C4957

Student at University of Liverpool, originally from Shrewsbury. Friday 1st June was spent watching the Olympic Torch relay come through Liverpool. Although this is not directly related to the Jubilee, it did capture British spirit and tied in well with the feeling of Britishness at that time. Surprisingly it was a lovely sunny day and my friends and I spent the rest of the afternoon by the Albert Docks. A highlight of the day was listening to the Lloyds TSB advertising bus blasting out James Brown's "Sex Machine" as it drove through the city centre. Saturday 2nd June was a very rainy day. There was a street party happening but we did not attend due to the weather. I had also heard talk of several other street parties taking place in Anfield and in North Liverpool. People living in my street did not organise a street party. I spent the rest of the Jubilee weekend packing and getting to go home for the summer from University.

J4793

Sex: Female Age: 31 Marital Status: Married Lives: Scotland Works: Part time Yesterday (Friday 1st June 2012) I spent the day cleaning the house and tidying, in preparation for the Jubilee. I had invited my Mother to stay, and was looking forward to it, with bunting and Jubilee-themed cake and had got her a box of commemorative biscuits in a special tin from Marks & Spencer’s and made a cushion for her in red cotton with white crowns printed on it, edged in black pom-pom trim. It didn’t take long to do the main cover, but I sat and hand sewed the trim in place to get a better finish. I was excited about spending the weekend watching the celebrations on TV, eating cake, sitting in the garden if it was nice, and talking and laughing and maybe doing a jigsaw. In the morning (2nd June) she text me saying she was going to get her hair done for a night out she had on the Tuesday, and that my husband and I could stop by if we wanted. It felt like a mute response to the efforts I had put in. I was hurt, with everything ready for a party, but no-one to share it with. My husband isn’t very interested, and had an exam to prepare for, so was planning on getting on with that while my Mum and I celebrated. I wanted to nip round the shops and pick up the last round of knick knacks and bargains and branded Jubilee things, but felt there was no point. He accused me of being materialistic, buying things we don’t need, bringing more crap/junk into our house. I couldn’t help tears, feeling somewhat useless and at a loose end. As my husband rightly said: we don’t know anyone else who is interested in the Jubilee – just me and my Mum. The house was ready, and I had even created a space in the living room with a union jack box and a tin in the shape of a London bus with ‘Marble Arch’ as its destination. On top of the box I put the commemorative plate of William and Kate that was made for their wedding, and called it ‘Royal Corner’ and thought Mum would have appreciated it. I stared at it feeling really stupid. I said to my husband, how I’d always wanted to be part of a big family, to have brothers and sisters and cousins living nearby, but my family is spread out and even though we are married, he isn’t close to his family/siblings, which means I am not either. I realised that if I wanted to have a party with someone, I would have to have my own family. The thought was at once sobering, sad and a little distasteful. Why didn’t my Mum want to come and celebrate all together, rather than sit alone? I moped about and cried quite a bit and ended up having a big fight with my husband. I didn’t watch any TV. I read the Marks & Spencer’s Jubilee edition magazine. My eyes were red and sore and I didn’t actually want to be seen in public. My husband suggested going to the cinema but I felt exhausted and emotionally drained. We decided to go for a walk to perk me up and get some fresh air. On the way we saw lots of families with buggies and children and balloons, who had obviously been to a street party. I had heard about one but gave the brochure with all the local events to my Mum. She never mentioned it. With planning to spend the weekend with her, I hadn’t been overly bothered. It just compounded my feelings of loneliness and a sense of having ‘missed out’ while everyone else was celebrating with friends. All the crying made me tired, so it was an early night. On the Sunday I still felt the same, and was still crying on and off. We had another fight, my husband and I. Eventually we decided to get out of the house for a bit because I felt trapped with my emotions and just really desolate. We went to Next Home and I bought a toilet roll holder for the bathroom. The irony of the situation wasn’t lost on me. It was sparkly glass mosaic, like diamonds. Like the diamond Jubilee. Then we went to Ikea. I hadn’t been for a while and love the cosy little rooms they make up that feel just like real living rooms and bedrooms etc. It made me feel better and then we saw a special weekend deal on a linen closet in grey wood. It was £99. We bought it. The rest of the night was spent building the closet and making space for it in the spare room. It saved the weekend for me and it was fun working together to build it up. I felt better. I had missed the entire River Boat Pageant and didn’t really care at this point. On Monday I was up early and spent the day re-arranging my spare room and putting my things – fabrics etc – into the new linen closet. This created a lot more space and led to a revamped idea of how it can be used and freed up storage boxes. I also got rid of lots of things I no longer needed and recycled lots of things. I felt good about it but tired at the end of the day. My husband had to work that day so I spent it mainly alone. Overall I was sad that I missed out on the Jubilee. I had arranged to meet my Mother on the Tuesday anyway, and had taken the day off work specially. I was a bit cool with her and explained all the trouble I had gone to. I don’t think she had any idea. She is strange sometimes. It made me sad to write this and to think about the wasted weekend.

M4499

Female; 48; Aberdeenshire, Copywriter Saturday 2nd June: The Jubilee couldn’t have been further from my mind as I awoke on Saturday morning with a slightly sore head from the amount of champagne consumed the night before. Nothing to do with the Jubilee at all but we had travelled to Edinburgh for a friend’s hen weekend and enjoyed a night on the town. The most important event on my mind was my wedding anniversary which was 2nd June but we’d decided to celebrate another day. Once the ten ‘hens’ were up and about, we donned our finest outfits and headed to the Musselburgh races where we had reserved seat in the marquee. Many people had brought Jubilee hampers to feast on but sadly, our organiser hadn’t been so forward thinking so we had to make do with some sad sarnies and a few chips to soak up the Prosecco. Saturday evening was spent in pubs in and around Edinburgh. Sunday 3rd June Headed off for a nice brunch complete with Bloody Marys before getting the train back up north. The journey back was a lot more subdued than the one on the way down with no champagne at all. My husband met me at the Station and we walked the dogs and read the Sunday papers – obviously much of it focused on the Jubilee. We also watched the wet and windy pageant in London. Caught up with my Mum who had wandered down to the village’s ‘Jubilee celebrations’ billed as ‘Picnic in the Park’ only to find that there were only two stalls there and a few people milling about. Mon 4th June/Tuesday 5th June In Scotland, we often don’t have the same holidays and also often can choose when we take the days off so my husband headed into work in Aberdeen and I worked from home, went to yoga and walked the dogs. My Mum came to dinner on the Tuesday night but I realised that I’d missed watching most of the Jubilee coverage on the Monday. Spoke to my sister and she had sat and watched it all!

W3163

Age: 54. Occupation: Student. Location: St Gennys, Cornwall. Marital Status: Married This Directive asked me to keep a diary of the Jubilee Weekend, but as I didn’t read the Directive until a week ago it was too late to do that! I have been studying for a Foundation Science Degree and my exams were in the week before, so by that weekend I was feeling quite shell-shocked from having five exams in three days. I didn’t want to read or write anything at all - so I didn’t. However I can write something from memory for the sake of completing the Directive. There some things going on locally in the Institute and Legion Halls respectively though I didn’t attend any of them. Neither can I say that I had any conversations regarding the Jubilee as the people I mix with lately are all students and had the same strains regarding exams as I did. I did watch the River Pageant but found it quite hard to get too excited about that. It was probably more impressive if you were actually there. I also watched All the Queens Horses and found that at times spellbinding. I’ve recorded it and can watch my favourite bits time and again - the Russians were spectacular!! I also watched the Jubilee Concert which was very good and a great achievement of organisation. I have to say that I am and always have been a strong supporter of the Monarchy and am very proud to be British. The Queen has done and is doing a fantastic job and is so selfless and caring. The changes she has seen in attitude and life in this country over the last 60 years are immense. It must be almost unrecognisable as the same country it was 60 years ago. Those who think she has a privileged and easy life clearly don’t consider the whole picture. I wouldn’t want to swap places with her for anything in the world. GOD SAVE THE QUEEN

W4925

2nd June 2012 I usually write a holiday diary whenever I go away so as this weekend for the jubilee we are in Cornwall it can double up as my observation as well! Anyway we are spending the week in Cornwall at a cottage in Fowey. My youngest daughter and her boyfriend are also joining us for the weekend. I started the day in a vaguely patriotic mood as there was a lot on news about the Queen etc and even though I'm not a royalist in any way I was getting into the party mood. However, the traffic today was a nightmare and it took us 7 hours to drive here and I'm now feeling knackered. The cottage is great and just what we expected, so arriving and finding it so was relaxing. We walked into the village tonight and down to the riverside for a drink, the place is absolutely beautiful so looking forward to the rest of the time down here. There is also a lot of events planned in the town over the weekend so we will probably just chill out and take part. That should be good fun to see everyone partying and having good fun to lift the country's mood. In my journals I normally note a "crazy" event that happened during the day, as something normally does! Today I guess it must have been the couple in their late fifties in the pub this evening, they obviously had had a lot to drink and although there were not many people there were kissing and touching each other passionately. 3rd June 2012 Today has been a good day, despite not sleeping well because of wind and rain in the middle of the night. Today we explored Fowey which is a beautiful little town. We walked from the cottage down to the nearest beach , Readymoney Cove, which is only 15 mins away , down a lovely wooded path. The tide was out so we had a go at rock pooling which was good fun, seeing the odd crab and plenty of winkles. From there we wandered into town having a cup of tea in a delightful cafe full of old childhood things. The town was full of people all in a good mood for the jubilee and the local townspeople had put on many events. On the quay side there was live music and a hog roast which were hoping to try. Unfortunately we got there too late and they had sold out! So we made do with a pasty, not sure if I was taxed on that one? We then took a boat trip up and down the river estuary which was great fun, seeing the attractive wooded river banks and the town from the river was lovely, and the guide was informative. Then after a drink in a quayside bar we wandered back to the cottage. There we watched the last part of the Queen’s water pageant in the Thames. Good to see that much effort being put into the celebration but I personally find it hard to be enthusiastic about it all. I must say though the Queen looked very good and amazingly stood for many hours on her barge. It was a shame the heavens opened and soaked everyone towards the end. The crazy moment of the days was when we were rock pooling. Anna squealed as she had found a fish trapped in a crack in the rocks. Quite a big fish, 6 ins long, but all we could see was its head and a single beady orange eye looking out at us from the hole. I wondered whether it survived! 4th June 2012 Today has been a wonderful day. Belinda and I walked on the south west cast path from Fowey round to Polkerris. This was a beautiful walk full of alternating lovely coves and wooded dells full of wildflowers. The weather stood up and the still sea was full of sailing boats. On one of the coves we stopped and paddled in the beautifully clear sea. We were the only ones their and it was idyllic. In Polkerris we had a welcome refreshing pint in the pub overlooking the beach and then ate our lunch on the harbour wall watching everyone enjoying themselves in the sun on the beach. The last leg of the walk back was across country and mercifully only about an hour. We were out for 5 hours but it was worth it! This evening we went down to the quayside for a meal and had one of the best meals we have ever had at a restaurant on the quay. Superb fish and seafood and a beautiful view watching the boats come in and out the harbour. Belinda had river oysters, fresh from the river which were brilliant. The evening was topped off by dancing to a jazz band on the quayside, seeing an enormous beacon being lit in the hills over the river and then a massive fireworks display all of which reflected in the river estuary. Not sure we had any crazy moments today, really all great moments. Only thing really was listening to the drunken, and hence loud, ridiculous conversations of people watching the beacon being lit!!! 5th June 2012 Today has been a miserable day as it has rained most of the day. Anna and Dave got up early to go crabbing but the tide was up so no luck! Then they went back to bed for the morning. We just spent the morning reading and watching the Queen’s service on the television. Sad that Prince Philip is ill so can't attend. After lunch Anna and Dave left for home and after a while the rain eventually stopped so we went to visit Mevagissy. It is a typical working fishing village quite pretty but also quite grockley, not quite as nice as I remember. We walked round a bit but then headed home via St Austell, which was a bit of a pit. This evening we wondered down to the town and had a drink before cooking our dinner and a quiet night watching a film. It looks as if my eldest daughters miscarrying for a second time which is very sad. I'm not sure anything crazy happened today. The aquarium in Mevagissy was the smallest I've ever seen, about the size of a garden shed 6th June 2012 Today has been a wonderful day, we have done a tour of south west Cornwall. The day started off at St Michael’s mount. We parked by the beach and then walked along it and over the causeway to St Michael’s mount. The beach was gorgeous and the views over the bay to Penzance lovely. St Michael’s mount was beautiful, truly a mini Mont St Michel. Shame we didn't have a chance to visit the house. From there we went onto Lands End. It has begun to be turned into a small "pleasure park" but the scenery cannot still be faulted, spectacular and it was good to be able to walk around the area too enjoying the views. At the end of the day we headed to St Ives. Again a beautiful place and like the rest of the day the weather was good so we sat on the beach for a while just soaking up the sun and watching children building castles. The hot sun and all the driving had made us tired so a welcome cup of tea lifted us for the journey home. Dinner tonight was freshly cooked local mussels and crusty bread that we had bought. Lovely with a bottle of fizz. Not much crazy today, more spectacular, anyway probably the brave old lady, in her seventies, in a bikini on the beach in St Ives! 7th June 2012 Weather has taken a turn for the worst today so we headed for the Eden project. Just up the road near St Austell so an easy journey today. The place was very full but really enjoyable. Most of the area is under cover so the rain didn't matter. The two biomes, Mediterranean and Rain Forest were wonderful. I preferred the jungle one, despite being boiling and sweaty it was really interesting seeing all the topical plants and crops. Seeing all the spices and what the plants look like was fascinating. The outside parts were good two, vegetable gardens, small forests, plants for making materials etc. lunch was amazing, a huge canteen with lots of lovely fresh food, their salads and vegetables making all the dishes, and all for £5. Tom I expect would have loved it Crazy moment for today was an enormous 7 foot high and extremely smelly flower in the rain forest at Eden project. It only flowers for 48 hours so we were lucky to see it. Also an old lady wearing a woollen hat and cardigan in the rainforest whilst everyone else was sweating in t shirts! 8th June 2012 After the winds of last night today is decidedly breezy. However we set off for a walk along the wooded banks of the river Fowey. Used the ferry to cross over to Polruan which was quite exciting in the small boat. The walk was picturesque and relaxing, ending with a beer at the Old Ferry Inn before another ferry back to Fowey. This time we entered the town from another end and saw even more pretty streets and had coffee in the oldest house, dating from 1460. Dinner tonight our usual Friday meal of fish and chips before we head off home via Bethan and Chris tomorrow. This has been a good holiday despite the weather.

