I almost daren't mention the Jubilee to my neighbours in case they realise that it's not too late to organise a party.
But if they do I have an excuse because I will be busy that weekend as we have a family baptism, so there will be a party, but it will be in honour of Evie our Granddaughter who is to be Christened and our Grandson Thomas, who will make his first communion at the same service.
It will be especially nice because I will be involved as the celebrant at the service.
So the date is already taken and if we choose not to we don't have to mention the jubilee or the long weekend with two Bank Holidays.
Of course the Bank Holiday's will have an impact. Apparently output will fall at the tractor factory and all the other factories across the land and the recession will deepen, trade figures will look pretty bad and the economy will suffer.
It seems an odd way of celebrating.
But everywhere you look, in every shop window, there are displays arranged with photographs of the Queen and Union Jacks and red and white and blue ribbons draped over everything.
It's as though overnight we have all become Royalists and Loyalists.
I still have a question however. If the financial services sector were responsible for the banking crisis why should they be given two extra bank holidays?
Doesn't seem right to me. I think they should be made to work weekends without pay until they have sorted out the mess for which they were responsible.
But then maybe that explains why the con-dem narrative holds the Labour Party to be responsible because if their friends were working every weekend they wouldn't be able to enjoy a glass of wine or two with them over a long, relaxed Sunday lunch.
I'm not especially anti royalist, on the 2nd June 1953 the Queen had been on the throne since the previous February, I was eight years old and I travelled across town with my mother, we had to take two buses, to my Aunties house, so that we could watch the Coronation on the only TV in the family, I guess there were three cousins there, and as there were no bank holidays all the menfolk were working.
My Grandfather bought us all model Coronation carriages painted in Gold with horses and heralds and the Queen and Prince Philip seated inside.
We loved them, they immediately were designated as Stage Coaches and were engaged in a whole range of games involving outlaws and Indians, the centre-piece of each game involved circling the waggons to protect their occupants from raiders.
I also remember the Silver Jubilee in 1977. There was a party. There was drinking. Glasses were raised in a Toast to her Majesty and there were the Sex Pistols.
That was the year I was described in the newspapers as the Punk Parson because I was outed as a fan of the Sex Pistols by the youth club who said Mr Smith is a punk parson and like Chinese whispers the rumour spread until a reporter from the Mirror turned up at my door with a photographer to find me in my usual black jeans and a black T shirt which happened to be ripped.
But in 2012, as far as I know there will be no parties in our street, unless of course it's been organised in secret and I haven't been invited .............
But if they do I have an excuse because I will be busy that weekend as we have a family baptism, so there will be a party, but it will be in honour of Evie our Granddaughter who is to be Christened and our Grandson Thomas, who will make his first communion at the same service.
It will be especially nice because I will be involved as the celebrant at the service.
So the date is already taken and if we choose not to we don't have to mention the jubilee or the long weekend with two Bank Holidays.
Of course the Bank Holiday's will have an impact. Apparently output will fall at the tractor factory and all the other factories across the land and the recession will deepen, trade figures will look pretty bad and the economy will suffer.
It seems an odd way of celebrating.
But everywhere you look, in every shop window, there are displays arranged with photographs of the Queen and Union Jacks and red and white and blue ribbons draped over everything.
It's as though overnight we have all become Royalists and Loyalists.
I still have a question however. If the financial services sector were responsible for the banking crisis why should they be given two extra bank holidays?
Doesn't seem right to me. I think they should be made to work weekends without pay until they have sorted out the mess for which they were responsible.
But then maybe that explains why the con-dem narrative holds the Labour Party to be responsible because if their friends were working every weekend they wouldn't be able to enjoy a glass of wine or two with them over a long, relaxed Sunday lunch.
I'm not especially anti royalist, on the 2nd June 1953 the Queen had been on the throne since the previous February, I was eight years old and I travelled across town with my mother, we had to take two buses, to my Aunties house, so that we could watch the Coronation on the only TV in the family, I guess there were three cousins there, and as there were no bank holidays all the menfolk were working.
My Grandfather bought us all model Coronation carriages painted in Gold with horses and heralds and the Queen and Prince Philip seated inside.
We loved them, they immediately were designated as Stage Coaches and were engaged in a whole range of games involving outlaws and Indians, the centre-piece of each game involved circling the waggons to protect their occupants from raiders.
I also remember the Silver Jubilee in 1977. There was a party. There was drinking. Glasses were raised in a Toast to her Majesty and there were the Sex Pistols.
That was the year I was described in the newspapers as the Punk Parson because I was outed as a fan of the Sex Pistols by the youth club who said Mr Smith is a punk parson and like Chinese whispers the rumour spread until a reporter from the Mirror turned up at my door with a photographer to find me in my usual black jeans and a black T shirt which happened to be ripped.
But in 2012, as far as I know there will be no parties in our street, unless of course it's been organised in secret and I haven't been invited .............
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