Jubilee

I am sure everyone all over the world is aware that it was Queen's Diamond Jubilee this past weekend. Since it is the half term break and an extra long weekend to boot we thought we would attempt to soak up some of the British patriotism along with the masses. We made crowns, painted flags, and did a bit of baking at home. All of the above are always a win with the boys!

Cupcakes

Mini Scones

Jubilee Jam Tarts

On Saturday we decided to go to Hyde Park for the Sainsburys Jubilee Festival. We had high expectations after attending other events in Hyde Park like the Royal Wedding last April and the Proms that we go to every September. In comparison this festival was a huge let down. The boys enjoyed seeing Bob the Builder and Thomas the Tank Engine in the kids zone, chilling out at the commonwealth stage and of course the Disney finale on the main stage. So we made the most of it!

The Thames River pageant was the highlight of the celebrations. What an amazing spectacle from start to finish. We didn't really have a plan of action but in the end I think we had a taste of it all. We started off watching the mustering up river. The views from the Putney Bridge and Bishops Park were brilliant. It was great seeing all the man-powered boats up close. This part was the highlight for us!

Photos in real life

The queen and her entourage were only embarking further upstream so we thought we might as well make an attempt to see her too. Off we headed to the heart of it all, Westminster, in the shadow of Big Ben. I have never in my life seen so many people. As expected we couldn't get close to the river but we could see the procession on the big screens. There was something special being admidst all that atmosphere. When we had enough of the crowds we took a stroll through St James Park to have a look at the Mall and Buckingham Palace. The boys especially enjoyed the classical music booming out of the speakers that were being prepared for Monday night's concert. We watched the final part of the whole palaver in a lovely old traditional pub next to Buckingham Palace. And then we had to try and get home!

Photos from the screen

I want to share two funny stories about the day. First, Nicholas approached a man sitting on a bench and engaged in conversation with him about his union jack socks and tie and the fact that they matched. The man in turn complimented Nick on his face paint. He was none other than Richard E Grant from Withnail and I. Second, Nicholas loves singing Nkosi Sikilela, and as a result knows all the words off by heart and does a pretty good rendition of it. We weren't the only ones who found it amusing that a little boy covered in union jacks was singing the South African national anthem to himself on the tube on the way home from the jubilee celebrations. I guess we should teach him God save the Queen for occasions like this. I love it that Nicholas is so casually confident and is able to have sensible conversations with adults and is totally unphased about singing infront of an audience. I think it might have something to do with the show and tell routine they have at school. On that topic, I'll end off with the pages he prepared for his last show and tell about Queen Elizabeth!