S4002

I live in cardiff with my husband and cat. I'm 33 and work at a university. I like making things, writing, reading modernist literature, and watching soap operas Saturday 2 June We woke up late, around 10.30. My husband went to the market to buy breakfast as usual. We were both a little hungover after a party the night before. A new gallery opened in town and we caught up with a lot of friends we haven’t seen in a while. Instead of being really productive, we hung around the house. I made a quilted square for a charity blanket and in the evening my husband went to DJ in a local bar. He played a Jubilee (ish) themed half-an-hour during his set, which we discussed during the day. He played some Queen, Prince, etc, etc. We went to be around 2am. Sunday 3 June We woke up late again, around 11am and had breakfast. We planned to go to the beach, but I woke up with a splitting headache. We got as far as hobbycraft (so that I could get some glinty eyes for my quilted cat’s face) which is where we abandoned our trip to the beach. On the way home we talked about the jubilee a little. My husband doesn’t get what we were celebrating. Why we were celebrating. A lot of people see it as a reinforcement of class hierarchies, and the pomp and ceremony do little to dispel that belief. I see it a bit differently. I’m not a royalist, so I don’t exactly care or have any nationalistic feeling towards the jubilee, but I see it as a marker of a generation. To me, the queen represents a dying breed of old lady. The fact she is so active well in her 80s is an inspiration to a generation. I feel she really believes she has sacrificed a lot for the country. And in many ways, she probably has. But I’m not sure I can feel much sympathy or gratitude for someone sacrificing stuff for me from their castle, travelling around in their private jet, etc. I guess as a person, I do admire the queen, but as an institution or a symbol, I don’t really have much feeling either way. After we got home, we went for a walk in the rain and stopped in a tea shop for a drink and a bit of cake. My headache lifted when the rain started. After that, we came home, watched a film, made a birthday card and then watched a little of the jubilee pageant. It looked really wet and cold and miserable. It reminded me of playing hockey in school. We went to bed about 1pm. Monday 4 June We had yet another late start. I had to ring autogalss to fix a chip in the windscreen then went to an out of town designer outlet. We haven’t been there in year’s, but my husband needed new jeans and sandals, and we thought we might get something a bit cheaper there. It is a totally soulless place, but we did get him some shoes. We then went for a walk at Nash Point and spent a bit of time sat in the sun, taking in the sea air. My husband filmed a few things for a project he’s working on. When we got home I started making a cloth book for my niece’s first birthday present. My husband and I wrote a story together, he illustrated it, we got it printed onto fabric and then I had to turn it into a book. We tried to watch a bit of the jubilee concert in the evening, but it was a bit embarrassing and only managed to stomach about half an hour. Went to bed late again after a lot of crafting. Tuesday 5 June We got up and went out for breakfast with one of our friends for his birthday. He spent the weekend camping. The weather was miserable again, so I spent the day doing some more crafting. I spoke to my sister, who lives in London. My parents had been down to visit for the pageant, along with my brother-in-law’s sister and nephew. My mum had turned up with loads of union jacks and flags sticking out of her bad. Apparently she tried to get everyone involved until a pissed skin head started going on about ‘rule Britannia’ at her. I don’t think my mum gets what the union jack can mean to people outside of their little country village, especially to British Indians in their 40s (my brother-in-law and family). They then didn’t get to see much of the pageant because of the crowds and people weren’t allowed on the bridges because of the security risks. My sister wasn’t too impressed with the whole affair, but my mum gets very enthusiastic about these things. Like my husband, my sister found the whole thing strange, celebrating social hierarchies. I mean, it is a strange thing to have two days off for, but I really enjoyed having the extra time out of work. I think, to me, it was just a really nice long weekend.

S4507

Male 39 Years Old Married Newport, South Wales Secondary School History Teacher As a family interested in history and the royal family, we had been long planning our Jubilee celebrations. In the run up to the Jubilee weekend there were parties and events organised at the school where I work and at my son’s school. The Jubilee weekend proper, got started with a Jubilee themed quiz at our church on Friday 1st June. Saturday 2nd June began with us decorating our house with bunting and flags, inside and out. The garden already had Jubilee themed plants, hanging baskets and tubs although with the rather dull weather, these weren’t at their best yet. Later in the day we made our way to stay with family living near London so that we could attend the Thames River Pageant on the Sunday. It was interesting that the closer we got to London, the more Jubilee decorations etc could be seen. Having said that, there were far more decorated houses around where we live in Wales than we had seen for the Golden Jubilee. Sunday 3rd June and we made our way into London. It was rather nice that on the underground train, people were all carrying Union Flags and wearing patriotic outfits. Arriving at Green Park, it was good to see London decorated for the celebrations. A large ‘Congratulation’s Ma’am’ banner adorning the side of the Ritz. We wandered past Buckingham Palace where we heard Tom Jones practicing for the concert due to be held the following day. At the entrance to Clarence House we were stopped because the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall were just leaving, giving all of the people watching a wave. There was a real sense of everybody together for a very special day. We made our way towards the Thames which was already thronged with huge crowds. After a little while we found a spot next to a restaurant boat and from here we could get a glimpse of the river. We could also see one of the big screens that had been set up especially. One of the most amazing moments was when HM The Queen was seen getting out of her car and right the way up the Thames you could hear the crowd cheering. Despite the cold and wet and the long wait, the crowd were fantastic. Lots of people from many different backgrounds, together celebrating their ‘Britishness’. Our 5 year old son was at a bit of a disadvantage because he couldn’t see and the people on the restaurant boat were kind enough to let him and another little boy go up the ramp to their boat and watch the first boats go past and take some pictures. Our son took some great pictures and he is convinced that the Queen waved to him. Maybe she did! I was able to see the Glorianna, the Spirit of Chartwell and the ‘Belfry’. It was amazing to hear the bells on the river, before we could see them and then to hear the bells across London ringing out to answer them. The only downside was that just before the boats came along the river, there was a surge of people that hadn’t arrived earlier and did their best to push and shove – a few firm words were spoken to them! Unfortunately, because the weather was really deteriorating, once the royal boats had passed, like many others we moved away from the river. There then followed a very wet walk through London to Fortnum and Mason’s so that I could buy a souvenir tin of their Jubilee Blend Tea! Driving home, we stopped at Windsor for a McDonalds and we saw the Royal Standard flying over the castle. It was nice to know that after what must have been an amazing day, HM was now safely at home. The policeman at the gate of the castle ‘doffed’ his hat at our son (who was wearing a pretend policeman’s helmet) which made a wonderful, historic day complete. We may not have seen much but we experienced the atmosphere and we can say that we were there! Naturally, 4th June was a quieter day. There were events in Newport but we decided to spend the day at home and watch the Jubilee Concert on the television. We made Jamie Oliver’s Jubilee Chicken recipe – delicious!!! The concert was amazing and the only sad part of it was that HRH The Duke Edinburgh was in hospital. Gary Barlow’s song ‘Sing’ with the Military Wives and the Commonwealth Band was a highlight. At 10pm we woke our son up and made our way out into the street where you can see the mountains and we saw the lit beacons. Amazing to think that these stretched the length and breadth of Britain and indeed across the world! Tuesday 5th June and Jubilee Day itself, we had invited family to come over to watch the celebrations and have lunch with us. Lots of Jubilee themed food, balloons, music and we all watched the carriage procession back from St Paul’s Cathedral and then the fly past and balcony appearance. Once again, although it was with family, it was the sense of being British and being part of something that really stood out. It was rather sad when it all came to an end but like many people I was left with a feeling of having witnessed history and a real pride for my country and HM The Queen’s achievements.

