Jubilee Parade

Our final day of Jubilee celebrations climaxed with the Queen's Procession from Westminster Hall to Buckingham Palace. Our little group of friends arrived around 11 AM for a three and a half hour wait, but we were rewarded with spaces up front along the street for our efforts.

We decided to position ourselves along Whitehall between Trafalgar Square and Parliament to get the best view.

The time passed fairly quickly, and we met some fascinating folks,

who amused and delighted us. 

These two gals were lucky enough to win tickets to the big concert the night before and we enjoyed hearing their first hand experiences.

This was our favorite "bobby" of the day. He delighted us 

while we waited with his friendliness and humor.

My little buddy next to me had the greatest idea and had brought his coloring book to pass the time.

Before long however, the queen with her lady in waiting passed by in her limo, on the way to Westminster Hall to lunch. Isn't her little driver so cute? Of course, everyone was sad that Prince Philip had not been able to accompany her on this amazing day due to an illness. A few quick changes had to be made along the way to accommodate his absence.

She was soon followed by Prince Charles and his family. Now it was another hour or so to wait, before they would exit in their carriages for the procession.

Over 1000 servicemen and women participated in the parade,

men of all sizes,

and quite a few women on horseback too.

We were positioned just beside The Cenotaph, Britain's official war memorial honoring those who have given their lives for their country,

and every group of servicemen and bands paused at that spot to honor those gone before.

The bands were plentiful

and entertaining, playing up and down the street to our delight, helping to pass the time.

And then the time had come, the queen was approaching preceded by the Drum Horses of the Life Guards, announcing

 her carriage, a 1902 State Landau, the same one used by Kate and William, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on their wedding day.

Originally, it was to have been the Queen and her husband, Prince Philip in this carriage, but due to his absence,

she was accompanied instead by Prince Charles and Camilla.

Even Prince Charles respectfully removed his hat when passing by the war memorial.

They were followed by Princes William and Harry along with Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge.

The Mall to Buckingham Palace was closed off to us as we tried to head that way for the Balcony appearance, so I had to borrow this photo, but it was such a fitting ending to see the immediate close family appearing there, accenting the line of succession in the years to come.

It's been a joy to celebrate with all my fellow Briton friends as they honored their queen and her 60 years of service to the county. What a remarkable achievement she has made in history!

And now....

It's Countdown time to the Olympics!

Diamond Jubilee Concert

It was time for the Diamond Jubilee Concert. Having applied in a lottery for tickets months ago, and not getting tickets, like most ordinary folks, we decided to head to Hyde Park with friends to watch it on the big screens there.

And what's a picnic/concert without strawberries and cream?

Everyone made themselves comfortable on the lawn, waiting for the BIG show to begin.

Everyone has been caught up in the 4 days of Jubilee Spirit,

even the young

and this "elephant" dressed in his Union Jack flag.

The jubilant mood was contagious, with a lot of flag waving, cheering,

and dancing to the likes of Tom Jones, Kylie Minogue, Grace Jones, Renee Fleming, Stevie Wonder, Will.i.am, and Robbie Williams to name a few.

One of the most stirring and poignant moments of the night was the premiere of the song, "Sing," written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Gary Barlow, which was written for the queen herself. If you have a chance, listen to it here....

The sunset provided a dramatic accent to the evening,

as Elton John and Paul McCartney finished out the night.

A full moon, spectacular light show illuminating Buckingham Palace, and fireworks topped the magical evening bringing it to a dramatic close.

If you are reading this in America, the concert is being aired Tuesday night on ABC. Don't miss it!

Jubilee on Down the River

Early this morning, I slipped out of the house and down to the river just a block away to the Cadogan Pier, where overnight the royal barge that would carry the queen and her family had magically appeared. Gloomy and rainy, there was not much promise of seeing the Jubilee flotilla without umbrellas, but stranger things have happened in this city of unpredictable weather.

The police van stationed itself outside our front door, and policemen started checking the undersides of cars for security reasons--I knew this was not an ordinary day.

As I prowled around, I found others who were ready to celebrate

and who were hoping to lower those "brollies" for a better view.

The crowds began to gather along the Chelsea Embankment, and I staked our claim along the river, and soon was joined by friends. The rains paused and we held our breaths, playing games and eating snacks for 3 hours until the parade began.

The balconies behind us were full of party goers, and this group had a "special" guest!

Everyone was holding their breath that the rain had really stopped.

And then with great fanfare and bells, the Jubilee Flotilla began, commencing with the arrival of Gloriana, rowed by 18 oars, both men and women rowing. Built in just 18 weeks, it is a cross between a gondola and Viking longboat, 

and has been donated to the queen to be a lasting legacy of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

Then rowing boats from every country of the British Commonwealth,

and others full of color (could this be rowers from the Red Hat Society?)

A special tribute with all oars up to the Queen who was soon to follow.

The Royal Squadron came in one by one, led by Princess Anne in uniform on the Trinity House No. 1 Boat followed by

the magnificent Royal Barge carrying the Queen, Prince Phillip, William, Kate, and Harry.

Transformed from a luxury travel barge to a splendid Royal Barge

for the occasion, it was beautifully decked out with flowers from the queen's palaces.

Still no rain, dare we say it, and next comes the Havengore, which once carried the body of Sir Winston Churchill to his funeral, but for this happy occasion transported the Duke of York, Edward, and his two daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. Keeping them company was the mayor of London, Boris Johnson, and other members of the royal family.

Boats with bands, symphonies, choirs and bagpipes entertained us all through the afternoon.

Boats of all shapes,

sizes,

and colors floated by,

including this one which turned out to be one of our favorites. Reminded us a little bit of Mardi Gras or the Rose Bowl Parade. SO fun!

And up to the minute that we walked back to the house for refreshments, the rain stayed away. Our luck was in being at the beginning of the flotilla, because as you have probably seen on the news coverage, it poured through the last hours of the parade.

What a classy lady you are Queen Elizabeth--we are enjoying celebrating you, Your Majesty, and amazing at your legacy of 60 years. Reign on, but please not Rain on because we have more celebrations for yet 2 days to come.