Thursday 9 June 2022

Jubilee Weekend

Better late than never, but wasn't it a wonderful weekend! Around here, the bunting is gradually being taken down now and everything feels a little flat, much like the morning after an amazing party. I'm not usually one for such occasions, but even I was drawn into the celebrations and I can't remember the last time I watched so much TV. I really enjoyed the concert, even if some of the performances were a little underwhelming :)



On Thursday morning we went out walking in the Uldale Fells, setting off from the tiny hamlet of Longlands. A gentle 7 mile loop, pausing only to enjoy our picnic lunch beside a small stream (yes, we had a paddle), before making our way back to the car just in time to avoid the rain. Fortunately, it had been a lovely bright morning and we managed to tick another five fells off our Wainwright list. 

There were showers on and off for the rest of the day, but in the evening I was out with friends and there was a huge downpour and the rain was literally bouncing off the pavements. Not ideal for the lighting of the beacon, but we didn't manage to see it anyway. In other news, I wore a dress! Lily's response, 'Mum, that dress is nearly as beautiful as you!' You can see why she is my favourite ;)

On Friday, I woke ridiculously early, especially seeing as I hadn't fallen asleep until the early hours. Undeterred, I made the most of my extra time by throwing on my trainers and heading out for a run, relishing in the peace and quiet of the morning. Later, we enjoyed a short bicycle ride into the village to take a look at the Platinum Jubilee Exhibition, which included details of both worldwide and local notable events from the past 70 years. A lot of work had gone into the displays, which also included many beautiful keepsakes and commemorative items from previous Royal Jubilee celebrations. Some events were lovely to be reminded of, some not so much. 

On the Saturday we had been invited to a celebratory barbecue, which in the end turned out not to be an actual barbecue, which was fine by me - I much prefer a buffet any day, and I'd already made a quiche and some 'Jubilee' gingerbread men to take along with me. It was a lovely afternoon sat out in the sunshine, and on one of the warmest days we have experienced recently. 





On Sunday we rounded off our weekend by going down to the lake. We took our lunch with us and, of course, some more of the gingerbread men. We even enjoyed the company of a mother duck and her four ducklings, which looked incredibly cute, especially when the wake of a larger boat would occasionally wash one of them ashore.

J. X


34 comments:

  1. You sound to have had a super weekend and those gingerbread men were superb - absolutely identical and love the buttons.

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    1. I really enjoyed our weekend and the celebrations were wonderful to watch. X

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  2. What a lovely few days you have had, making memories for both yourself and Lily. I thought the best bit of the Saturday concert was Her Majesty with Paddington Bear.

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    1. The Paddington sketch was quite simply fabulous! I think it delighted both children and adults alike. X

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  3. Hello! What a wonderful weekend! I can only imagine how exciting it was being right there for the celebrations! All the way over here we watched on tv and enjoyed it so. Lovely photos of your lovely weekend. And those cookies!

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    1. The celebrations were incredible to watch. It was a shame the Queen couldn't attend the service of thanksgiving, but I particularly enjoyed the nod to horse racing during the Archbishop's sermon. X

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  4. My goodness, that is beautiful! You are lucky to live so near such great hiking and beaches to explore! Love the little gingerbread cookies!

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    1. It was a lovely morning on the fells and exciting to explore an area I'd never visited before. X

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  5. Haha, a surfing duckling :) Somebody give it a bodyboard! Sounds like you had a super weekend, all the better for having delicious gingerbread biscuits. Isn't that crochet crown fab x

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    1. The ducklings were so cute, Lulu. And isn't the crown wonderful. When I took that photograph I hadn't noticed the corgi, which had been tied to the base of the post box. X

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  6. I think that everyone who tried to, had a lovely time, with the Jubilee Weekend. And I was certainly flat, on Monday!!!!!!!! -smile-

    Gentle hugs
    💛😊💛😊💛

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  7. Sounds like you had a lovely long holiday weekend! Enjoyed seeing your photos, as always, especially the ones with the little ducklings! :)

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    1. I was lucky enough to be off work for the whole week, but the celebrations over the weekend made it feel extra special. X

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  8. My heart melted when I read what Lily said " 'Mum, that dress is nearly as beautiful as you!'. I'm glad you enjoyed your Jubilee celebrations and those gingerbread men are wonderful. I watched all the celebrations on TV except the pageant which I recorded and still have to watch,

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    1. I wasn't sure whether I should hug Lily or book her an immediate appointment for an eye test :) It is very telling as to how often I wear a dress or make myself look in any way presentable.
      I hope you enjoy watching the pageant. X

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  9. We too got very wet walking to our village beacon lighting. Luckily the rain stopped whilst it was being lit. The warmth of the fire dried us out. It sounds like you had a wonderful weekend, the walk you went on looks so lovely, I do love to explore places I had not been to before. Your biscuits look amazing.

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    1. The weather had been so lovely earlier that day, as well. It was a shame it put a bit of a dampener on the occasion. X

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  10. The Jubilee weekend was excellent wasn't it, a very special time.

    Loved seeing your photographs, the mother duck and her four ducklings are just so sweet.

    The week has flown by and now here we are again at the weekend, I do hope you have a good one.

    All the best Jan

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    1. This year is flying by. I can barely keep up :)

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  11. What sweet ducks and yummy gingerbread men. Your lake looks so private. Lily sounds so like such a doll.

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  12. Wasn't it a wonderful weekend. I think the Queen has done a fabulous job for seventy years and it deserves to be celebrated. Awww, those little ducklings are so cute.

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    1. I enjoyed the celebrations far more than I expected to. Xx

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  13. I have to admit to not seeing much of the celebrations although was very involved with the one we had at work - and that was enough for me :) however, the Queen, Paddington and the sarnie in the handbag was very good!
    Lily and her ' 'Mum, that dress is nearly as beautiful as you!' is so precious!

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    1. Aside from the concert, most of the coverage I watched was the highlights, but I really enjoyed it. There must have been quite an atmosphere on The Mall during the weekend. X

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  14. The long weekend flew by so quick. We joined the village for the lighting of the beacon. I helped serve tea and scones on the Saturday morning at the church flower festival. I caught some coverage on TV. I'm glad you enjoyed your time celebrating x

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    1. It was such a memorable weekend.
      I had hoped there might be some tea and scones available at our exhibition, but sadly that was not the case :) Xx

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  15. I only saw a few highlights of the festivities on the news, I keep meaning to watch the Paddington thingy (mostly because I love Ben Wishaw) but also because the bags the Queen always carries her marmalade sandwiches in are made in Walsall. xxx

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    1. The Paddington sketch was delightful. I hope you get to see it. Xx

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  16. Sounds like you had a lovely weekend. I didn't catch many of the events but I thought the Paddington Bear sketch was lovely. Your baking always looks delicious. Lily has the agility and fearlessness of a mountain goat! xx

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    1. Also, Lily does not always listen to what her mum tells her! :)

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  17. What a wonderful jubilee weekend you had. I didn't get to do that much, though I did enjoy the concert too. The younger artists were definitely the best I thought. Well done on all your Wainwright bagging. Love the duck family. X

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    1. I hadn't intended to watch the concert, but I'm glad I did. X

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