W2322

Male, retired teacher, married, aged 67 Now living in Fareham, Hants Part 3: The Diamond Jubilee 2nd – 5th June 2012 Saturday 2 June 06:00 An early start for the family, as my wife is teaching on a powerboat course at the centre in Portsmouth, and because this is regulated by the tides and high tide is at 09:56 today, she had to be away from home at 07:00. So I awoke her, then stayed in bed reading. 07:00 Breakfast (coffee and muesli), put on a dark clothes wash, checked emails. 08:00 Gardening - improving the soil and planting out some bedding dahlias. Hanging out the clothes from my earlier wash, and ironing two shirts. 09:00 Tutoring my Indian student at his house. We did some cloze exercises I had prepared myself, one from The Ghost of Thomas Kempe and one from a Radio Times article on Shakespeare 10:00 Checking the post and some other domestic jobs. 11:00 I am reading the final pages of a novel (Rachel Cusk, The Bradshaw Variations) which needs to go back to the library today. Listening to Classic FM (courtesy Alan Titchmarsh) playing patriotic music as I read. 12:00 Walked into town, 15 minutes away. Went to library and also bought a new shaver, my previous one having packed up yesterday. 13:00 Began walking back from town. Noticed the small museum was offering Jubilee activity days today and Tuesday - but then it's half-term week, so they would normally do that anyway. On the way home I counted how many houses in my street had decorations. It's two out of a total of over 140. Made myself lunch (scrambled egg) and listened to Classic FM. 14:00 Mowing the lawn. 15:00 Still mowing the lawn. It is not that we have a huge lawn - far from it; but part of it, at my wife's suggestion, is lefty as a wild flower meadow, and then about now it is mown so that it becomes more like a normal lawn. This process I am just beginning now, but it takes quite a lot of time. Some of the fritillaries and anemones have not yet seeded, so I am having to mow carefully around them. Drove 4 miles to the sea for a walk in the fresh air along the prom to Lee-on-Solent. On the way I observed three houses with bunting and flags, all including the Flag of St George as well as the Union Flag. 16:00 Walking by the sea. Afterwards I drove to Sainsbury's in Fareham to do some food shopping. 17:00 A little after this I arrived home, to find my wife returning from her sailing. We talked about our days, and I fetched in the washing from the line. Went to fetch fish and chips from a shop in West Street. 18:00 We both began watching an edition of Foyle's War, which I missed the first time around but think is superb. I love the authentic wartime setting, and I admire Michael Kitchen's acting enormously. 20:00 Wrote an email or two and washed a car - in the rain, but it was covered in Sahara dust and bird shit, so needed attention. Then as my hair was thoroughly wet, I washed my hair properly. Piano practice until - 21:00 Watched Lewis. 23:00 Went to bed. Sunday 3 June 06:30 Woke and read in bed 07:30 Got up and had breakfast with my wife. 08:00 My wife departed for her sailing session in Portsmouth harbour. I answered some emails, spent a few minutes in the garden (which had got thoroughly watered overnight) and then sharpened some woodworking tools. 09:00 Went to the church, but discovered there is a different pattern to worship this morning (I'd missed out on that because for various reasons I had not been to this church for 3 weeks). So I returned home to do a little writing and woodwork. 10:30 Left again to go to church for a Jubilee service on the village green at Stubbington, a few miles south of my town of Fareham. 11:00 Tried again to go to church - but it certainly wasn't being held on the Green, as advertised. Came home, disconsolate. and did some more woodwork. 12:00 I need to walk into town to change the shaver I bought yesterday, because apparently it only trims stubble, it doesn't shave you. Now what a stupid idea!! 13:00 I've at last got myself a new shaver and put it on to charge. Am about to get myself some lunch - sandwiches and yogurt, and I read a few pages of a German novel I am reading. 14:00 Began watching the Thames flotilla, with occasional reads of my German novel. The sun has come out here! I watched this for most of the four hours it was being broadcast, my wife coming in afgter an hour or so. I was most impressed: by the range of boats which had been assembled by the superb organisation by the good humour of the crowd and their happiness, despite the weather above all, by the stamina of the Queen and all the royal family, as they watched 18:00 We got ourselves a simple tea - bread and butter, crisps and tinned rice. Then I called my sister for our weekly chat, and arranged when we would see each other again. She had also been watching the flotilla, and also admired the Queen's stamina. 19:00 Piano practice - which for once went quite well! 20:00 This sounds as if I always spend my evenings watching television, which I don't. However, we watched on BBC2 Simon Reeve finishing his journey around the Indian Ocean 21:00 Followed by Nick Crane on Coast, a programme about extremes and disasters. 22:00 I am yawning, so I am going to get ready for bed. I'm taking with me James Patterson, Wer sich umdreht oder lacht and Sarah Rayne, The Sin Eater. Monday 4 June 07:30 Woke up and got up. Put on a dark wash. 08:00 Breakfast, discussing the day, looking on the internet to check the weather for today for this area. It is NOT encouraging! I scrubbed down the work surfaces in the kitchen, as there was a smell of salmon. 09:00 At the gym - I walked in as it is just a mile away. The brisk walk counts as my warm-up. I worked steadily for nearly an hour, and also had a chat with a couple of members. 10:00 Walked back via Tesco, where I bought some glue, coffee and cheese. The weather has bucked up, and now almost feels like April instead of February. June? That's months away! 11:00 Answered a few emails and made some drinks for us. 11:30 Began watching the film on BBC2, Ring of Bright Water. We had seen it when it first came out in 1969, and knew Gavin Maxwell's book, so it was quite a nostalgia trip for us. More seriously, it made us ponder why such beautiful, harmless, wholesome films are not made nowadays. It is very, very sad that they are not. 13:00 The film finished at 13:10 and we each made ourselves a sandwich and hot drink. Then, the day being still very cold, we put the heating on! I checked out the film locations for Ring of Bright Water - mainly around Oban and the Island of Seil, very beautiful and unspoilt places. 14:00 Ironing those things that needed it from the dark wash I did earlier. I followed this with a long piano practice. 15:00 We were on the allotment, picking strawberries and building a cage for the brassicas 18:00 Back home, with strawberries to wash and rhubarb to prepare for the freezer. But first, some food - fish fingers, followed by strawberries ice-cream. 19:00 Some more emails and writing, followed by a little time in the garden - the weather is now sunny and almost warm! 20:00 Rang an old friend and got up to date with news. 21:00 Reading and chatting in the family. 22:30 In bed. Tuesday 5 June 06:00 Woke and read in bed for a while 06:47 While in the bathroom I was disgusted to see that our binmen were coming around as usual on a Tuesday! Reasoning that we were in the middle of two bank holidays, I had not put our bin out for collection, so we shan't have our landfill bin emptied now for another two weeks. Drat! 07:00 Breakfast, emails, reading, planning the day, piano 09:00 We decided to make jam from the strawberries picked yesterday. My wife went to the supermarket to buy lemons, pectin and sugar, while I retrieved the pyrex mixing bowl from my daughters'. Then I spent ages preparing the fruit, and we discussed different recipes. 11:30 Things are rather leisurely this morning! We decided to go out for lunch, to a lovely little café we know in Emsworth. The meal was delicious. While we were out, the rain started in earnest, and continued steadily for the rest of the day. 13:20 Back home, we assembled all the jars and ingredients and began making jam, all 14 jars of it. We worked together steadily until about 16:00, then I washed everything up. 16:00 The Jubilee Concert highlights were on TV. My wife watched them, while I half-watched them and did odd jobs on the computer, including answering Part 2 of this Directive.. 17:00 Was approached by a German gymnasium student of English - would I look over her English article on a panda? I agreed to. 18:00 Evening meal 19:00 Television - BBC2 programme on trams, and Springwatch. Both excellent. 21:00 I tackled that article by a German student, which really had a lot of problems. Tried to write tactful comments and email to her! My wife is labelling the strawberry jam, which looks very good. 22:00 Watched the news, including a summary of the Jubilee weekend. 22:30 Bed and reading

W4376

Female Age 43 Married Designer and creator of personalised scrapbooks Part Three: The Diamond Jubilee 2nd – 5th June 2012 Saturday 2nd June I travel down to my parents in Yorkshire to go along to their local village fete. Both of my daughters come with me, but J has to be at work today so misses out on the start of the Jubilee festivities. On the way to Halifax, we stop off on the outskirts of Leeds to pick up a 1920’s typewriter that my daughter has bought on e-bay. We have lunch at my parents and then all wander out into the village for the fete. Many people come from the village, plus others from surrounding villages. They have organised various attractions: four vintage cars, dog agility performances, art show, a barbeque stall, bouncy castle, inflatable sumo wrestler costumes, brass band recital, an opportunity to have a go at the Paralympic sport of boccia (similar to boules), plus a selection of cake/book/plant stalls. There is a children’s parade down the village street, with them all dressed as princes, princesses, kings and queens. The Mayor of Calderdale presents them with prizes, announces the fete open and then everyone spends money, eats cakes and enjoys a cold, wet but Jubilee afternoon. Before we return home, we eat out at Aldo’s, an Italian restaurant in Cleckheaton. So having spent the afternoon surrounded by bunting and Union Jack flags, it is a treat to sit amongst Italian flags and listen to Italian music. Sunday 3rd June J and I go for a swim this morning at the local health club. The garden then beckons when we get back, with the everlasting problem of weeds needing attention. I go shopping to the supermarket for food for the rest of the Bank Holiday weekend. After tea, I watch some of the Jubilee River Pageant on the BBC i-Player. I enjoy being able to fast forward past some of the commentary that is not necessarily as informative as I expected – a bit too much of a show business feel. Monday 4th June I spend the first part of the morning tidying up the house in readiness for J’s parents arriving from Australia for a twelve week holiday with us. We meet them at Newcastle Airport, and whilst waiting for them to come into the Arrivals Hall. We stand next to a couple waiting for their relatives, she wearing a tiara and he wearing a Queen Elizabeth mask. This does cause a lot of smiles as other people spot them waiting. Paul’s parents arrive and we drive back home, and they enjoy seeing the flags and bunting hung outside local businesses and houses. We spend the rest of the day catching up on family news and finish the day off with a game of cards, before the jet lag starts to kick in and they, and us call it a night. Tuesday 5th June Today we have planned a Jubilee lunch so it is a bit disappointing that the weather is cold and wet and we are not going to be able to have our lunch outside. I had hoped for a warm sunny day to fit with my theme of a ‘typically English’ picnic party, in honour of the Jubilee and to give my parents-in-law something different to look forward to, as opposed to the inevitable barbecue. But weather aside, I just put up the home-made floral bunting inside the house, and put the large green bottles of summery flowers on window ledges. Each bottle also has a floral Union Jack postcard coming out of it, and gives the house the summer garden feel that we are not going to be able to experience outside. Guests arrive for lunch, including my parents, friends and neighbours, and we start the lunch off with Pimms. Everyone has contributed something to the lunch, so we have a magnificent picnic spread, even including a nod to history with coronation chicken. It’s good to be together for an afternoon of gossip, games of snooker and even afternoon tea of scones, jam and cream. We round off the afternoon with a glass of champagne and a toast to the Queen, which just seems to be the right thing to do. Once everyone has gone home, we eat up the leftovers, and our daughters and their friends who are here for a sleepover finish off the evening watching DVD’s, and the rest of the adults play cards. Why spoil the habit of a lifetime by not playing cards, even if it is the Jubilee Bank Holiday weekend.

