Jubileeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!

Ok, my last Jubilee post, I promise. There is a definite red, white and blue theme to today's activities. I found the photo above when I recently stayed at my parent's house. It is me, aged three and a half, at Charles and Diana's wedding in July 1981. I know it's not really a Jubilee photo, but I like it. I think it echoes everything I have seen here in the UK over the last few weeks; fun, fancy dress, street parties, eating and drinking, bunting, a sense of community. I remember making that hat with Mum and Grandma, then wearing it for the playschool hat parade.

Bella kindly modeled her Corgi T-shirt for me. (Angus was less keen).

Today we had a small tea party with some friends. I made cupcakes (recipe here).

I love these little cake toppers:

Jubilee Rocky Roads, which are plain old Rocky Roads with a Union Flag stuck in the top (recipe here).

Some cups. And straws. I didn't photograph the matching plates, napkins, bunting...

But the highlight of my day, actually my week, is this little picture that Bella drew this morning:

Her Royal Highness is wearing a crown, striped tights and what look like red cowboy boots. But best of all, for some reason I do not understand, the Queen is wearing an apron, with a picture of the Queen on it. When I asked Bella why, she looked at me as though I was very stupid and said "because she is baking some Queen cakes.". I do not understand the logic of a five year old mind but I love it.

Flag Frenzy

1. Flowers from the supermarket (they came with a flag, wrapped in Union Jack cellophane!)

2. Tea towels from Ikea, £1.99 for two.

3. Bottle tops.

4. A regal and delicious cold glass of beer.

5. The Jan Constantine cushion that sits on our bed.

6. A flag in the pots on the front door step.

7. Homemade artwork.

We have gone a bit Union Jack crazy here. All the above images are from our house - I wish I'd had the camera when we were out and about this morning. Everywhere is festooned with union jack flags, bunting, posters. I like it. I like the way our flag is being used in positive, celebratory way. Not many people proudly wave the St George's Flag, the red cross on a white background that is the English flag, these days. I think a lot of people feel it's been hijacked by either football hooligans or the BNP. 


Is there flag waving in your house too? Any American readers...does it get this flag crazy every year for the fourth of July? Us reserved Brits are excitable because these events come along once in a blue moon, but if it was annual, I don't know if we'd be so bothered. But I say Hurrah for the Union Jack (sorry Dad, Union Flag...it's only a Union Jack when it's on a boat) and all this flag-waving happiness. This busy, diverse, rainy island I live on is not perfect but I like it very much. 

Jubilee T-Shirts

Well hello there! I am in a very good mood today because The Sun is Shining!!! Finally, warm and sunny weather has returned to Yorkshire and maybe we can turn the central heating off now and believe that Summer has arrived. A sunny days calls for a cheerful, colourful post, and since this you can't move for Union Flag bunting in the UK this summer (Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics, in case you just landed from the moon and hadn't heard about it), today I would like to show you my Jubilee t-shirts.

Warning: If you are of a sensitive disposition (or a republican) you should probably look away now. I have gone into kitsch overload in the last couple of weeks and the Jubilee inches closer and closer (I am very excited!!). Even Bella is asking how many sleeps it is until the Queens birthday. (It is ranked third most exciting forthcoming event after starting Rainbows and going to see Peppa Pig at the theatre during half term).

I have made three little Jubilee t-shirts, featuring unrealistically but patriotically coloured Corgi dogs and yes, I cleared the mantlepiece of clutter, hung some bunting and dug out some London-themed toys for the pictures. Forgive me.

Three little t-shirts - one for Bella, one for Angus and one for the daughter of my very good friend Abigail. If you follow her blog Oh Abigail, you will know that she is a HUGE fan her HRH.

The corgis are wearing tiaras. We all know that they secretly wear them when they are living in Buckingham Palace, it's the rules. Angus's dog's tiara is not beaded though, I drew the line there.

But then I thought, well what will I wear on the Queen's birthday? And then I had the idea of doing a little t-shirt (and one for Abigail too, of course) with rather regal stamp image. 

Lovely soft plain white t-shirts, £5 each from Marks and Spencers. I do really like these!

Here I am wearing it... (not a great photo, but you get the picture!)

I am making the kids save their t-shirts until the big day, when we are having a little Jubilee tea party - I'll post pictures of the fun later.

Again, apologies. It's not that I am a huge royalist, I just love an occasion when people come together for a day off work and an opportunity to eat, drink and be merry, and to celebrate being British in all it's wonderful diversity. Even better when that occasion makes it acceptable to do some silly but very enjoyable crafting.