Colours at Sundown

I love how the colours change in the garden at different times of day. Here we are looking at it before sunset with the sun behind us on the one and only dry day that we had last week.

Otherwise we have had storms and flooding and high winds.

More forecast for tonight and tomorrow.

We had to cancel our annual Open Day at Pilgrims Hall tomorrow because of flooded and waterlogged fields 


We will go to our local neighbourhood Jubilee Parade and Fun Day instead 

The mellowness of evening

Also the week when the grand children came to stay

That supposedly quiet time before bed

and in the coffee shop with Oliver who stayed much longer than Bekah as it was school half-term

Celebrations Continue

Continued to celebrate yesterday at our local Conservative party HQ with a Diamond Jubilee Extravaganza!

The Cake

Local HQ

A nicely set up Tearoom inside with lots to choose from the buffet

Outside food stalls featuring foods from many of the Commonwealth countries

Our town Lady Mayoress in red 

Young people's band

Our local member of Parliament

The Toast

This gentleman on the right (Lloyd Thomas from Montserrat in the West Indies is presenting the Mayoress with a gift for our Queen) - more on this at end of post 

The young band played 

Land of Hope & Glory at the beginning and the end

Always brings tears to me eyes because as a child I witnessed hundreds of Prisoners of War disembarking from the ships that carried them home while this was being played

Time to cut the cake

Yours truly with Lloyd Thomas and holding photographs of the Sceptre that was presented for the Queen

It was made out of pure gold and inlaid with pearls, diamonds, sapphires and rubies

When asking Lloyd about this gift he said that it had taken 14 years to collect the gems and he felt so proud and privileged to be able to bring it over and present it as his country were so, so grateful to our Monarch and all that she meant to them along with all the help the British had given them over the decades

Quite humbling! 

The Storms & Grands Have Left

Did somebody say it was June?

The calm before the storms

A fun but quite exhausting week with Oliver staying for part of his half term school holiday

Seen here on his first day riding his bike in the park before a week of storms that lasted through the whole time he was with us

Lots of outdoor activities planned but...

indoor games, jigsaws and shopping mall became the order of the day

He is certainly very clever with his jigsaws

Rebekah came to join him for the last night (she did not want to be left out) and her constant question was, when the rain stops can we go to the park, play in the garden etc. The rain, but not the wind stopped when we took them home on Friday evening

A picture of Bekah taken at home 

Torrential rainstorms, 70 mph winds - 82 on the South coast, have trashed my garden somewhat - the media calling it a

European Monsoon

Have nothing to complain about though in comparison with the poor folk in Wales whose homes have been flooded out

For now here are some more pictures of part of my favourite daily walk in my local park at the top of the road

Camomile in  one of the wild flower meadows

When turning right on entering the park from my end (it has 4 entrances) we come to an area that used to be a minature golf course

First passing lots of Pyracantha and Elderflower trees

This area has paths mowed around and through some wild flower meadows - only just beginning to come up after their winter mowing

With picnic areas in the centre

As I have said many times, I feel so blessed to have this place on my doorstep

Jubilation on the River

Before venturing down to the river house church folk are beginning to arrive for breakfast in the rain. Pancakes and Strawberries with coffee or tea. Nothing stops the British when they put their mind to it.

We concluded with a great rendition of 'God Save our Gracious Queen' on the top of our voices.

Too wet to hang about so retreated indoors to pray for our Queen and country.

Long May She Reign!

Well I did not really go down to the river

I took these photos from the TV in the comfort of my own sitting room hence the grainy effect

The last flotilla of this kind (and not on such a grand scale) took place in 1662 

Her Majesty arrives of her Jubilee barge - Spirit of Chartwell

Neither she nor her 90 year old Prince Philip sat down once during the 4 hour pageant

The gentleman on the left in grey was responsible for planning the whole event

People often think that the Queen looks glum, but she is not, she concentrates very hard as she likes to remember everything

Watching the historic Gloriana sail past

The reason I did not go down to the river (although my son did)

The crowds were estimated to be in their millions not thousands

The procession began with man powered boats of every kind

Prince Philip, Camilla Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Charles, Kate the Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry and Prince William

Mouri contingent

I would love to know her thoughts

Boris Johnson the Mayor of London on the left and the City of London Mayor on the right

Princess Ann the Princess Royal centre

The Queen chats with Camilla

Charles, William, Harry and Philip

The 12 bells cast especially for the Jubilee which will be hung in one of the churches along the river

They headed up the procession and rang out throughout with churches along the route replying with their own bells

Gardens planted on both ends of the boat

The younger generation

The London Eye was especially booked for the duration including afternoon tea on board I understand

Every possible view point was used

Prince Andrew and his daughter Princess Eugenie

The Royal Barge passing the Houses of Parliament

and the Royal Festival Hall

where we see Sea Scouts communicating with the Royal Barge in Semaphore (top)

Here the Queen is amused to see a scene from 'War Horse' enacted on the balcony of The Royal National Theatre (a favourite film of hers apparently)

said horse

Tower Bridge in sight and it is raining heavily

The bells still ringing out

a Jubilee party in the rain

abandoned as the Queen's boat gets nearer

The bottom of the new Shard building upper left which disappeared into the clouds

The bridge was opened for the Queen to pass through - not a necessity but a gesture

my camera battery had run out by the time it opened so no picture

Flags of the Commonwealth

One of the music boats

(battery has run out!)

The rain became so torrential that the Grand Finale had to be cut short and the arial fly past cancelled due to low cloud cover and poor visibility