V3773

Female psychology graduate, ex-bookseller, ex-primary teacher, currently hospital pharmacy assistant, 50 years old co-habiting in the West Midlands Saturday 2nd June 2012 I wanted to go to Kenilworth Show in the morning, recommended by a friend who lives in the country, but my partner, A, wasn’t interested and I didn’t want to go on my own so we went into Solihull and I looked out for some Jubilee memorabilia. Most shops that were part of a chain had a royalty/British theme in the windows and sold various royalty/British items such as mugs, tea towels, biscuits etc. Costa Coffee just had red, white and blue paper chain links along the counter. John Lewis had more of an emphasis on the London Olympics, although they also stocked Jubilee things. Independent stores didn’t tend to have changed their stock or display, just red, white and blue balloons or bunting outside. I don’t know why I wanted memorabilia – maybe just an excuse to buy stuff, or maybe because it was the only way I was likely to get involved – but it had to be relatively tasteful, and something I would use. In the end I found some stuff in Robert Dyas and used a voucher they’d previously handed out giving 15% off during Jubilee weekend. If I’d seen anything I liked featuring the Queen I might have bought it, but as it turned out the items I bought were more traditional British than they were royal. I bought three tea towels, a mug and a water bottle. Pre-discount, the tea towels were 2 for £4 (one with old-style telephone boxes and one with post boxes) and the other one, featuring lots of Union Jacks, not all in the traditional colours, was reduced to £1. I also bought a mug with bunting painted onto it (also reduced, to £1.99) and a folding Union Jack water bottle (£1.99). Solihull had scheduled a few fun things for the town centre later on, such as a fashion show, face painting and some jazz bands. The jazz bands weren’t really part of the jubilee celebrations (jazz not being known for its traditional British roots) – they were part of Solihull jazz weekend. Driving home for about ten minutes along mostly busy residential roads we saw one house with a Union Jack hanging by the front door, and just a couple of houses with bunting. I asked A whether I should enter into the spirit of the thing and stand my (fairly insignificant) mug in the front window but we thought perhaps not. Apart from Solihull town centre I wasn’t aware of any local Jubilee celebrations. Our road is too busy anyway, but there wasn’t anything organised for the quieter road around the corner that A’s relatives lived in. Someone I know thought that street parties were more likely to take place on council estates, which suggested to me that they thought perhaps it was a class thing. Maybe some neighbourhoods are just friendlier than others. At home I had an early afternoon sleep as usual, A investigated music CDs (American/blues) on the Internet, and we watched a DVD of The Ghost (Robert Harris/Roman Polanski). Not as good as the book. After tea/dinner we watched the final of The Voice, and went to bed by 9.30. Sunday 3rd Up by 8 and watched a few minutes of BBC Breakfast talking about the river pageant that would dominate BBC1 viewing for most of the day, but switched over to watch two Channel 4 repeats of an American sitcom (Everybody Loves Raymond, if you must know). Out at 9.30 to do the grocery shop we do every other Sunday at Sainsbury’s. A said that on Friday the assistants had been wearing Union Jack bowler hats, but there was no sign of that today. I didn’t notice anything especially Jubilee-ish at Sainsbury’s. One car we saw on the way home, in the drizzle, had a flag sticking out of the window, and another had an England flag which A thought was probably more to do with football. At home I had another sleep, and then while I was trying to do some Nectar Canvass surveys (trying to get more Nectar points off future shopping by doing online surveys for companies) A was watching some of the BBC coverage of the river pageant. I could tell he was missing me because he shouted up the stairs that the Queen had fallen in the river. “No she hasn’t” I shouted back without needing to check my facts. Then apparently Clare Balding had fallen in the river too, so although I knew darned well she hadn’t, I gave up doing computer stuff and went to watch some river pageantry with him. I don’t usually think of myself as Royalist or nationalist, but I do get drawn in and eventually find myself rather moved by these occasions, with such a large proportion of Britain’s population (and the Commonwealth) all celebrating at once. I’d phoned Mum in the morning for a chat, and she said that it made you think there wasn’t a God (not that I think she believes anyway) that such a big day for Britain should have such miserable weather. I said I thought would help people to feel British, because they’d still turn out in the rain to support Her Majesty. I thought that it showed more loyalty for her subjects to support her in the rain, because if it had been sunny, one wouldn’t have been sure that they’d turned up to support one, or just because it was a lovely day to be out. The Royal boat was rather splendid, and so were the gondolas and the New Zealand boat with the men (who must have been freezing) performing the haka. I missed the Little Boats of Dunkirk, which I know I would have found moving, but saw the puppet war horse (from the theatre production) on a rooftop, which the Queen seemed to like. I came back right at the end when the London Philharmonic Orchestra was playing, and some very damp choristers were singing on top of the orchestra boat, and although I know they have to go ahead and perform anyway, I found everyone’s dedication in the rain quite touching. The royal family seemed to enjoy the upbeat sea shanty more than Land of Hope and Glory or whatever song it was that went just before. They must like a change from the same old nationalist tunes, however apt or stirring they may be for the occasion. Kate and Camilla seemed to get the giggles during one of the pieces, and I enjoyed seeing that, and the various bits of chat the family had, wondering what they’d be talking about. The local news showed that there were a few parties going on in villages, and also in inner-city Birmingham, I think. Slightly envious of the friendly communities, but being expected to join in would be A’s idea of hell. In the evening we just had a non-Royal tea, watched non-Royal telly and a recording of a non-Royal episode of Doc Martin. Mum phoned to say that the pergola attached to the back of her house had collapsed (but she wasn’t holding a Jubilee party under it so no one got squashed). Monday 4th Up at 6.30 to see A off to work at a local branch of a DIY chain. I had breakfast, put a wash on and mostly got on with Mass Obs, though I also tried to sleep once or twice. Dad returned a call I’d made the previous day, to tell me he was fine, and I asked him whether his call was free, before I settled in for a longer conversation. I don’t think we mentioned the Jubilee at all, or maybe I asked him whether he was doing anything for it, knowing that he probably wasn’t. As it happened I think he went to a Japanese festival in a nearby park. When A came home (about 12.20) he said that lots of staff had dressed up to come to work. The lady meeting and greeting customers was dressed as a Beefeater, one woman wore a red, white and blue curly wig, a couple of employees wore England ’66 football shirts and other employees just wore a variety of red, white and blue clothes. A wore his black uniform top, as usual. He’d said that he’d listen to some music so I could get on with Mass Obs. However, after listening to one CD he was fed up so I went and had a cup of tea with him once or twice in the garden, though it was only warm up near the house. After he’d grudgingly let me get back to work he made us the evening meal (which lacked a Jubilee theme) and we sat down to watch telly for the rest of the evening. The One Show featured interviews on a bus – Sir Cliff in the driver’s seat (one or two lines of “Summer Holiday”) – with Sir Paul, Sir Elton, Sir Kylie and Sir Gary, then we watched the first part of the Jubilee concert. We found it rather weak until (Sir) Tom Jones performed, and didn’t blame the Queen for not turning up until 9pm (reportedly armed with ear plugs). She probably left it until just after Sir Tom so that she could enjoy hearing him as she arrived, but at the same time wouldn’t be tempted to throw her knickers at him. We were pleased to see will.i.am because his energy and sense of fun make us laugh but all the performances and songs until Sir Tom’s arrival were bland and boring. Even the Annie Lennox song that I usually enjoy seemed to have had had the edges knocked off, and had gone all shapeless and Mariah-fied, which so often seems to happen to great songs for live performances. I liked the classical performances a little more, at least they retained their crispness, but Sir Tom was the first singer who seemed to get the crowd (including the Royal family) really enthusiastic. The comedians that introduced the acts were a little more entertaining, though they didn’t get a very enthusiastic response from the crowd, and Lee Mack made a joke about Prince Harry then muttered ‘Is he laughing?’ After Sir Tom we waited to hear the jubilee song, but it wasn’t anything special – Lord Lloyd-Webber hadn’t made it as rousing as I know he’s capable of doing. We were promised Slum Drummers from a Commonwealth country – Kenya, I think, probably not Canada – and a brilliant Aboriginal musician, but although we could see them they were kind of swallowed up in amongst the African Children’s choir (whom, we’re told, absolutely love being in London) and the Military Wives. We realised that there wouldn’t be a repeat of Brian May’s guitar rendition of ‘God Save the Queen’ from the roof of Buck House (performed for the Golden Jubilee in 2002) but we were delighted to see that he’d been invited to watch the concert from the Royal box. Many reporters seemed to think that the Duke’s absence was verging on tragic, but although the Queen will have missed him, I can’t imagine that he was devastated to miss it, and I’m sure he’ll be better soon. Bed just after 9, and A wouldn’t record the rest of the concert. He’s in charge of entertainment and I can’t be bothered to argue, and we know these things often turn out disappointing anyway. Tuesday 5th Up at 6.30 again. It was grey and cold, but luckily it wasn’t raining or I’d have ended up giving A a lift to work. Wasn’t tempted to try to go back to sleep today until at least 9.25 – I must have been catching up, finally. Looked forward to seeing a programme featuring the concert highlights that would be on from 3.45 until 5.30, so we could see the bits that we missed after 9pm. I read that will.i.am appeared again towards the end and hoped that we had a glimpse of him to look forward to. Put on my whites wash (work tunics), worked on Mass Obs, and also tried to set up my camera to point at the bird feeding table (not very successfully) in order to record visitors to it. Didn’t sleep until after A came home and we’d watched the morning’s recording of Frasier, then I semi-permanently dyed my hair before we settled down to watch the concert highlights. Pleased to see that the drearier stuff was cut out or shortened to one song, enjoyed Tom Jones (both songs) again and Shirley Bassey. They both still had strong voices, whereas Sir Paul’s, Sir Elton’s, Sir Cliff’s and Stevie Wonder’s voices seem to have weakened more with age. Is it a Welsh thing? Or have Sir Tom and Dame Shirley continued to focus on singing and been less distracted by other things? Kylie was quite upbeat and entertaining although her songs are nothing special, but it probably helped that as well as being attractive she’s backed by dancers. Didn’t see will.i.am at the end though A said he saw him when all the performers walked onto the stage to hear Prince Charles’ speech (to ‘Your Majesty…Mummy…’ which got a laugh). Quite touched during the speech, including when the Prince suggested that if everyone shouted very loud his father might hear from the hospital. Fantastic fireworks to Land of Hope and Glory at the end. After tea and making sandwiches for the next day, I carried on with some Mass Obs bits then watched Springwatch before bed. I don’t have any visual displays to report, and the only photo I shall attach is the one of my Jubilee purchases from Robert Dyas. My monthly online Costa Coffee points statement was headed ‘Your monthly statement Ma’am’ and went on to say ‘It's Diamond Jubilee time! Bestowed here is your balance as of 25th May 2012. If one would like to check one's balance at any time, then simply login to one's account. Remember, you can collect and spend your points on all coffee and food in store like our royally tasty Coronation chicken sandwich or our simply spiffing lemon tart with lashings of lemon curd. Raise a glass to Queen and coffee!’

