Today the Diamond celebrations finally draw to a close and I suspect among those giving thanks will be the Queen herself.
Going to a party is never much fun if you have to go on your own but this is the unfortunate predicament the Queen found herself in yesterday. Hours before the concert outside Buckingham Palace Prince Philip fell ill and had to be rushed to hospital. Now I know some will be thinking that it is 'just' a bladder infection but in someone his age bladder infections can be fatal. These things can come from a number of causes, dehydration being one of them. Today we learn that both Philip and the Queen regularly restrict their liquid intake before a big occasion so they don't have to pop to the loo in the middle of things. Combine that with standing in the freezing cold for four hours and you have a recipe for disaster no matter what your age. My only surprise is that the Queen herself didn't succumb. I've said it before and I'll say it again, despite the occasion their age and the British weather should have been taken into account.
I didn't watch all of the concert, tuning in on and off between other programmes but I did notice how glum the Queen looked and felt really sorry for her. The acts themselves were, on the whole, not at their best. The sound system seems to have had a fit and there was a distinct lack of bass that made everyone sound a bit like slowed down Smirffs. The older contingent, with a couple of notable exceptions, sounded as though they'd either got the wrong teeth in, were very drunk or were recovering from a stroke as they slurred and mumbled through that were just recognisable as their greatest hits. The younger acts just seemed to scream, as screaming has long since replaced actual singing. Madness made me smile and I wished they'd had a bigger slot. Maybe in the circumstances 'Live And Let Die' wasn't exactly appropriate but at least it livened things up a bit. Tom Jones and Cliff Richard were the two exceptions as both managed to belt songs out in tune and with most of the power of their youth.
The highlight of the event for me were the comedy duo of Rolf Harris and Lenny Henry. Rolf was absolutely determined to finish the song he'd been asked to perform as a fill in while Lenny was equally determined to cut him short. In the end Rolf won the day, possibly because he had the crowd behind him, but more likely because Rolf is a national treasure whereas Lenny isn't and knew when he was beaten. The fireworks at the end were excellent and I really enjoyed the speech given by Prince Charles, it was the only occasion during the whole evening that I saw the Queen smile.
Today it is the thanksgiving in St Paul's and then a parade back to Buckingham Palace where my hope is the Queen will be allowed to put her feet up before going to visit her husband in hospital. The rain poured on Sunday, it drizzled at the concert last night, today I hope it stays dry for her though at the moment a bit of sunshine is too much to hope for.
My leg is now more or less back to normal, it still has two cuts but the bruising has faded to a dull yellow and the soreness has all but cleared up. I still get a twinge if one of the cats stands on it but apart from that I'm good. I will be going to work tomorrow as normal as I see no reason why I shouldn't although I am still unusually tired and had another heavy night's sleep. Still I'll give it a go, if I can't do my full eight hours I will just ask to go home, simples. I only have to get through the next four days as I'm on twelve days holiday from next week. It will be a change for me to be off work and well at the same time so I'm really looking forward to getting out and doing some photography, providing the weather is kind. We were trying to plan a few days away but all this hospital business has thrown us off course so the best we can manage may be a trip down to Wales, we'll have to see. I still have plenty of leave left so maybe later in the years when everything has calmed down a bit. This afternoon is going to be another lazy one though I may attempt some muffins to replace the ones that got cremated.
Catch up soon.
Going to a party is never much fun if you have to go on your own but this is the unfortunate predicament the Queen found herself in yesterday. Hours before the concert outside Buckingham Palace Prince Philip fell ill and had to be rushed to hospital. Now I know some will be thinking that it is 'just' a bladder infection but in someone his age bladder infections can be fatal. These things can come from a number of causes, dehydration being one of them. Today we learn that both Philip and the Queen regularly restrict their liquid intake before a big occasion so they don't have to pop to the loo in the middle of things. Combine that with standing in the freezing cold for four hours and you have a recipe for disaster no matter what your age. My only surprise is that the Queen herself didn't succumb. I've said it before and I'll say it again, despite the occasion their age and the British weather should have been taken into account.
I didn't watch all of the concert, tuning in on and off between other programmes but I did notice how glum the Queen looked and felt really sorry for her. The acts themselves were, on the whole, not at their best. The sound system seems to have had a fit and there was a distinct lack of bass that made everyone sound a bit like slowed down Smirffs. The older contingent, with a couple of notable exceptions, sounded as though they'd either got the wrong teeth in, were very drunk or were recovering from a stroke as they slurred and mumbled through that were just recognisable as their greatest hits. The younger acts just seemed to scream, as screaming has long since replaced actual singing. Madness made me smile and I wished they'd had a bigger slot. Maybe in the circumstances 'Live And Let Die' wasn't exactly appropriate but at least it livened things up a bit. Tom Jones and Cliff Richard were the two exceptions as both managed to belt songs out in tune and with most of the power of their youth.
The highlight of the event for me were the comedy duo of Rolf Harris and Lenny Henry. Rolf was absolutely determined to finish the song he'd been asked to perform as a fill in while Lenny was equally determined to cut him short. In the end Rolf won the day, possibly because he had the crowd behind him, but more likely because Rolf is a national treasure whereas Lenny isn't and knew when he was beaten. The fireworks at the end were excellent and I really enjoyed the speech given by Prince Charles, it was the only occasion during the whole evening that I saw the Queen smile.
Today it is the thanksgiving in St Paul's and then a parade back to Buckingham Palace where my hope is the Queen will be allowed to put her feet up before going to visit her husband in hospital. The rain poured on Sunday, it drizzled at the concert last night, today I hope it stays dry for her though at the moment a bit of sunshine is too much to hope for.
My leg is now more or less back to normal, it still has two cuts but the bruising has faded to a dull yellow and the soreness has all but cleared up. I still get a twinge if one of the cats stands on it but apart from that I'm good. I will be going to work tomorrow as normal as I see no reason why I shouldn't although I am still unusually tired and had another heavy night's sleep. Still I'll give it a go, if I can't do my full eight hours I will just ask to go home, simples. I only have to get through the next four days as I'm on twelve days holiday from next week. It will be a change for me to be off work and well at the same time so I'm really looking forward to getting out and doing some photography, providing the weather is kind. We were trying to plan a few days away but all this hospital business has thrown us off course so the best we can manage may be a trip down to Wales, we'll have to see. I still have plenty of leave left so maybe later in the years when everything has calmed down a bit. This afternoon is going to be another lazy one though I may attempt some muffins to replace the ones that got cremated.
Catch up soon.
I agree with the bit about Rolf Harris and Lenny Henry. I sang "Two Little Boys" to my kids when they were tots and they loved it. They wanted me to sing it over and over again. It's Rolf's song and the audience loved it and were joining in. Lenny cut it off so rudely and spoiled it for Rolf and for everyone else. What was another 45 seconds to hear Rolf finish the last verse of the song? I'm sure that's what most people, including the Queen, wanted, and I'm certain that Stevie Wonder would have been willing to have waited a little bit longer so that our national treasure, Rolf Harris, could finished that wonderful song. I say that as many TV shows as possible invite Rolf as a guest to sing "Two Little Boys."
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