Celebration

Our front garden for the Queen's 60th jubilee celebrations

April 21st 

Happy  Birthday  Your  Majesty 

Today the Queen of England celebrates her 90th birthday.  Unlike the majority of us she actually has two birthdays, this is the day of her birth and in June we celebrate her official birthday when there will be street parties, trooping of the colour, pubs will be open and a grand picnic on the Mall for 10,000 invited charity workers.  It's a big affair. 

There are many discussions about whether we should have royalty but putting that to one side, this is not the time or place on this little blog to discuss that.  But what I love about these sorts of celebrations and I think is quintessentially British, and let's face it there have been a few in recent years, is that it seems to bring neighbourhoods and neighbours out from the woodwork and people appear friendlier and happy.  Street parties are fun and everyone pitches in.  The last one I attended was for the Queen's 60th jubilee and it was magical.  Forget the Queen for a minute,  it was the people around me that made it special.  Our village was decorated, people dressed in red, white and blue, the local school opened it's doors and everyone brought food, there was a real feeling of togetherness.  If today and the official, birthday in June are anything like that, then bring it on,
I love it.

Shop fronts often go all out for major royal celebrations,
this is in Covent garden

Not usually a nation of flag wavers, we do bring them
out for royal occasions and major sporting events

Telephone boxes in Windsor have been known to be decorated,
today and tomorrow the Queen will be here in Windsor

Even I have been known to dress up in red, white and blue

Decorated food to share at the street party, homemade focaccia

If you do not hear from me again today its because I will be out and about in search of fun! but in the mean time I took the liberty of finding a few fun snippets for you all, click the links to have a 'gander' as they say x

Online message book, so far there are over 300 pages

An online book has been opened up whereby anyone from any country in the word, should they so wish can leave Her Maj a birthday message: The queen's birthday book

This year's Chelsea flower show will have the theme The Queen at 90.  I do not know if you have been, seen it on TV or even know about it but the Chelsea flower show is spectacular and this year I'm hoping for a show stopper:  Royal-Horticultural-Society-Chelsea-celebrate-Queen-90-birthday-celebration and those that love knitting and crochet there will be over 300,000 poppies lining the entrance to the show:  Field-of-poppies-at-Chelsea


Anyone keen to getting making and crafting before the official birthday, it's too late to make anything for today, have a look at this clever collection: 





Knitted Queen pattern from Deramores

Knitted tea cosy pattern by Teacosyfolk

This book includes patterns for all the royal family up to Kate and William's wedding, I include it as I think the knitted Queen is rather good.

Book by Fiona Goble

...and here is the Queen in close up from the book with Corgis in tow!  Brilliant design by Fiona .

Not forgetting children like to be involved the following link has much for all ages, I think if you printed off masks for everyone to wear you could have a real hoot! But there are many more other things on this link to do too: 

Many activities for children

Here in the UK there are the odd times that we may go a little over the top but my goodness I love it, take a look at these terracotta busts that made it onto national news from Fifield House Farm near Windsor, totally brilliant and quirky:

The official portrait of the Queen with the 3 next in line to the throne, each of these faces from this portrait have been used for stamps that will be issued today to mark her 90th birthday:

And just as an aside we had the privilege of climbing up the stairs to the top of this tower a couple of years ago, such an iconic London building.  Did you know that the name is not Big Ben, but that it is in fact the nickname of the bell inside the tower, known officially as the Great Bell and the name of the tower is actually known as Elizabeth Tower in honour of our Queen?

So out with the flag bunting today and I shall be wearing red, white and blue!

 

♥  Happy birthday Your Majesty  and any others celebrating their 90th birthdays today   ♥