L4388

female 26 years single Bootle freelance writer Saturday, 2nd June - At breakfast-time - 9am - I noticed a number of small, hard, flesh-coloured spots on the palm of my right hand. According to mum they’re may be callouses, which can appear quite early on in life. I always associated these with hard physical labour, not writing and typing. The right is my writing hand and the only one with which I can manipulate anything with ease, but I wouldn’t have thought it had had enough use to show on the skin, especially not the palm.... After my usual breakfast (small glass of milk, slice of buttered bread, small bowl of porridge and half a hot-cross bun) and flick-through The Times and i - avoiding the formers’ ridiculously twee articles on the royal family - mum and I walked to the Aintree Retail Park for shopping. There was a cool breeze and mizzle in the air. The grass in verges and a patch of nearby ‘waste ground’ is lush and sending up tall seed-stems. At least a dozen species of wild flower must be in that area alone. The waste ground is so thick with them, grasses, horse tails and young trees I call it ‘the Garden’. A double-decker bus headed for Heydock Park came onto Dunningsbridge Rd. out of Heysham Rd., the first time I’ve seen a bus come that way and bound for Chester. It reminded mum of the first and only bet she won on a racehorse at Haydock, decades ago. She chose it for its name ‘Blue Jacket’, same colour as the bus. Heysham Rd. itself was blissfully free of the HGVs that thunder down it every weekday. At the retail park we played dodge -‘ems with the other grazers, most of them either naturally wall-eyed or made that way by each other. It’s always bad on Saturdays and the long weekend to come may be acerbating it. There were the same Union Jack-embossed objects that have been there for weeks and months. Seeing these things all year feels like being in America. Who buys them and why I don’t know. The two-dimensional attitudes behind flag-waving leave me cold. Still, they’re better that the the one-dimensional attitudes behind the flying of most St. Georges’ flags. As for signs of Jubilee fervour, in the surrounding handful of miles around our house I’ve seen about ten houses showing flags and bunting and half a dozen or so small shops with same (an odd selection of bakers, hairdressers, a solicitors‘, a jeweller, news-agents, a printer cartridge-seller, an army surplus, pubs, restaurants, and a motor parts dealer), along with a couple of churches, a school, two social clubs and three community centres. The most bizarre shop display is in Liverpool city centre - in River Islands’ store window black mannequins in patterned summer shirts hold leashes attached to model corgis (who sport sunglasses). There are no street parties happening round here and I’ve not heard any conversations about the Jubilee. 1 pm : After lunch in my room (mini sausages, chips, strawberry yoghurt and cucumber slices - no ‘patriotic’ clichés intended!) I looked through the Radio Times, including their personal-memories-of-the-Queen page. There’s a wildlife-spotting feel to these, of a creature glimpsed in and out of its habitat (the Queens’ habitats probably being palace grounds, racecourses and yachts). Considering RT has been asking for contributions for months there don’t seem many of them. Had my 4 o’clock snack - two satsumas, some grapes and a Tracker - then wrote my diary. At 5 I eschewed my daily online GCSE maths lesson and watched the unbeatable BBC4s’ documentary about the coronation on playback via the laptop. An evocative social history, great to see MO contributions used after more than half a century. Some of the memorabilia reminded me of the cardboard palace and carriage mums’ step-father bought her at the time. Childrens’ stuff notwithstanding, I couldn’t help wishing that there was a tighter control on tat now and that the press were currently handled in a manner more similar to that jowly Dukes’. Following this I had my dinner at 6:40 - fish, buttered bread, sliced raw carrot, peas and a slice of malt loaf. At 7:15 I read John Maxstone-Grahams’ The Only Way to Cross for a couple of hours in mums’ bed (mine’s a bed-desk combo I‘ve been sitting at for most of the afternoon) then listened in the same place to The Little Princess soundtrack (again, no Jubilee connection!) on my portable CD player. Have just realised that my cool linen trousers have the faint shape of sailor-pants and that on top I’m wearing red, white and blue… Downstairs with mum I watched the end of the BBC news and the beginning of a BBC4 programme about zeppelins. Remarkable that a female journalist was present on one of their flights and that her diaries form the entire narration. Looks to be well worth watching in a few days. To bed at 11 o’clock. Sunday 3rd June - Washed my hair and moved bath-time forward a few hours, in order to watch the pageant on BBC 1, followed by weekly low-level preening (eyebrows, cuticles etc.). Listened to some Classic FM on the radio. They’re doing four days of ‘British’ music, needless to say. More surprisingly, there have been some nice pieces I haven’t heard before - a real novelty for this station. Lunch at 1 in my room - chips, fish fingers, apricot yoghurt, cucumber slices. Spent an hour afterwards dusting my room then settled in for the pageant, on my TV with mum (eldest brother watching in his room). 2:30pm-6:15pm - It seems to be much darker over London than here, maybe because it’s been raining steadily here for much of the day whereas it’s just building up there. What an otherworldly effect the silver-grey light has on the scene - like an old photo, historic in a way not intended. Wonderful seeing the cloud repeatedly obscuring the Shard, improving its aspect considerably. How cold, tired and aged the Queen looked. It was good of her to stand for so long but she and the Duke really should have sat down more. Their barge was better-looking than expected. I particularly wanted to see the more unusual boats and sailing ships and hear the bells (floating and land-bound). These wishes were only slightly fulfilled. To blame for this could be the sheer number of vessels, the fact that sail-ships had to be sail-less and close to the dock and the BBC. The latters’ presenters were as numerous and full of themselves as I feared they would be; there was no knowledge of the boats, their haunting calls or flags:; continuity between the commentator and the multiple camera-shots was near-non-existent; where there should have been surrounding sounds (bells, music) there was talk and silence; they got bored half-way through (or presumed we were), leaving many boats to pass unseen and un-heard. Shambolic, in a word. At least we knew when we wouldn’t miss anything while going to the loo, fetching Cornetto treats, writing my diary, putting the roast in the oven etc. Fortunately we didn’t miss my favourite moment, which came from land - Joey. Its operators' legs gave it the fleeting appearance of a pantomime cow, but the structure itself had the beauty and bearing of a real equine. Inexplicably, it brought me close to tears. So spirited, distinctive and unexpected (not to mention dangerous - manhandling a large object on a wet roof in a wind). It only took a few breaks in routine for it not to feel like a Sunday At 6:45 I had dinner - boiled egg, pasta in tomato sauce, peas, carrot and malt loaf - in my room then read another few chapters of my book and listened to Fiddler on the Roof on CD before bed at 11. Monday, 4th June - Went on the Circle walk after breakfast - from Park Lane, through Walton Vale, Bootle cemetery, Orrell Lane, Bridle Road and back onto Park Lane. This is usually my least favourite walk because of the busy roads and crowded Vale. Today, though, everywhere is much quieter - at times there was nothing stirring in the vicinity except me and birds. On a lawn around the Shop Direct offices on Park Lane a man in green overalls was throwing a rubber ring for an English terrier, the only sign of life I’ve seen by those blank-faced buildings. Such inversions are the true worth of bank holidays to me. That said, since March I have volunteered each Monday at a charity bookshop in Ormskirk. I like being there but I also appreciate not being there on bank holiday Mondays, so much so that I don’t give the place a thought at these times. There were few clouds left in the sky but those that were there grew tall and grey-bellied as I walked. The grass seed-heads on Bridle Rd. are shoulder-high, taller than I’ve ever seen them. During the hour-and-a-half walk I used my spectacles, sunglasses and umbrella (though not simultaneously). Between 2 and 4 I did a bit of the MO directive then at half-four watched the horse show on ITV playback via the laptop. ‘Ethnic’ things are always interesting to me, as long as they’re authentic and have meaning to the participants. These seemed to be both, despite the sense of absurdity that accompanies every public event and the slight air of kitsch variety-show. I’m glad most of the acts involved horses doing natural things (running and trotting about) rather than pussy-footing. Fewer musical accompaniments would have improved it, as they added little to most of the acts. Presentation-wise, there were a surfeit of un-necessary speakers, who both addressed the Queen rather toe-curlingly and spoke about her as if she wasn’t there (I wish the monarch had greeted representatives of the performers at the end rather than the speakers, but I suppose that would take a while). I don’t know how ITV decided which bits were ‘highlights’ and which weren’t but the effect was much quieter and more contained than the pageant, not least because of the differing natures of the events no doubt. Had beef-balls and bread etc. for dinner at the usual time, then read my book and listened to the Highgrove Suite CD - lots of beautiful music on this for a mere £5 - before bed at 11. Tuesday, 5th June - The roads and streets are even quieter today, a small miracle. Walked to Netherton Village this morning, a handful of beautiful stone houses around a small green near the Leeds-Liverpool canal. To think these have survived all that has been built around them and that I didn‘t know of their existence until a year or so ago. I stopped on the small bridge over the canal to watch the ducks and a coot family below. Within seconds, though, each one was paddling towards me, evidently with treats in mind. I didn’t have any so to save their energy and the coot chicks’ plaintive cheeps I moved on. On a roadside verge opposite some arable fields (another revelation to me) there’s another dead magpie, just an impression of greasy feathers, beak and feet. After lunch I watched the parade on BBC 1 for the horses, catching some of the Westminster Hall lunch beforehand. The relative simplicity of todays’ jubilee events probably made them the most generally meaningful ones for the royals (though not much to me). Would have liked to hear the horses’ hooves but the soft ground and cheering must have muffled them. There can’t be much swiftness about the great drum-horses Achilles and Mercury. Names more indicative of weight and presence might be better - Ajax is the only alternative I’ve thought of so far. It was good to see the Queen perhaps genuinely smiling during the ‘balcony scene’ afterwards but fly-pasts, for me, are at best dull and at worst distasteful. For the three hours following this I wrote my diary and some of the MO directive, had my half-hour break/snack and re-started my maths lessons, stumbling over multiplication, division and ratios (multiplication and division in disguise). After fish and pasta etc. for dinner I finished The Only Way to Cross. What a readable, if occasionally opinionated, tome considering it‘s over 50 years old. My favourite chapters are those describing life on board the liners, particularly for the crews (my great-grandfather was a steward on board at least one of the ships mentioned) and immigrants (I have forebears who emigrated to America and Britain from Europe in the early 20th century). I only heard of the book because it was mentioned in the bibliography of a very enjoyable novel, The Secret of Jules and Josephine. Listened to the Pride and Prejudice TV series soundtrack before 11 o'clock bed.

H4890

MO Number: H4890 Sex: Male: Age: 23 Martial Status: Single Occupation: Finance Assistant Brighton, East Sussex Saturday, 2nd June. I wake in the morning to grey skies and an early start. There is not that glaring blue that peeps through my blinds any more like there was last week. Still, with eleven days off with no work to go to I feel that it is still another day to enjoy thoroughly and get something done. A quick trip into town is needed. Getting on the 5 I notice the the extreme levels of bunting attached to every pole, arch and hanging outside the Ladies Mile Pub at the bottom of Mackie Avenue, enough to make me note that the Union Jack version will no doubt be replaced by the end of the week by St. George bunting before turning back to the Union Jack in July in times for the Olympics. Town bares little mention of the Jubilee as I quickly withdraw some cash and head into Maplins to pick up a wireless adapter for my new PC before heading straight back out. The afternoon is spent playing with this new toy along with some reading and a bit of Grand Design. Sunday, 3rd June. There certainly seems to be a muggy start to the day as I wake, gray skies and a lazy Sunday feel to it. There is not a lot to do in the morning as I don't have to go out until the afternoon to go to a garden party, loosely tied to the fact that there is a four day weekend, rather than any royal celebration. The news seems to have nothing on it bar various angles of the Thames and the people lining up to watch the boats come down the river. I have a quick roast dinner for lunch with the family before taking the quick twenty minuet walk to Vicky and Luke's. On the way I pass the Ladies Mile Pub once again, although this time with a fire truck outside the front, presumably for show rather than there being a large fire. There are plenty of people there, but considering few of them will have to work the next day it is unsurprising. On this brief walk I see around six or seven houses with bunting hung outside along with a church as well. All with the Union Jack on them, not a St. George one in sight. The same goes for those cheap tacky car flags which are usually seen around when the World Cup or Euro Championship is on. Once again I see around half a dozen of them, all Union Jack, not a St. George to be seen in sight, quite strange when you consider the Euro's start in around a week. There are large piles of snakes and burgers that begin filling up the table within an hour after I arrive. Not to mention the large amounts of cans and bottles of Pimm's lying around the kitchen. The weather just about holds out, despite a strong wind that makes starting the portable barbeque's difficult, all four of them. We solve this with large amounts of lighter fluid and old magazines and newspapers for kindling. The girls get very busy creating large amounts of cupcakes whilst the guys take full control of the various barbeques, everyone likes to take control off the Pimm's. We do put on the Royal Boat Show, mainly because we cannot decide what music to put on until we just decide to put it onto shuffle. No one pays much attention, apart to see if someone has fallen into the Thames yet or to note just how wet it is in London in comparison to Brighton. We eat burgers and cup cakes, whilst playing Sing Star until the Playstation slowly dies a slow and painful death. We hardly notice how fast the time goes, especially when it starts to get dark around nine. The remaining dozen or so of us play a board came that revolves around using playdoh to create objects along with pictionary. I leave around eleven. By the time I pass the Ladies Mile Pub again I can hear a lot of singing and drunken revelry as I pass it, hardly surprising. Monday, 4th June. Third day of the long weekend brings a lay in for once which is far more tolerable than getting up early for work on a Monday morning. It is a bit of a lazy day, certainly not as busy as the day before. I get some reading done along with some time surfing the internet. Once again there is little on the television bar constant coverage of the Jubilee. I talk with friends about going out tonight into town,Coalition has an offer on where you can get in free if you dress up as HRH. With the large amounts of Queen masks going around I don't see that as being too difficult. The TV downstairs has constant coverage of BBC News and the Jubilee Concert. I think Prince Phillip has the right idea faking an illness to skip it all.

