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I need to write a list of the things I have enjoyed and have been grateful for over this past Jubilee holiday weekend: it seems very important to remember. How quickly we are back in the weekday routine, getting on with things, moving forward, forgetting the things that make life worth living. It would probably help if I didn’t keep thinking that today is Monday – although short term memory loss is more likely to be a hazard of getting older: I’ll actually have to look in my diary to see what we did! Not that we did much…

No trips to London to see the Queen for us – I am much happier avoiding the crowds and watching on TV, especially for the rain-soaked river pageant…I took photos of the television screen! It’s not the best way to feel part of the national spirit, but was warm and comfortable – and I think we probably saw more of what was happening. Despite thinking about going to our nearest big screen for the showing of the palace concert on Monday, we ended up watching the broadcast of that as well! But it was enjoyable – so British, so comforting – all our national treasures together in one place – except the D of E of course but he IS 90.  It’s amazing that the Queen could manage all that activity herself at 86 – but she had no choice: ‘Ma’am, you WILL be jubilant – like it or not!’

So the nation rejoiced and it did us good and yes, I am grateful for being British and having this heritage and whatever it is these days that makes up our joint national character. There was certainly a lot of fun being had by a lot of people, and that has to be good for us. It says somewhere that joy produces strength – I certainly know from experience that sadness makes one weak and wobbly!

So – I am grateful for the holiday – but perhaps even more especially for some crazy dancing with my husband at a friend’s birthday party on Saturday night, the warm, dry day on Monday so I could finish planting all my bedding plants and the utter hilarity at our community’s ‘Picnic in the Park’ on Tuesday watching a pair of Japanese unicycle comedians 🙂  Again the forecast rain held off until 5pm, which seemed miraculous – and more than fortunate for those whose act required lying on the ground!

I’m glad Martin and I had 2 days together – he was working on Saturday and Sunday. I’m glad we shared good food and wine and some sunshine in our peaceful garden, and a trip to the health club and lots of sleep. I’m VERY thankful indeed that when an old tap got stuck and water was pouring down the drain on Monday night I knew where to turn the off the mains inlet and was able to get an emergency plumber the next morning, bank holiday and all! Good old British Gas Homecare insurance!

These are the small events of life, really, but I need to focus on them… otherwise I’ll drown in the things I am not so grateful for and have to persevere through and there’ll be no joy and no strength to keep going. In many ways the weekend was hard as well… Martin having to work for most of it, both of us feeling so very tired, low and apathetic – depressed in fact… the rain and unseasonal COLD didn’t help at all, and always bearing with our constant fears over our son and worries about what will happen to him in the future – getting nowhere fast.

The Queen has not had 60 perfectly happy years either! Yet there is still cause to rejoice that she has made it through and that’s what we all focus on – even though the biggest photograph ever produced, from the Silver Jubilee in 1977, showed her daughter with a different husband than the one she has now and Charles before Diana and all that followed from that. The fact this mother has made it through in one piece – her staying power as a person carrying her own burdens as well as her high office and endless duty – is what makes it a jubilee.

So that’s what we will aim to do as well – in an attitude of gratitude, as they say… a choice for life and hope in the face of certain death.