difficult to use in the past, and we set off. The satnav took us down some winding country roads and we ended up at Barrington from a sort of back route. We wandered around the gardens and then found the exhibition, which was called Field of the British Isles. Three rooms were filled with 1000 small clay figures, packed in and all looking up at you as you peered into each room. It was quite a mesmerising sight and it wasn't even spoiled by various people spouting their opinions about how the Catholics were to blame for the overpopulation of the world. After sitting down in the restaurant but deciding against ordering (it was a bit pricey and most of the things on the menu were main meals, which we didn't need), we had a quick look in the cafe and decided against that too. I had a bit of a wish for a cream tea but this was not shared by anyone else...! Anyway, we decided to make for home and stop off at a cafe in Langport on the way. We did this (I had a very big bowl of broccoli and stilton soup, which I can still feel full from now) and then came back to find Dad feeling a bit better. We ate a nice slice of marble cake with a cup of earl grey tea and had a chat about all my godparents and what they were up to these days. It turned out to be a really sunny afternoon so my mum pottered in the garden while my boyfriend and I sat in the summerhouse and read for a bit. Later we played croquet in the garden as it was set up - it always feels very English to play croquet! I played a few games with my Dad, which was so lovely as he has been so poorly recently. I really appreciate all the time I can spend with my Dad at the moment because his life has changed so much with his kidney disease. Then my boyfriend joined in and we played a few more games. It was really warm and sunny. After that it was time for a swift G+T before dinner. There was a jubilee concert on TV which my Dad seemed desperate to watch, so we mostly watched that all evening. I kept an eye on Twitter on my iPad and tweeted a few things and had some exchanges with a couple of people about it, mostly to do with guessing the performers' ages with my family and then checking their birthdays on wikipedia! The concert was pretty impressive in terms of scale and who was performing and it was fairly entertaining. The camera kept cutting to the royal box and I didn't recognise many of them. I also thought the Queen was so dour and thought surely she could smile once in a while. My mum thought that the next generation of royals are much more in touch with the people and showing their emotions, so we'll see how things change in future. Apparently, 69% of the British public are in favour of the monarchy, which really surprised me, I thought the figure would be a lot lower. TuesdayWe planned to head home today as my Mum and Dad were going to a village lunch in a marquee up the road at 1pm, followed by visiting my uncle (who has Down's syndrome and lives in a shared house nearby) whose house was having a party. It was absolutely pouring with rain so not sure how the village do went. They planned lots of games outside etc, so I'm sure that couldn't have happened. I helped my Mum and Dad with a few PC problems and we eventually left at about 1pm, dreading the journey home as it was looking pretty busy on the M5 (my boyfriend checked the internet before we left). It was horrible on the motorway, at a standstill in places and very heavy rain. We came off the motorway as planned half way to do a supermarket shop. That done we set off home and got back mid-afternoon. It was raining all day so didn't see any sign of parties or anything locally (although I think there was an event planned nearby which we were invited to via a flyer through the door). We pottered for most of the evening, cooking dinner and watching an episode of Treme before bed. All in all, it was difficult to avoid the Jubilee celebrations - it dominated all the mass media and everyone was talking about it. I think if I hadn't been visiting my parents', I wouldn't have chosen to watch any of the coverage on
TV.