F4813

Female in early 40s In full-time employment, residing with partner in Catterick Village, North Yorkshire Saturday 2 June Dry, but cool and overcast. Awake around 6.30am as usual and enjoy a leisurely half hour in bed with a cup of tea, reading Jeanette Winterson’s excellent memoir Why be happy when you could be normal? Then throw on some clothes, brush my teeth and rub a flannel over my face before driving to the Royal Mail sorting office on the trading estate in Richmond to collect some parcels. En route I come across a cycle race in progress and the traffic lights set up at Catterick Bridge in preparation for the day’s horse racing. With a cynic’s satisfaction I cheerfully note that only a handful of houses in the local vicinity are “flying the flag”. On return I sit in front of the TV news with my breakfast, but turn off after only a few moments because of relentless broadcasting about preparations for the Jubilee celebrations - it seems that arrangements for just about any event have taken 3 years. I vaguely recall the Silver Jubilee celebrations of 1977, when I was 6 years old. Somewhere in the loft I still have a piece of school work I completed at that time; it includes pencil drawings of soldiers in red uniforms and bearskins and predictions about what I will be doing in 25 years time - these include being married to my friend D and being the proud owner of some Venetian blinds. The dalliance in my 20s, with the blinds but never D, was brief. My partner (C) prepares and cooks homemade beef burgers for lunch, after which we watch a quietly amiable film, El Baño del Papa, which I recorded earlier in the week. The story is based around the actual visit of Pope John Paul II to a poor rural community in Uruguay and the preparations and hopes of the people for the visit and their ensuing disappointments - in light of the Jubilee celebrations, clearly a TV scheduler with a sense of humour! C then disappears to the garage to service and clean our tandem whilst I make a gluten-free apple crumble and then relax with a bit more Jeanette Winterson. After tea C and I watch another film I have recently recorded, The Belles of St. Trinian’s. Mid-film we pause as my family phone – my sister, her husband and their 2 daughters are at my parents’ house in Surrey so I speak to all 5 of them, although it is so noisy at their end of the phone that conversation is difficult. My 10 year old niece tells me that tomorrow she and her sister will be going with my parents to a village Jubilee Party on Warlingham Green. My sister and her husband are off to the bright lights of Las Vegas. Later I play the piano to test out a new clip-on piano lamp I have just purchased since the eco-bulbs with which we light the house are so dim. Half an hour of playing folk songs – Salley Gardens, Rowan Tree, The Ash Grove, Greensleeves and a rousing Land of my Fathers – then C goes off to find a CD of Paul Robeson singing the latter accompanied by a Welsh male voice choir. This leads to an hour or so of C playing CDs – more deep and sonorous Paul Robeson followed by the contrasting counter-tenor of Andreas Scholl– whilst I gently doze on the sofa. Sunday 3 June Dry, gloomy and cool. Again awake around 6.30am and sit in bed with a cup of tea, C and Jeanette Winterson – I am rattling through her as I am enjoying her writing so much. The TV news is again swiftly turned off at breakfast as it is dominated by news of the preparations for today’s Jubilee pageant on the Thames. C and I sort our cluttered garage and load the car for items to go to the tip up the road. The Sunday market is on as usual and the first shoppers are already arriving at the racecourse – it draws people from far and wide, a pull I find (having once surveyed the goods on offer) somewhat inexplicable. We have a mid-morning cuppa and watch part of a documentary about Georges Méliès, a French early cinematographer. I then keep an eye on the ladder whilst C goes into the loft to put some inhibitor in the heating system and to check the mousetraps (empty) and then C goes out to hoover his car whilst I finish the Winterson memoir. Before he goes out, C puts on another audio cassette to transfer to digital file – he is working his way through our collection by a tape a day now cassette players are becoming all but obsolete. Bank holiday weekends offer an ideal opportunity to combine outstanding household chores with relaxation, on the basis that likely traffic jams mean there is no point in travelling anywhere far afield. Today we have an easy lunch – quick-cook rice with a lamb stew ready-meal and cold leftover crumble. We listen to an audio recording of George Eliot’s Silas Marner read by Andrew Sachs– a fine combination of one of my favourite novels with one of my favourite audio book readers. After lunch I hoover my car (a job long overdue), do some more tidying in the garage and run the hoover around the house. After tea, we watch more of the Méliès DVD and then I settle down on the sofa with The Observer, which is mercifully light on Jubilee news. C makes his weekly phone call to his mum in Lincoln – she is also avoiding the Jubilee and instead of her usual daytime TV viewing has watched back-to-back 4 episodes of Borgen, a Danish political drama which we have lent her on DVD. Clearly she is hooked. Later C and I start to watch District 9, an action-filled yet thoughtful Sci-Fi film, before my eyes start to droop and we go up to bed; the recorder catches the end for us. We are watching far more television this weekend than is good for anyone. Monday 4 June Sunny spells and a gentle breeze – lovely. Catterick Village Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Celebrations scheduled for today. The day starts with a cup of tea in bed with yesterday’s Observer and then C and I watch the end of District 9 over breakfast. After showering we do some gardening – weeding and hedge trimming – and then have a cup of tea, sitting on the bench to enjoy the garden in a more passive way. Washing up after lunch I spot a small blue butterfly in the garden, circling a potted potentilla. C and I go out for a closer look – it is a Holly Blue, a first for our garden. The fragile blue of its wings, the delicate stripes on its antennae and the soft yellow of the flowers paint a more entrancing picture than any Jubilee pageant. Once lunch has digested, C and I go out on the tandem – it is several months since its and our last outing so I am a little apprehensive but we manage 17 miles and on return I can still just about sit down. The weather is perfect for cycling – sunny (but not too hot) and calm; we pass curious red deer on the Hornby estate, a cricket match and game of quoits at Crakehall and the farmers’ market in Bedale. Crakehall is awash with Union flags, but somehow the bright weather and bucolic surroundings temper my default detractor setting and I find myself thinking it all looks rather jolly. On our return the Catterick Village Jubilee celebrations have moved from the relatively safe distance of Low Green (open air service, tree planting, family picnic, fancy dress competition) to the sports field closer to our home. The afternoon promises children’s races, bouncy castle and assault course, fast food and bar and a children’s disco followed by an adults’ disco. Pessimists by nature, C and I are apprehensive about the potential for noise and littering, but our fears are completely unfounded; the numbers attending are only middling, the disco music played at a very reasonable level and by the following morning all is cleared up and if anything more litter-free than usual. Tea in the garden and then a phone call from my sister who is in Las Vegas – please will I record for her the Jubilee concert organised by Gary Barlow; I hide my possibly unjustified contempt and acquiesce. The evening is cool so we resort to putting the heating on for half an hour –most unusual for June. I prepare dinner of lamb leg steaks, potatoes, carrots and broccoli, flavouring the lamb with sprigs of rosemary from the garden. I listen to the Ultimate Dirty Dancing CD I have just purchased to replace one of our old cassettes – for a brief moment jiggling around the kitchen, I feel like a teenager again: energised and confused all at the same time. After pottering around to do a few chores, we sit down to listen to a Radio 4 play we recorded some time ago, starring the comedian Jonny Vegas; it is ostensibly about a man showing some potential house buyers around his property, but as with most dramas explores deeper issues than those on the surface. And so to bed in my fleece dressing gown, burrowing under the lightweight duvet we decided to change to several weeks ago when the weather prematurely proclaimed summer had arrived. Tuesday 5 June Cloudy and cool, but still dry. After tea in bed then breakfast, C and I decide to take advantage of what forecasters suggest may be the last of any dry weather for several days and get the tandem out of the garage. After yesterday’s excursion I am feeling the pain in various parts of my nether regions and am not sure I will make it far – in such circumstances, however, there is no option but to try and ride through it with as much grimacing and ouching as I (if not C sitting immediately in front of me) feel is required. Each rumble strip and pot hole (and these are multiplying in austerity Britain) is punishing and after 5 miles I ask nicely if we might turn round and go home – C obliges. After lunch, we watch The Edge of the World, a short black and white film about the demise of communities on remote Scottish islands over the last 60 or so years. Then C and I check diaries to confirm our work movements with each other and to work out when we might try and fit in some family visits – it is difficult when working full-time to find adequate time to visit relatives who live some distance away. I then phone my parents to try and arrange a date for a visit in August, but my mother sounds unenthusiastic – “don’t worry about coming down if it’s difficult”. As often when I have spoken to my parents I feel as if I have let them down in some way (by not getting married, by not having children, by not living in Surrey, although not necessarily in that order). I make some gluten-free almond tarts and prepare dinner of chicken breasts filled with cheddar cheese and wrapped in bacon, potato gratin (ready-made for the oven) and petit-pois. Whilst C and I eat we listen to the final chapters of Silas Marner – where all (unlike so much of real life) ends well. After clearing up and sorting out piles of washing, we settle down to watch This is England, a film which resonates for both of us with memories of the 1980s (politics, music, fashions). Tomorrow work beckons……………

S4059

31, Female, Married IT Administrator, West Midlands 2nd June – I woke up not in my own bed but in a Travelodge bed. This morning was the start of our holiday. We left the hotel at about 7.30am and headed for Dover. What should have been a 60 minute journey turned into 2 and half hours. The radio station explained that everyone was trying to get away for the weekend and was headed for Dover, even without tickets. We weren’t too worried as we had a crossing already booked. We arrived at the port and had a smooth crossing over to Calais. Once in Calais we began the 3 hour journey down towards Disneyland Paris. The weather was very hot and we presumed the UK was experiencing the same. It wasn’t until we called home a few days later that we heard the weather wasn’t so good. Our apartment was great, and we were all looking forward to the start of our holiday 3rd -5th June – We spent the next few days in the Disneyland Parks, and were lucky enough not to have much rain at all. I was surprised, as I thought there would be some references to the Jubilee. However, I think the focus was on the 20th Anniversary of the opening of Disneyland. If we had been at home we would have watched the events on television, but we are not close followers of the Royal Family and so were not too bothered about missing anything. If I had to choose again, I would miss the celebrations and go on holiday with my family. There were no events happening in ur neighbourhood, that I know of.

