Diamond Jubilee

Here in the UK we have been celebrating our queen's diamond jubilee.  That means that Queen Elizabeth II has been on the throne for 60 years!  That's a very long time to be in a job, and the country is pretty much in agreement that she has done us proud!  The celebrations started last Saturday when the queen went to see the Epsom Derby - a famous horse race.  DH put some money on one of the horses and lost it all!  Oh well, at least he had a couple of minutes of excitement.

On Sunday there was a Pageant of Ships on the River Thames.  A thousand boats and ships of all kinds, from kayaks to motor launches, from gondolas to cruisers and from survivers of the Dunkirk evacuation to narrowboats, with lots of other types of craft as well, all processing down the river.

DH and I decided to join in the fun, and went down to London for the day. Here is DH, and the triangular thing behind him is The Shard.  You can tell the weather wasn't very good, as you can't even see the top of it!

We had decided before we had left home, that we would be sure to see lots of people, and not very many boats!  There were certainly lots of people (1.2 million apparently), and the city was well prepared for them!  Necessity drove me to use one of the portaloos once - not a pleasant experience!

 And here is a view of some of the man powered crafts.  What an amazing sight!  We had a fabulous expereince being part of this great celebration - although we were glad to get home and get warm!

 On Monday there was a spectacular concert outside Buckingham Palace.  We watched it on tv and then went to our local park for our town's concert and celebrations.  The acts weren't as famous, but we had a good time!

Then on Tuesday, the queen drove through the streets of London and with her immediate family appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.  For those of you who aren't up on the royal family, we have (left to right) Camilla (Prince Charles' wife), Prince Charles (heir to the throne), the queen, Prince William (son of Prince Charles and the late Diana), Kate Middleton as was (Prince William's wife) and Prince Harry (younger son of Charles and Diana).  The Duke of Edinburgh (the queen's husband) should have been there but he was in hospital with a urine infection.  DH and I had a family day of our own and visited our parents. 

 So there hasn't been much time for sewing, but I have sneeked a little time to put a couple of borders on my medallion quilt. 



















So far, so good.  But what next?!  Any suggestions?