Diamond Jubilee weekend, 2nd - 5th June 2012 Saturday
Today was the first Saturday my boyfriend and I were both off work so we were looking forward to a day together. We decided to go for a long walk to get out and about and get some exercise. My boyfriend set an app on his phone which tracked our journey, so we could measure how far we walked. We set off for Clifton village via Whiteladies Road, noticing lots of bunting celebrating the Jubilee, stopped off for a iced coffee and custard tart from Boston Tea Party cafe, which we took up to the Downs near the Suspension Bridge. After eating and drinking, we walked down the zig zag path to Hotwells and walked along through to the riverside. We followed this along to the Arnolfini, where we stopped off, and then on via St Nicholas Market to Broadmead and Cabot Circus. We ate lunch in a cafe there and walked home via Stokes Croft (I didn't see any bunting there, unsurprisingly, as it's renowned for its bohemian and alternative community). We stopped off in the lovely Here Gallery, where I bought a set of postcards, and we also had a chat with a gallery owner showing some work by someone we know from work). No mentions of the Jubilee at all. We had a quiet afternoon pottering at home and I made dinner for us before watching the final of the Voice. Tomorrow we are going to stay with my parents in Somerset for a couple of nights - we wouldn't be able to do this if we didn't have two days off. I have also taken the Wednesday off so it's nice to have a long weekend. SundayI'm not doing anything different to normal really. I went to a gym class as usual and walked home afterwards. I watched a little bit of the French Open tennis on TV and later had a shower, ate lunch etc. My mum called on the phone to have a quick catch up and she asked me if I was watching the Jubilee celebrations on the TV, which I wasn't. We had a brief discussion about the whole event and our feelings about the monarchy. My view is that I am not a royalist by any means but I kind of think that we could have a lot worse. My mum said the Queen does an awful lot for charity and I said she is also supported by the taxpayer so we agreed there are various opinions on the royals! My boyfriend is very anti-monarchy and he thinks they represent all that is wrong with the country, such as keeping the divide between the classes and so on. After the phone call, I did turn over from the tennis to see what was going on (there is a river pageant on the Thames today which is supposed to be very impressive) and I am watching it as I write this. It's not very interesting! The pageant is supposed to start soon and the presenter is filling time with some history and broadcasts from street parties across the country etc. I found it quite interesting that the Thames was twice as broad at the first Diamond Jubilee for Victoria's jubilee and Canaletto's painting of this event is on show at the National Maritime Museum at the moment. Oh there's a big Cornish flag on one of the boats! 1000 vessels will take place in the pageant and it is a shame the weather is a bit rubbish...Just before 5pm, I drove down to pick up my boyfriend from work and we drove to my parents' house, stopping off to fill the car up for petrol (£40!). We were greeted by the smell of roast lamb cooking at my parents'. We had a nice G+T (pretty much only have these at my mum and dad's!) and some crisps and dips, then later dinner (roast lamb with roast potatoes and parsnips, new potatoes and carrots, mint sauce, peas and asparagus) followed by some vanilla ice cream and home made chocolate sauce. I felt very full afterwards. We then sat down to watch the final of the Apprentice, which was enjoyable. It had started late as the river pageant had overrun on BBC1 so it ended a bit later than scheduled. After that we all headed to bed. MondayIt doesn't feel like a Monday today, especially because I don't have to work tomorrow (national holiday because of the jubilee) or Wednesday (I have a lot of flexitime to use up so booked this day off ages ago). I woke at my normal time of about 7.45 and was glad there was no rush to get up. I read in bed for a bit, as did my boyfriend, and then we showered together and got dressed. It was just about warm enough to have breakfast outside so we did. My Dad has been unwell recently with kidney problems and he wasn't feeling too good this morning, so instead of a planned drive to the seaside all together, my Mum, my boyfriend and I drove to a National Trust place, Barrington Court, which wasn't far and had an Antony Gormley exhibition on. My boyfriend set up the satnav, which my Mum and Dad have found difficult to use in the past, and we set off. The satnav took us down some winding country roads and we ended up at Barrington from a sort of back route. We wandered around the gardens and then found the exhibition, which was called Field of the British Isles. Three rooms were filled with 1000 small clay figures, packed in and all looking up at you as you peered into each room. It was quite a mesmerising sight and it wasn't even spoiled by various people spouting their opinions about how the Catholics were to blame for the overpopulation of the world. After sitting down in the restaurant but deciding against ordering (it was a bit pricey and most of the things on the menu were main meals, which we didn't need), we had a quick look in the cafe and decided against that too. I had a bit of a wish for a cream tea but this was not shared by anyone else...! Anyway, we decided to make for home and stop off at a cafe in Langport on the way. We did this (I had a very big bowl of broccoli and stilton soup, which I can still feel full from now) and then came back to find Dad feeling