Jubilee

Our wet little picnic area beside the Thames

Fondly looking on as the regatta goes by.  Great hats!

It was a classic British day down at the Queen's Jubilee regatta.  It started as a drizzle and then escalated to full down pour.  We couldn't even see the boats because of the sheer mass of people who came out to view it but we set up a picnic area somewhat near the river and enjoyed the atmosphere for a while.  For about 30 minutes that is.  Then I felt too cold and wet and decided to take the morons that were visiting from America out to look around somewhere  indoors.  We had a look around at Covent Garden which was all nicely decked out in flags.  Then we had a cream tea at the Strand Palace Hotel and tried to rejoin our party by the river.  By that point the banks were at such a high capacity that the police had set up a barrier to stop us returning.  I thought this was somewhat lucky because I was sick of being in the rain and the planes flying over had been cancelled for the day due to the weather.  The morons insisted however and we had to get someone to come up and collect us and take us back down again.  I got the feeling that they didn't know that much about the royals in the first place.  One of them asked if Diana was going to be on the boat.  In spirit, perhaps.   It was all rather heart warming though to see the enthusiasm for the royals in a rather non patriotic London.  There were no protests against the fact that they are a colossal waste of money or perform no actual role in society as people tend to complain.  The group beside our picnic area had been in attendance at every royal happening in London through their lives:  The coronation, Diana's wedding and funeral, Will and Kate's wedding, the lot.  The news that Phillip had been taken into hospital upset them all but they did acknowledge that he is ninety years old and that these things are bound to happen.  Every time I saw a shot of the Queen on the massive screens around us, she was wearing another layer of clothing.  I hope she doesn't get ill as well with all this damp and cold.  Phillip is still in hospital recovering from a bladder infection.  Did he get that on the boat?

Covent Garden all decked out in union jacks

Lots of crazy tights going on today

Big screens showed the life of the Queen thus far as
 well as the regatta for those who couldn't see it.



Instant victims of the flag vendors

Ok, I'm wet and it's time to go home now.