This morning at Church, I bumped into my lovely friend Chris Tagg. She stayed up last night until 2am reading the blog and I promised her a new post today about my Royal Wedding Day out a couple of Fridays ago. Here we are Chris, this ones for you....
I went to the village of Banham which is close by as they were having a party on the green. By the time I got to my friends' Kate and David's house at about 10.30, I was really excited. On the way over, I'd been listening to BBC radio 2 and they had had great music playing, culminating in the fabulous wedding anthem by that
raucous soul belter, Yvonne Fair '
It should have been me'.
I'd been singing along so loudly that I didn't realise until I got out of the car that all six bells at
Banham Church were ringing.
(You'll just have to imagine the sound ... actually if you listen
here you might be able to hear something similar). This is Banham Church where our friend David Hill is Rector.
This is David with his son Cuthbert... Bertie has inherited his Father's love of dressing up.
This is his beautiful wife Kate, standing with Cuthbert and I resplendant in our matching Union-Jack-tea-towel aprons.
Banham had put on a wonderful show and this is what greeted us as we walked over to the Green.
People had gone to a lot of trouble to dress up. There was a wonderful Queen Elizabeth the First, as well as this woman dressed as
Emmeline Pankhurst who stayed in the role all day shouting "Votes for women" at frequent intervals.
Kate had gone to a lot of trouble to make a picnic with roast beef sandwiches and strawberries & cream. We drank champagne (it had its inevitable results of giving me an instant headache.)
Then back to the green for races. There weren't enough grown-ups to compete in the wheelbarrow races so this clown juggled instead!
winning by a narrow margin...
Although the judge had imbibed a lot of Champagne by then!
The lovely Owen had organised his horse Kahn and cart (yes it's the one we had for Richard's funeral)
A grand day out indeed. It seems to have lifted everone's spirits to have some sunshine and a wedding.
The sun shone and a LOT of cake was consumed. Having a serious effect on my cleavage!
After I came home from the party, a large box was sitting on my doorstep with this bunch of spectacular flowers from my Sister Suez. How often do you get a bunch like this. Peonies, pink hydrangeas and pink roses with pale green edges.
Then on the saturday of my actual birthday, we went to a sculpture trail at a small village called Burgh Apton with Clarissa and Zebby and my gorgeous little buddy Grace. A picnic was prepared.
and a lot more cake was consumed.
The sun shone AGAIN and the air around the gardens smelled strongly of mock orange.
and cow parsley.
This was my favourite sculpture of all.
and here's Clarissa giving it all she's got. There is no way I can do this yoga move.
a long and tiring day but completely wonderful. Thanks gang.
