The list....

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Today has been a catch-up day...I had a lovely weekend away in Dublin to see friends, but it meant that I started the week feeling quite behind in terms of chores and organising tasks. I'm one of those people that when life starts to feel a little chaotic and busy, I start to crave putting things in order to regain a sense of control. So, I took some time today to catch-up on a few things around my home...and life is feeling a little calmer again. There is nothing like dusting skirting boards to help feel like I am in control (at least of the dust, if nothing else!)

That said, there are a range of things fighting for space in my head...

• Trying to work out when I can get to my closest Annie Sloan Chalk Paint stockist to pick up a can of old white so I can start painting my bookcase.
• Wondering what is a realistic price to pay for an antique pine blanket box to use in my sitting room for some much needed additional storage.
• Feeling the need to make a final decision about what I am going to do for bedside cabinets in the bedroom - I really want to finish the changes that I decided on back at the beginning of the year.
• Trying to make notes every time I read/hear of something I must see or do when I am in New York later this year (at least the airfare and hotel are now booked, so that is one less thing revolving around my brain).
• Does my little sitting room have space for a coffee table...if so, what style do I think would work best...and what about a rug...
• Thinking about my schedule to find some time to take the two bags of books/clothes to my local charity shop after my latest efforts of de-cluttering (and so they can stop cluttering the corner of my sitting room...and therefore also stop cluttering up part of my brain).

None of the above are in anyway significant concerns that should be taking up the amount of thinking time that they have been...does anyway else find themselves almost paralysed at times by their tendency to over-think things?

Another day...another military band...

 The Royal Artillery Band

This week, I had the pleasure of being invited to Lords Cricket Ground in London to watch the annual inter-services 20:20 cricket tournament. For those not familiar with cricket, this is the fast and furious version of the game - 20 overs each side, with the predominant aim being to amass as many runs as possible.

Inter-services refers to the three branches of the British Defence Forces - the Royal Navy, the Royal Army and the Royal Air Force. My friend C and her boyfriend M (who is chairman of the Royal Navy Cricket Club) invited me along to enjoy the day's events. M is also a member of the Marylebone Cricket Club so we were treated to a day spent in the Pavilion - complete with all of the history that invokes.

I watched a lot of cricket growing up in Australia. Late at night whilst studying for my HSC (A-levels), I would even have the Ashes series on the television to keep me company. Little did I ever realise at that age when watching match broadcasts from Lords that I would one day be at the 'home of cricket' myself.

Royal Navy team batting against the Royal Army team

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We managed to secure some seats at the top of the south tower (that lovely area on the upper left). A perfect view, a nearby bar and a fabulous picnic saw us very content throughout the three matches. The sunny and summer-like weather also added to the perfection of the day.

My contribution to the picnic - smoked ham and cheddar, and spinach, ricotta and tomato quiches.

At the end of the final match and presentations (the Royal Air Force were the ultimate winners on the day), we were invited into the Long Room for drinks, and then back onto the terrace for a performance of the Royal Artillery Band and the beating retreat.

Then it was back to the reality of the day-job...

And the pageantry continues...

Well it appears that I have had an unexpected little hiatus from my blog - due to a combination of factors really...firstly by making myself a list of projects that I haven't even felt inspired to start, and secondly, the lingering effects of a summer cold has made the lure of relaxing on the sofa being far preferable to being productive!


But, yesterday I took the opportunity to make the most of a brief window of sunshine and enjoy some more of the pageantry that Britain does so well. For only two weeks after the pomp and circumstance of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations, yesterday was the Trooping of the Colour which marks the Queen's offical birthday celebrations.


We didn't have seats in Horse guards for the actual display (another of those ballot ticketing processes so beloved for any major public event here in London), but we were able to find a space on the mall to watch the procession from the palace down to Horse Guards. We were treated to....

Marching bands

Lovely Clydesdale drum horses

Cavalry

...and of course, the Royal Family...in this carriage is the Duchess of Cornwall, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry...

...and finally, The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh (you can just catch a glimpse of her in the coach wearing a lovely bright primrose yellow coat and hat).

After the procession had passed we walked back down through St James's Park on our way to visit the Churchill War Rooms, passing on our way...

 The view back towards Buckingham Palace

and a very bold flock of geese...

There is no doubt that London does pageantry very well indeed...and it was nicer to be a little closer to the action than during the jubilee celebrations. And sometimes, it is just nice to be a tourist in the place where one lives...

The Diamond Jubilee...

When one has chosen to live somewhere other than the country of their birth, there is often an ongoing tension between allegiances...not so yesterday however...

My friend K and I, and her parents who are visiting from Australia, went to watch the Diamond Jubilee River Pageant. One thousand boats, sailing down the Thames from Chelsea to Tower Bridge, in celebration of the diamond jubilee of the reign of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.

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Along with many other intrepid souls, we stood by the side of the Thames in what can only be described as miserable weather. It was the first time that I can remember standing in a large group watching such a spectacle since I similarly watched the re-enactment of the arrival of the tall ships into Sydney Harbour to celebrate Australia's bicentenary in 1988. Then, I was proud of my Australian heritage. Yesterday, I was equally as proud of my British heritage... 

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It was cold, it was wet (and one was fervently hoping that summer has not been and gone already...), it was often hard to get a glimpse of the action with people standing 8-10 rows deep on the embankment, but it was an amazing spectacle nevertheless...

We were standing upriver on Chelsea Embankment. By standing on tip-toe and holding the camera above my head, I was able to get a few photos of my favourites...

 The Gloriana - commissioned especially for the event. Powered entirely by oars, and manned by some of the UK's most esteemed oarsmen (e.g. Sir Steve Redgrave and Sir Matthew Pinsent).

 The Havengore - which served as Sir Winston Churchill's funeral barge in 1965

The Dunkirk little ships - to which the British Expeditionary Forces owed such a debt in 1940

It was, despite the weather, a fabulous day - and so wonderful to be able to participate in the celebration of the reign of this remarkable woman...

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Next up, the Diamond Jubilee Concert...still in two minds about braving the elements for a big screen view in Hyde Park, or the cosy comfort of my sofa and the BBC!