a bit better. We ate a nice slice of marble cake with a cup of earl grey tea and had a chat about all my godparents and what they were up to these days. It turned out to be a really sunny afternoon so my mum pottered in the garden while my boyfriend and I sat in the summerhouse and read for a bit. Later we played croquet in the garden as it was set up - it always feels very English to play croquet! I played a few games with my Dad, which was so lovely as he has been so poorly recently. I really appreciate all the time I can spend with my Dad at the moment because his life has changed so much with his kidney disease. Then my boyfriend joined in and we played a few more games. It was really warm and sunny. After that it was time for a swift G+T before dinner. There was a jubilee concert on TV which my Dad seemed desperate to watch, so we mostly watched that all evening. I kept an eye on Twitter on my iPad and tweeted a few things and had some exchanges with a couple of people about it, mostly to do with guessing the performers' ages with my family and then checking their birthdays on wikipedia! The concert was pretty impressive in terms of scale and who was performing and it was fairly entertaining. The camera kept cutting to the royal box and I didn't recognise many of them. I also thought the Queen was so dour and thought surely she could smile once in a while. My mum thought that the next generation of royals are much more in touch with the people and showing their emotions, so we'll see how things change in future. Apparently, 69% of the British public are in favour of the monarchy, which really surprised me, I thought the figure would be a lot lower. TuesdayWe planned to head home today as my Mum and Dad were going to a village lunch in a marquee up the road at 1pm, followed by visiting my uncle (who has Down's syndrome and lives in a shared house nearby) whose house was having a party. It was absolutely pouring with rain so not sure how the village do went. They planned lots of games outside etc, so I'm sure that couldn't have happened. I helped my Mum and Dad with a few PC problems and we eventually left at about 1pm, dreading the journey home as it was looking pretty busy on the M5 (my boyfriend checked the internet before we left). It was horrible on the motorway, at a standstill in places and very heavy rain. We came off the motorway as planned half way to do a supermarket shop. That done we set off home and got back mid-afternoon. It was raining all day so didn't see any sign of parties or anything locally (although I think there was an event planned nearby which we were invited to via a flyer through the door). We pottered for most of the evening, cooking dinner and watching an episode of Treme before bed. All in all, it was difficult to avoid the Jubilee celebrations - it dominated all the mass media and everyone was talking about it. I think if I hadn't been visiting my parents', I wouldn't have chosen to watch any of the coverage on
TV.
O3436
MO No 03436. female age 58 married Llandudno.
Summer 2012 The Diamond Jubilee.Although this is a special week-end I do not have any special plans but I am still very happy about the celebrations that are going on. The bunting & flags are terrific & I expect they are even better in other parts of the U.K. (North Wales not being the most royalist of areas!). Last week the Olympic Torch was passing through this area & I think that has helped, not only with all the decorations but also with the general air of celebration. My Diary -Sat June 2nd - Not so warm & sunny but good enough & the threatened rain does not arrive until late afternoon so proves to be no inconvenience to me. I am aware all day of how busy the main street is here - it is the way to the town & I think that it is busier than an ordinary Saturday but possibly I am just imagining that. I have lots planned but only a day at home doing chores & I start with some cleaning up to 10am. Then I begin my most urgent task of the day. I pot 48 small begonias into my tubs; some in the front garden & some in the back. I am so happy to have this job done as I am worried about the begonias being spoiled in their polystyrene seedlings box. I just know they are all longing to spread their roots & begin to grow in their new summer homes! I have several breaks whilst doing this & so by the end it is almost mid-afternoon. I am then helping my husband to assemble a shoot for his online photographic competition. This involves me staring on a chair, dangling one arm over our tall black, back gate & releasing from my hand a bunch of flowers as the shutter is pressed. The result is very good I think & the set up is quick & easy. After another rest during which I do nothing but watch a recorded TV documentary ('58 Up' - my favourite this week!); I summon up the energy to iron the clothes which I had washed & hung out first thing. After tea I watch T.V. & knit. Once I stop knitting & have a lie down on the settee it is no good at all & I quickly fall asleep. Never mind it is almost bedtime anyway!Sunday June 3rdThe street next to mine is called Jubilee Street & I am most pleased with the fact that they are having a street party today! Also it is a longish street of tiny terraced houses & so will be exactly the type of urban setting appropriate in my mind for a street party. Also the people who live in the street are a mixture of every age & several nationalities so it should be an ideal party. However the weather tragically could not be any wetter or even much colder. I feel so sorry for them all. I was invited to this party as my abutting street is very small we were included, but I could not go as I am going to do my voluntary shop job & my husband would rather