29 May 2012

God Save the Queen


1977 The Queen's Silver Jubilee



There was a party in my village, on the rec. Tables and chairs were laid out in long lines. The tables were covered by flimsy plastic cloths, their red, white and blue edges flapping in the breeze.

We ate sweaty ham sandwiches. The thick grey margarine made my mouth feel funny. I ate jelly from a cardboard bowl. I had to go home to be sick.

There was a fancy dress competition. I went as Noddy. I wore a red top and blue shorts. My mum drew big red spots onto a yellow scarf with a felt tip pen. She made shoes and a hat out of blue and red felt; both had bells on. She drew circles on my cheeks with red lipstick to match the scarf. This was our go-to fancy dress costume for several years in the mid-70's. My mum wore it too. One time my dad dressed up as a woman. He wore a blonde wig. I loved that wig. Another time he dressed up as an Arab. He wore a sheet, a tea-towel, sunglasses and sandals. He carried a fat cigar as a prop.

Robert, who lived next-door-but-one, should have won the fancy dress competition. He dressed up as Dougal from The Magic Roundabout. He crawled along on the grass with a straggly rug on his back. He had a paper-plate mask on his head with Dougal's face on it. Everyone said he looked brilliant.

The judges from the Parish Council came round and gave first prize to a girl dressed as a Victorian. All she did was wear a long skirt, a white blouse and a shawl. Even at the age of seven I rolled my eyes at the injustice. The silly old duffers probably chose her because she reminded them of their childhoods. Everyone said Robert was robbed.


2012 The Queen's Diamond Jubilee



I have my Jubilympics bunting ready to go up. I'm hoping it will survive being up from the end of this week until the end of the Paralympics in September. I have my special edition Marks and Spencer tins, and a sequined union flag tote bag, and a Paralympics scarf from Our Greatest Team Rises and flags for us to wave at the Olympic Games. I'm having to resist the urge to buy a Jubilee tea-set and picnic-ware, although I do have tea-towels and mugs. We don't eat enough of the stuff to justify a jar of Ma'amite, but I bought one anyway.

There's going to be a street party in our village. I am ridiculously excited at the prospect. I'm imagining a good old-fashioned knees-up. I know a lot of parents from the school gate, so there should be some familiar faces there. There will be a bouncy castle, welly wanging and rolling pin hurling (for the ladies), and a drunken tug-of-war.

Bring it on.


FlashbackFriday



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17 comments:

  1. What a great memory and a great sounding weekend!

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    1. Pippa, thank you. Do you have plans for the weekend? Would be lovely to see you... x

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  2. That's a lovely post Sandy. You write so well and so evocatively. Your memories of your dad are so touching.

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    1. It's a mummy's life, aw, thank you. What a lovely thing to say x

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  3. Aw what a lovely post. And I have misty memories from 1977 too, and a silver commemoration coin. I find it kinda sad that fancy dress is more fancy these days. I just bought proper pirate outfits for my kids for a recent birthday party. The homemade stuff we made do with would probably embarrass them. Oh, now I sound like an old lady!

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    1. Narrowboat wife, thank you. I'd forgotten about the coin. I wonder where mine is? Gah, it could be anywhere. I prefer the look of homemade fancy dress costumes, but I think my children prefer polyester!

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  4. Oh how fun! Wish I was there to celebrate! Well, I guess I will have to make do with the posts/pictures you share!

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    1. Gigi, I wish you could be here too :)

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  5. What a beautiful post. Such fond memories and making fun memories of your own. xx

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    1. Susan, thank you. I wonder if the boys will remember anything about it? They're probably a little too young x

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  6. I don't remember it but I remember the photos of me sat at the long table in our street. I don't know what we will be doing to celebrate the diamond jubilee but yours sounds like a lot of fun xx
    You should link this up to @emsyjo tomorrow on her blog she is doing a flashback Friday about jubilees or other royal celebrations from the past.

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    1. Jenny, I'm sure you will have fun, even if you just celebrate at home. Thanks for the reminder about Flashback Friday, i have joined in x

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  7. I have a thing for all the Olympic and Jubilee stuff too!

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    1. Jen, I'm glad we've got the Olympics to come too, it extends the celebrating :)

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  8. I loved this post, great memories of the Silver Jubilee. I'm so jealous of your street party, it sounds like it's going to be great, I hope you have good weather for it. I love the photo of 2012 too - being in Cyprus I've not seen any of the Jubilee things to buy, probably a good job or I might I have brought them all! Thank you for linking up a great post.

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  9. When I see the photograph of all the jubilee things, it just all looks a lot cooler now especially after reading your memories about the food. Yuck!
    My memories as more fuzzy.
    The Ana Mum Diary x

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  10. 1977 wowzers! But the coming together and celebrations stem from the same place and you still get that warm fuzzy feeling inside! I hope you managed to take photo's of 2012 Jubilee antics? xx

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