Barging Baileys: Diamond Jubilee Celebrations

I have vivid memories of the Silver Jubilee Celebrations and can still picture the sea of red, white and blue cakes which weighed down the trestle tables outside my school. And I remember my brother Seamus at the end of the tea party. He was all alone and ploughing through Mrs Bryant's particularly heavy sponge with inch thick Union Jack icing. Tables were packed away around him as he valiantly ploughed on.
But above all it remains a happy childhood memory with a date which is easy to pinpoint.

Here in France we have escaped all the Diamond Jubilee preparations, but were well aware of street parties and barge pageants. Indeed we had missed the Royal Wedding and would be missing the Olympics as well.
I had nothing planned. But my strong childhood memories nagged away at me and at 7am this morning I had pangs of parental guilt, knowing that I was with-holding an opportunity for the boys to have a cherished Jubilee memory.

So we set to work, sadly without Andy. Bunting was draped. Deck chairs and tables laid out. We made jelly, cakes, sandwiches and devised games. We nipped around to various friends on boats and invited them to join us for high tea on Lobelia.

Our friends arrived and we ditched the idea of drinking tea in favour of toasting H.M. with bubbles. Several bottles!

Many thanks to John and Sandy, Liz and Alan, Alex, Tim and Tex who came and gamely joined in with the games. It was a baking hot day and the impromptu water pistol fight was very refreshing.
I put the boys to bed knowing that they now had taken part in a proper Jubilee party experience.
Guess it is the Olympics next! Neighbours beware!!!!