be imprisoned in the Tower of London than attend a street party. So I am doing my usual Sunday tasks, do a load of washing & make the bed with clean linen before the time arrives for me to go the charity shop. I leave the house at 10.45am & it takes just about 5 minutes to get to the shop. Before i open at 11am I make myself a coffee. When I open my friend who also serves in the shop has braved the elements. She is almost 84 & is helping me until she goes back to have her lunch at 12.30. The weather is so bad she doesn't come back after lunch but I really don't blame her. It is pretty quiet in the shop & at 4pm when I close I have taken £172 which is low for a Bank Holiday Sunday. Most of the people in the shop are visitors to the town & they are mainly coming in to escape the weather but not to buy anything sadly. Everybody is sorry that the bad weather has put a literal damper on the celebrations. I am not surprised to find out that the street party in Jubilee Street has been cancelled. I watch some of the Thames Flotilla & find it quite a lot more interesting than I would have thought. I only watch for about 10 minutes though so I am not sure how I would have felt if I had watched more. I thought Kate (wife of Prince William) looked gorgeous in her scarlet outfit. I felt for all the Royal Family, they must have been freezing. It has felt quite a special day to me even though I did all my normal activities & the weather was so vile. A customer said it was the same weather on the Coronation Day so that made it seem a bit better - at least it was traditional!Monday June 4th.Woke to a blue sky & sun which lasted all day & was very welcome. It was still quite cool & windy but so much better than yesterday. I did a load of washing & cleaned half of the kitchen, my husband did the other half! I went to Asda supermarket which was fairly empty thankfully. I scrubbed 9 flag-stones in my back garden which is actually a small yard, & then when it had dried I put my 6 patio tubs in the clean area & they looked very good there so I was happy. Inbetween these chores I had rests as I didn't want to get too worn out too soon. I have M.S. so I need to take things slowly. On my rests I sewed up 2 knitted sheep for my nativities which I have been making for the charity shop to sell at Christmas. When I had done all my chores I did some work on some birthday cards I am making. I went out straight after lunch for a walk around to the prom & back. The beach & Prom were crowded & everyone was making the most of the better day. Lots of sea-side scenes everywhere, sand castles, donkeys, paddlers, deck-chairs & Punch & Judy. I saw one stout young couple very royally clad, the man was wearing a funky union-jack T-shirt & the lady had a dress made of union-jack fabric. After tea I watched the Jubilee concert from The Mall. I felt really sorry to hear that Prince Phillip was poorly. I did enjoy the concert although I was recording it & had put it on later than when it began so my husband was fast-forwarding through anyone he didn't like! At 10.15 we went to bed so I will probably watch the rest of the concert tomorrow night. I was impressed with the people in London - they were so enthusiastic & I felt that it would have been great to actually be there!Tuesday June 5th.A return to the cloudy & cold weather & plenty of rain around all day. It didn't feel like a Bank Holiday & I felt that the impetus of the Jubilee had been lost by going to another day. The house across the street took down it's huge Union Jacks first thing. I was engaged all day in my usual activities, cleaning, some card-making, to serve in the charity shop in the afternoon & then I watched the end of the Jubilee concert in the evening. I really enjoyed the concert & I thought it was terrifically well organised. I thought it was a terrible shame about Prince Phillip but I did also think he was not really a fan of almost all of the artistes in the concert so he was possibly a little relieved at missing it. I am glad that I saw what I did of the Jubilee & it meant more to me than any other Royal Event. I think the Royal family are enjoying a surge in popularity since the wedding last year of William & Kate. I think they are very good for the country & would now be sorely missed. The best part of the concert for me was the projections onto the Palace - fantastic!
Summer 2012 The Diamond Jubilee.Although this is a special week-end I do not have any special plans but I am still very happy about the celebrations that are going on. The bunting & flags are terrific & I expect they are even better in other parts of the U.K. (North Wales not being the most royalist of areas!). Last week the Olympic Torch was passing through this area & I think that has helped, not only with all the decorations but also with the general air of celebration. My Diary -Sat June 2nd - Not so warm & sunny but good enough & the threatened rain does not arrive until late afternoon so proves to be no inconvenience to me. I am aware all day of how busy the main street is here - it is the way to the town & I think that it is busier than an ordinary Saturday but possibly I am just imagining that. I have lots planned but only a day at home doing chores & I start with some cleaning up to 10am. Then I begin my most urgent task of the day. I pot 48 small begonias into my tubs; some in the front garden & some in the back. I am so happy to have this job done as I am worried about the begonias being spoiled in their polystyrene seedlings box. I just know they are all longing to spread their roots & begin to grow in their new summer homes! I have several breaks whilst doing this & so by the end it is almost mid-afternoon. I am then helping my husband to