R1418

R1418 (Male aged 90: widower ret. decorator: Derby) Saturday June 2nd. At 7.30 on this first morning of the Diamond Jubilee, I pulled aside the bedroom curtains to face a grey, damp outlook and of a garden calling out for attention. A depressing start to what I fear is to be a depressing week-end ahead– both in weather and the over-indulgences from a curtsying media, especially the BBC. When turning on the kitchen radio, it already had its heavy Royalist guns, so to speak, trained on such miserable old Republicans as me grumbling over “expensive bloody nonsense”. Turning my attention to preparing my frugal breakfast of a fried mushroom with a tomato, I let the praising voices on the radio babble on and gave thought to past Royal occasions allied to poor weather. The Silver Jubilee in this same month of 1977 had plans for the lighting of beacons throughout the country a re-enactment, I believe, of warnings of the approach of the Spanish Amada. After breakfast I went upstairs to check with my diary for that year, and there it was... Monday June 6th...Bank Holiday and Jubilee Day combined – been another dull and miserable day weather-wise. T and I on the Beaconsfield Club coach trip this evening to see the lighting of the beacon on Alport Height. Anticipating a boozy end to the evening ahead, we took a taxi to the Beaconsfield and had time there for a couple of drinks with C and B and the rest of the coach party before setting off into the drizzle. When the coach did arrive at Alport Height it was not only raining but the limited space seemingly teeming with other coaches and goodness knows how many cars. It was raw and cold and proved to be something of a non-event. So many others there we could not get near to the action but around 10.30 a muted cheer told of the lighting of the beacon, so we began the searching out of our coach. It took an hour and a half for our driver to extricate his coach and us from the chaos of the traffic and in the process had to reverse for something like a mile along a narrow lane. 12.30 am when we regained the Beaconsfield, disgruntled and envious of those who had had the sense to stay put and enjoy the buffet and dance, none of the buffet left when we were back. We did go up to the dance in the Concert Room but did not stay because of the crush. Lovely feeling to be getting into bed around 2.30 am. That awful weather, as I remember was equally as poor on the day of the Queen’s Coronation in 1953; and further back to 1937, I can recall the rain spoiling street parties at the Coronation of George V1. I can go as far back as the Silver Jubilee of King George V in 1935 when we schoolchildren were presented with a beaker decorated with pictures of the Royal Couple. I wonder what happened to mine... I haven’t heard of any Jubilee street parties being organised in this immediate area; and the only bunting and plastic flags were those I noticed in my local last night, The Rowditch – and that a half-hearted effort. A normal Friday night but with fewer customers than expected - and among my drinking companions no Jubilee comment that I could catch above the thumping of the piano. When I did try to stir things up by suggesting a lack of enthusiasm, the response was, “Can you bloody wonder at it? Country’s bloody finished anyway.” 11 am: Completed my weekly household chores – mopping, hovering and that sort of thing and now having a rewarding vegetarian Oxo before giving thought to shopping list for daughter J to collect. Then have to think about lunch but that shouldn’t be too taxing, another Spartan affair of tinned soup and a crusty cob, thought having to be given only to the filling of the cob, and have more or less decided on a fried egg. 2 pm: Lunch (it was an egg cob) over and now after a doze in my chair, I am now back in ‘my room’ sometimes called ‘my office’, the spare bedroom housing my computer and where on this summer afternoon I feel the need to switch on the electric heater. Though I find I have nothing of worth to write about, I don’t mind sitting here at my desk surrounded by my books and untidiness, my wireless is tuned to R3 and I’m enveloped in a sense of cosiness because of the rain and wondering if people are already making for the banks of the Thames to face hours of discomfort in order to gain prime positions merely to catch a glimpse of the Queen’s Barge. Good luck to them, I know where I want to be. 7.30 pm: Have bathed, shaved and prepared for Saturday night. This cold March-like evening and onset of an early dusk does not turn one’s mind towards celebrating. Although the temptation to stay in my chair has become more difficult to resist these days, I dare say I shall be carrying out my Saturday routine of spending a couple of hours in my local pub. My evening meal of home-cooked fish and chips, the washing-up and the rest of it finished with, I took a cup of coffee into the living room to partly read through the local paper. I am now making these notes with the drivel on TV sharing my attention. 11.30 pm: This unremarkable day is nearing its end – and for me hardly distinguishable from any other Saturday. I did get to my local and pleased to find a couple of my cronies there, other tables occupied by strangers. Conversation predictable and nothing to do with the Jubilee and though some of the jokes were stale, it was a change to laugh with others and far better than having a grumble all to myself. I now have a CD playing ‘my sort of music’ and close by my chair rests a glass of whisky - my solace and compensation for the emptiness of spent hours. Sunday June 3rd As on every morning after drawing aside curtains, I turned on the wireless in the kitchen tuned to R4 and, as expected, posh voices were discussing the advantages of Royalty, as opposed to Republicanism. The main event of the day apparently is to be the thousand-boat procession on the Thames. Along with the Royal Barge, and others carrying aristocratic guests and what-not; the London Symphony Orchestra will be among the procession as well as a choir, the music including Handel of course, makes it worthwhile for a look-in now and then. The gloomy morning and the rain force me to turn on the kitchen light. 11.30 am: At the kitchen table with a cup of coffee and a piece of Dundee cake while making these notes. Desert Island Discs coming from the wireless and true to BBC style, the guest is a friend of Royalty whose name I did not catch but apparently was a bridesmaid at the Queen and Prince Philip’s wedding. 1.30 pm: Back in the house after the short walk from the Kings Highway. Built some twenty-five years ago, it is large and in the style of its time to be more of a restaurant than a pub. It is especially popular during Sunday lunchtimes because of its carvery at which long queues form and from where loaded plates are carried back to tables. I can normally find a secluded corner to watch the proceedings with interest and to relax for an hour or so with my two pints of Pedigree. To mark the Jubilee week-end, the place was festooned with rather depressing rows of plastic flags. I noted that none of its customers marked this special occasion by the wearing of Union Jack hats or anything of that sort. The majority were in jeans as appears to be the fashion these days for both sexes – and at the same time, in complete disregard of rotund and unsuitable figures. I now have to prepare my midday cob with a filling of cheese. My main Sunday meal of vegetables and roast potatoes I will sit down to around five o’ clock. 6.45 pm: It has rained for most of this day and continues to do so. Afternoon prior to the cooking and eating of my evening was partly spent as normal for Sunday listening to the wireless and dozing. In the interests of this directive, I then watched part of the Water Pageant on the Thames through the misty gloom of an English summer. Well carried out and well organised as it was, I did not find it riveting television. There were many shots of the Queen and the opulence of the Royal Barge and I must say that I had to admire the way she stuck it out and apparently stayed on her feet for the whole of the proceedings. 11 pm: Back upstairs and at my desk to write the concluding observation to this day and not an altogether successful one at that. An evening divided between my computer in this room and the television in the living room. Many were my glances towards the clock urging it on to 9.15 signalling the ending of a self-imposed rule not to fetch my can of beer and glass of whisky from the kitchen until that time. I cannot now recall anything of worth on the television tonight with the possible exception of a programme on the history of Lord Elgin and the marbles he purloined from Athenaeum at the start of the 19th century. But does it matter? It will not affect tomorrow. I will likely be here in my room until my normal bedtime of midnight after another unremarkable day; it now occurs to me the only person I have spoken to today has been the barmaid at the Kings Highway. Monday June 4th 9 am: Although unseasonably cool there is a welcome sight of the sun this morning. I have switched on the wireless in the kitchen and have been able to catch a piece on the lighting of Jubilee Beacons as part of the celebrations. In a way this reminder of my experiences of 35 years ago pleases me. This present occasion is to include the commonwealth as well as this country and timed to begin, as it did then, at 10 pm local times and that means at different moments in different countries. The number of beacons is given as 4,200 and that compares to the 2000 of 1977. Well all right, content though I am, I doubt I shall be found anywhere near to Alport Height at 10 pm. 6.20 pm: Hours belonging to this day and now spent have not up to now produced any event worth a place in this record. My going shopping this afternoon has no relevance to this Jubilee diary. But that’s what I did, driving the two miles or so to the Iceland stores and afterwards called on an old friend who is now more or less housebound and suffers from a form of mild dementia. It is not often my presence can bring pleasure to others but that was so this afternoon. Although impaired memory made conversation difficult, I could see I had contributed to somebody’s day and that made my guilt the more when I had to take my leave. After evening meal of fish cake and ‘bubble and squeak’, I relaxed with coffee and the evening paper. Most of it, to be expected, was taken up with reports of local street parties in the drizzle yesterday, none of which was of interest to me and in less than fifteen minutes, including giving up on the crossword, I was casting the paper aside. In this part of the country the sun makes intermittent appearances, and so is the case for London according to the news and where tonight there is to be a picnic in the grounds of Buckingham Palace. Hearing that came the lugubrious thought, “I wonder how many of those loyal but slightly dotty subjects who braved the rain yesterday are on the invite list.” Also note there is to be a concert lasting about three hours, I might just watch some of that, I’ll see. 11.45: Did pay brief visit to BBC 1 and the concert – and brief it was – a couple of minutes of Elton John was enough to convince it wasn’t for me. Another day about gone, but what of it? Tuesday June 5th Well, it’s over and I’ll not be seeing another – but what of that as well? My contribution to this Jubilee project has been as I had expected it would be, not amounting to much, but how then could it have been any other way? I did not expect to be invited to any parties or to join in any other form of celebration; from my position on the sidelines I can’t say that at any time have I sensed elation or any desire to wave a flag. Any feelings that way have been long lost in the betrayal of this country by successive governments since the war.