assemble a shoot for his online photographic competition. This involves me staring on a chair, dangling one arm over our tall black, back gate & releasing from my hand a bunch of flowers as the shutter is pressed. The result is very good I think & the set up is quick & easy. After another rest during which I do nothing but watch a recorded TV documentary ('58 Up' - my favourite this week!); I summon up the energy to iron the clothes which I had washed & hung out first thing. After tea I watch T.V. & knit. Once I stop knitting & have a lie down on the settee it is no good at all & I quickly fall asleep. Never mind it is almost bedtime anyway!Sunday June 3rdThe street next to mine is called Jubilee Street & I am most pleased with the fact that they are having a street party today! Also it is a longish street of tiny terraced houses & so will be exactly the type of urban setting appropriate in my mind for a street party. Also the people who live in the street are a mixture of every age & several nationalities so it should be an ideal party. However the weather tragically could not be any wetter or even much colder. I feel so sorry for them all. I was invited to this party as my abutting street is very small we were included, but I could not go as I am going to do my voluntary shop job & my husband would rather be imprisoned in the Tower of London than attend a street party. So I am doing my usual Sunday tasks, do a load of washing & make the bed with clean linen before the time arrives for me to go the charity shop. I leave the house at 10.45am & it takes just about 5 minutes to get to the shop. Before i open at 11am I make myself a coffee. When I open my friend who also serves in the shop has braved the elements. She is almost 84 & is helping me until she goes back to have her lunch at 12.30. The weather is so bad she doesn't come back after lunch but I really don't blame her. It is pretty quiet in the shop & at 4pm when I close I have taken £172 which is low for a Bank Holiday Sunday. Most of the people in the shop are visitors to the town & they are mainly coming in to escape the weather but not to buy anything sadly. Everybody is sorry that the bad weather has put a literal damper on the celebrations. I am not surprised to find out that the street party in Jubilee Street has been cancelled. I watch some of the Thames Flotilla & find it quite a lot more interesting than I would have thought. I only watch for about 10 minutes though so I am not sure how I would have felt if I had watched more. I thought Kate (wife of Prince William) looked gorgeous in her scarlet outfit. I felt for all the Royal Family, they must have been freezing. It has felt quite a special day to me even though I did all my normal activities & the weather was so vile. A customer said it was the same weather on the Coronation Day so that made it seem a bit better - at least it was traditional!Monday June 4th.Woke to a blue sky & sun which lasted all day & was very welcome. It was still quite cool & windy but so much better than yesterday. I did a load of washing & cleaned half of the kitchen, my husband did the other half! I went to Asda supermarket which was fairly empty thankfully. I scrubbed 9 flag-stones in my back garden which is actually a small yard, & then when it had dried I put my 6 patio tubs in the clean area & they looked very good there so I was happy. Inbetween these chores I had rests as I didn't want to get too worn out too soon. I have M.S. so I need to take things slowly. On my rests I sewed up 2 knitted sheep for my nativities which I have been making for the charity shop to sell at Christmas. When I had done all my chores I did some work on some birthday cards I am making. I went out straight after lunch for a walk around to the prom & back. The beach & Prom were crowded & everyone was making the most of the better day. Lots of sea-side scenes everywhere, sand castles, donkeys, paddlers, deck-chairs & Punch & Judy. I saw one stout young couple very royally clad, the man was wearing a funky union-jack T-shirt & the lady had a dress made of union-jack fabric. After tea I watched the Jubilee concert from The Mall. I felt really sorry to hear that Prince Phillip was poorly. I did enjoy the concert although I was recording it & had put it on later than when it began so my husband was fast-forwarding through anyone he didn't like! At 10.15 we went to bed so I will probably watch the rest of the concert tomorrow night. I was impressed with the people in London - they were so enthusiastic & I felt that it would have been great to actually be there!Tuesday June 5th.A return to the cloudy & cold weather & plenty of rain around all day. It didn't feel like a Bank Holiday & I felt that the impetus of the Jubilee had been lost by going to another day. The house across the street took down it's huge Union Jacks first thing. I was engaged all day in my usual activities, cleaning, some card-making, to serve in the charity shop in the afternoon & then I watched the end of the Jubilee concert in the evening. I really enjoyed the concert & I thought it was terrifically well organised. I thought it was a terrible shame about Prince Phillip but I did also think he was not really a fan of almost all of the artistes in the concert so he was possibly a little relieved at missing it. I am glad that I saw what I did of the Jubilee & it meant more to me than any other Royal Event. I think the Royal family are enjoying a surge in popularity since the wedding last year of William & Kate. I think they are very good for the country & would now be sorely missed. The best part of the concert for me was the projections onto the Palace - fantastic!
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