S4743

I am a retired middle class female age 64 living in Brighton (East Sussex) with my husband, B; formerly employed in the Higher Education sector, still doing a bit of freelancing, writing and research. Saturday 2 June: Up very early as usual – did some domestic chores (quite happily), brought B coffee in bed. He has to get up early on Saturdays as he goes to his pilates class in Hove. He leaves and it’s a scramble for me to get sorted so I can meet him in town at 11am. Can’t now remember why! Walked along to top of Preston Street along the sea front which was very pleasant and very busy. Town is buzzing but it always does at weekends and at Bank Holidays. Saw lots of police around and wondered whether it was Mods and Rockers time in Brighton (but isn’t that at Easter?). Some union jacks and red white and blue on display in shops for the Jubilee but nothing very conspicuous. Didn’t see any street party signs but maybe that’s not on Saturday? Unsure. Met B at a shop I’d been told might buy my old iphone from me but alas, the nice young man pointed out two tiny hairline cracks on the casing and said he couldn’t buy it because he wouldn’t be able to offer a guarantee on re-sale. Tried two more shops who said the same thing. First time I’d noticed how many second hand phone and electronic goods shops there are around on Western Road! Annoyingly they offered B £90 for his old ipod touch. We adjourned to a nearby (new) Café Nero and I nursed my disappointment with a skinny cappuccino. The shop people had been very sweet and the last young man said try selling privately eg on Gum Tree. I’ve never used the Gum Tree website. Last time I nneeded to sell sokmething (a coffee machine) I used the Friday Ad. Walked down to M&S and I went up in the lift and used their loo, bought flowers and chocolates to take to friends tonight, plus some veg for us at home, and then a pair of white linen trousers. The sales assistant at the till said to me, unprompted, that she hoped it wasn’t going to rain as she and her friends were going to London on Sunday for the Jubilee celebrations. She chatted away quite amiably without for a minute thinking that I wouldn’t be totally sympathetic. That’s the thing about the Jubilee – a bit like when Diana died. People just assume you are supportive of the Royals. I didn’t disabuse her – just smiled. I don’t feel any malice just a bit miserable about how isolating and joyless-seeming it can be opposing the status quo. When I emerged from M&S, the police presence was overwhelming. Every shop front had at least two police officers guarding it and there were huge and beautiful police horses parading down the main road. B and I met up again- he’d been texting a friend about meeting up – and took our place in Churchill Square by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign stall. We knew now that it was the threat of a visit to Brighton from a fascist organisation called the “Casuals” who seem to be an offshoot of the English Defence League. There was a big crowd of lefties in Churchill Square in addition to the rather older, more heterogeneous, more respectable looking PSC crowd. They were the “UK Uncut”/Occupy followers in black hoodies, plus the anti-cuts campaign people. Quite dramatic. They held a Street Party outside BHS. I suppose that’s a nod to the Jubilee! We chatted to friends for a while but all seemed quiet. It was spitting with rain. One person I met, a history lecturer, said her intelligence was that the Casuals had been in a pub in Hove but were coming down to beat up lefties. I am not keen on this violent confrontation. Does nothing for our image and anyway ever since my experience at the anti-Vietnam War demo at the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square in 1968, I’ve been afraid of police horses. We met up with a good mutual friend and chatted for a while. He was very critical of my taking part in a TV documentary about the 1952 Coronation and about the Today programme on the Jubilee: Here’s our exchange of emails: 1. From him.... Hi, Well done for being involved in this. First I must say sorry for what I am going to say. But I feel I have to say it as it’s what I was thinking. I did listen to some of the item but not to all of it as most of it (other than you) made me feel uncomfortable. So I may have missed the most radical parts. I am afraid I struggle with any link of the monarchy to notions of democratisation or even popularisation. Every time the monarchy is sited in our lives or in our media it does 'work'. It does work that is anti democratic and anti equity. I am sure there is an important job to show what people "really" think about it but the discourse around the monarchy is such that the responses are predictable. Any discussion of it seems to add to this discourse. Even the Guardian's discussion between Rosie Boycott and Joan Smith last week was so shallow it just reinforced the dominant discourse on the monarchy. You did well but the framing of the item meant in my humble opinion that there was no place to talk radically about the monarchy's destructive influence on the values of our society. Sorry again 2. My reply: Knocking against an open door. It wasn't possible for me to know how exactly it would be used (not that I am naive enough to think it could be republican or more challenging). The context of the interview was MO not royalty per se and it's the 2nd of 5 items due to be broadcast on future Today progs. However I'd stand by my claim that by collecting day diaries you can capture a moment in time and the stuff we have collected in the past has been used by writers and others to understand the political & ideological trends of the country in the 21st century in a more nuanced and complex way than any opinion poll could. We need to understand why people behave as they do. I like to think that you'd see this in the wider context of my political life - my growing involvement in Palestine solidarity, my anti-cuts activities and my attempts to use my role at Sussex to promote a radical view (eg in a student film, I took SF head on on whether protest should ever be 'reasonable' as he argued - the film won 3rd prize in a competition!) I also gave a lecture last month to lots of history undergrads using the blog written by a Palestinian woman doctor in Gaza during Operation Cast Lead and I am still corresponding with some of the students about it weeks later. I was told they'd found it very stimulating. You'll probably laugh at me trying to establish my socialist credentials but I think you and I, partly through our backgrounds, have much in common politically. It hurts me just a little when you seem to assume I don't share your analysis or that I am somehow lacking in political sense. We may differ tactically of course. You are right to say that there would not be a place in the Today prog for a radical analysis but I would rather get my mildly oppositional voice onto national radio and use that as a platform and as experience for other things (eg I did a workshop for the women against the cuts group recently on handling the media based on my own experience). It's tough finding ways to make a difference but feel I am doing more than I used to! Let's keep up the discussion. 3. His reply to that: As you correctly assumed it was not my intention to hurt you at all. I agree that we have a lot of similarities in our ideological positions and I think of you as an ally in many debates and discussions. So I apologise if my comments felt in any way undermining or humorous. They were meant as a serious contribution to a discussion about what things we do do. As good friends neither of us really have to justify what we do, to each other. Though it is interesting to discuss what we do and how we understand it and where we put our political energies. So for example going to a play by G about a Jewish betrayer during the second world war raised similar issues for me about the ways that dominant discourses are created and reinforced (here about Jews suffering in the war and therefore everywhere as victims). As I recall it B was quizzical about me going to it. This maybe similar to the way that discourses have been created over monarchies. I emailed G about my take on her play after the play and although she was hurt (it was her own writing which we know is a deeply personal thing) she has asked to discuss my thoughts more. Not sure whether this will happen or what it will achieve. But like yours G's play is in a public space with potential contact with many people and the potential to shape discourses and the opinions of many people. . Lets talk it's easier than e mailing. And it's more friendly. Hugs XXX Back to Saturday and let’s speed this up a bit: We came home by bus. I left to go out again at about 3.45 but forgot where I’d said I was going to meet this other friend whom I call J. Went to the wrong cafe but hadn’t yet sat down when I realised I needed to be back in town again so whizzed up the hill and jumped on a No. 7 bus which only got as far as the bottom of Edward Street when the driver said that if anyone was in a hurry they should get off now. The traffic was all jammed up on the Old Steine and when I walked along facing the pier, I could see a sea of police and police vans. A police women told me that there’s been a small confrontation between the fascists and their left wing opponents. Not much was happening when I got there but there was an air of heightened expectation and lots and lots of people were just milling about. The police were blocking entrance to St James’s Street perhaps because it’s a known gay community and there are rainbow flags everywhere, no doubt red rags to the fascist bulls. I phoned B to have a look on the website. The local police have a twitter feed on their activities as part of their community relations policy. My friend inside the cafe was oblivious to all the excitement in the street. I had some tea with him and we chatted a bit and then The street was opened again and I caught a bus home. We had a very pleasant evening in Lewes with our friends who cooked us a lovely meal. We went by bus and again I saw no special references to the Jubilee nor did I hear any conversations about it. When we were coming back past the Amex stadium at Falmer, again in the bus at about 11.45pm, the road was crowded with revellers overflowing from the Fat Boy Slim gig in the stadium. The bus we were on didn’t stop at Falmer because its upstairs was cordoned off due to broken glass. Not sure what had happened. Again there was a heightened level of excitement everywhere. The police had their hands full. Was the Fat Boy Slim gig related to the Jubilee celebrations???? Who knows. Sunday 3 June: Facetime on my new iphone4 with son in Oz: mentioned the Jubilee razamatazz here but didn’t discuss much. Breakfast as usual; weather not too good; read paper and noted Guardian coverage of Jubilee. Am curious of course about what’s happening in London. Thought about getting away by taking a daytrip to France on Tuesday so we spent ages looking up all forms of travel to France but trains and ferries booked up. I felt disappointed. B and talked about holidays later in year and decided to go to France. Did some emailing including to the director of the BBC4 documentary on the 1952 Coronation. Put advert for my old phone on the Gumtree website. Sunny weather – briefly so went out. Did some of my political work (online) and in the evening, watched a ‘Norwegian noir’ with husband on BBC4. Quiet day. Mon 4 June: At my desk very early to sort out a printer problem that had flummoxed me last night. Things are always easier in the morning. Did a reference to support a funding application for a friend who’s a retired prof at the Open University. After breakfast while the weather was pleasant, took some measurements of the front garden with B. Another quiet day just catching up at home (things had been very hectic during the festival in May). Late afternoon, went into town where most shops were open and bought a birthday present for my sister, some new toner for my printer and then sat for a while in Waterstones bookshop reading a book about Cuba and a book of recipes for cooking in a campervan. I bought a novel for a very dear friend who is going into hospital for an operation this coming week. Apart from shop displays in red white and blue, there was little to remind me of the Jubilee. However at the group meeting I attended in the centre of town, several of the women talked about street parties they were planning to attend or organise and several of them said they’d seen roads closed off for street parties. As I hadn’t been along any residential streets apart from my own, I hadn’t really come across much of this. Took a taxi home as it was getting late (after 8pm and I was hungry). The taxi driver was from Afghanistan. We had a good chat – he spoke at least five languages including Russian and English. His mother tongue was Pashtun. I was impressed. We talked about what life was like in Afghanistan today. After supper, B went out and I wrote a long letter to a friend in Australia. Went to bed at about 10.30 and listened to accounts of events in London until B returned. Heard that the Duke of Edinburgh had been taken to hospital. Was interested in the crowd roaring in response to Prince Charles’ tribute to his mother. Contined to read my novel on my Kindle – Patrick Hamilton’s Hangover Square. Tues 5 June: Up at 5: desk work again (am trying to write a paper); looked at Jubilee concert in pictures online on BBC website. Listened briefly to Annie Lennox on iplayer and chortled at Cliff Richard. B went swimming at the gym before breakfast. We found ourselves (unplanned) making the most of the dry weather and doing a huge prune of the bushes in our tiny back garden. Just taking off a few branches which overhung next door’s garage seemed to produce masses of greenery so instead of having an outing to Wakehurst Place as we’d planned, we used the car we’d hired for trips to the recycling dept to dump the greenery, and then to the garden centre to order pebbles for the patch in the front garden (also tiny). By the time we’d done all that it was raining and anyway a bit late for an outing, so I carried on working in the garden until the rain and wind put me off. B returned the car. My ad for my old iphone went live on GumTree at lunchtime and I was inundated with emails expressing interest, much to my delight. By 6pm, I had sold it for £80 cash to the first person who called by. I was very honest about the casing cracks too. The young man who bought needed a bit of a tutorial about what it could do. He’s not had a smart phone before. I couldn’t help thinking about the assumptions people make that young people know more than their elders about new technology! Later that evening he texted me to say he’s got it all working with his sim card and he was delighted. I sent a copied response to everyone else who’d expressed interest (some of them very insistently) saying it was sold and I took the ad down. One person thanked me for letting him know “You are a very kind lady” he said. I think that’s testament not to my kindness but to the fact that the internet is a rough place to be and ordinary common courtesies are uncommon. That evening after supper, we went by bus to the cinema at the Marina and with about 6 other people in the auditorium, watched the latest Mike Leigh film: “Angles’ Share” which I quite enjoyed though it wasn’t quite as ‘feel good’ as I’d hoped and although I have lived in Scotland, I did at times find the Glaswegian accents hard to understand. There were some excellent moments in it and the acting was terrific. So I am not a very good Jubilee Observer. Firstly I am uncomfortable about royalty anyway and see the Royal Family as emblematic of a society that is hugely divided in terms of wealth and human rights. Secondly I managed to remain pretty remote from most events related to it. When I opened the pages of our local paper later and it was headlined something like “Brighton goes overboard on the Jubilee” I was somewhat surprised as that hadn’t been my impression at all. Certainly there was much commercial display of red white and blue in shop windows and in adverts on the TV and in the press. On my route back from the bus stop to my home, I walk along a street of about 40 terraced houses. Only two had any kind of Jubilee decoration and they were side by side with a bit of bunting on their windows. I don’t feel any animosity to the members of the Royal Family as people. In fact I think the Queen is quite an impressive woman not that I really know her at all. I have been struck by how beautiful she was as a young woman. I am intrigued by royalist support and the tedious argument that we wouldn’t be better off with an elected president instead of a monarch because Stalin and Hitler were both elected. I never did believe elections were the be-all and end-all of democracy anyway. I was amused but a bit indifferent at the criticism later of the BBC for their coverage of the Thames flotilla with unexplained references to Dunkirk. It seemed to me to be no different from the way much news on television especially is completely dumbed down and trivialising anyway with silly glamorous female presenters and boring old farts of older male presenters. And then I read about the unpaid volunteers from – was it Glasgow – who’d been bussed to London to steward the Jubilee festivities and who’d been left to sleep under one of the Thames bridges. It justified everything I’d thought about the divided society we live in that they couldn’t even have been given hotel rooms. Jubilee? A sham! Oh dear... I’d better stop!