A great reign, a long rain!

Knight to remember:

Sir Paul McCartney performed outside Buckingham Palace during the Jubilee concert, a part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations, on June 4, 2012 in London. 

For only the second time in the nation's history, the UK celebrates the Diamond Jubilee of a monarch as Queen Elizabeth II celebrates the 60th anniversary of her ascension to the throne.  Macca sang All My Loving, Let it Be, Live and Let Die [with fireworks] and finished with Obladi Oblada when he was joined on stage by the rest of the performers
Getty Images via @daylife

On the mend: the Prince  Getty Images via @daylife

Simply Wonderful: Stevie performs for the Queen
Getty Images via @daylife

They say it's windy around the Trossachs - and the Duke of Edinburgh should know. He spends a fair amount of time in Scotland where the cold can whip around the kilted regions.
Prince Philip, nearing his 91st birthday but showing the spirit of men more than half his age, was nowhere near any quiet lochs and was certainly not wearing tartan attire when he did his royal duty by standing for hours in cold, driving wind and rain on a fancy barge on the noisy, crowded Thames last weekend ... but he still suffered a nasty infection.
The people in our village took no such chances during Diamond Jubilee celebrations and called off a picnic in the park because of the weather. Therefore, no weather-related bladder complaints ... as far as I know [read on].

Ahoy there: the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant was watched by millions - but the Prince suffered    ComSec

It put a dampener on proceedings but at least we could all stay indoors and watch the impressive Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant on the day we should have been eating outdoors. The wet Union flags looked distinctly out of place as I drove around the village taking the odd picture.

Passing with flying colours: the village pump roundabout 

Many people had taken the time to dress their houses to mark the Diamond Jubilee but the good old British weather put a stop to any thought of outdoor parties last weekend.

House with style: what a gem of Diamond Jubilee display

Television coverage went on for hours and we duly watched the good old reliable BBC do a fine job. No flypast down the River Thames because the weather was far too murky, but the event was still worth watching.
The following day it was a pop concert in front of Buckingham Palace and the Queen appeared  immediately after evergreen Tom Jones had belted out a couple of numbers.
Stevie Wonder was an absolute blast, although the likeable Will.i.am looked a little lost trying to sing Happy Birthday with the legendary Mr Wonder.
There were some good acts, some not so good, and it was all wrapped up by Sir Paul McCartney who is 70 this month. It was an impressive finale to a great show organised by Gary Barlow, helped by having the Queen Victoria Memorial as the stage and Buckingham Palace as the backdrop.
While Londoners and TV viewers were treated to the showcase event, our village staged its own version of the Olympics by way of celebration. Those who took part certainly seemed to enjoy themselves as they went for gold by high-jumping blindfolded from a standing position etc - you get the picture - and the man on the public address system certainly surpassed expectations. He could be heard at the far reaches of the village.
Tuesday in London culminated in a flypast of Second World War aircraft and the Red Arrows over the Buckingham Palace balcony as thousands gathered in front of the gates of the building and lined The Mall. It was an impressive sight and was a suitable finale to the nation's public celebrations.

Warm and welcoming: villagers put on a great Jubilee display

More importantly for us, the formation of World War II aircraft [Spitfires and Hurricanes] flew over the outskirts of our village about half-an-hour beforehand, so we had a sneak but distant preview. The giveaway was the distinctive noise of the engines as they headed south and seeing them reminded us that we had better get indoors and switch on the TV if we wanted to see the climax to the Jubilee knees-up. 
It was of particular interest to my mother-in-law, who still recognises most of the Royal family despite suffering from Alzheimer's [mother-in-law, not the Royals]. All in all, a good time was had by all despite the weather.
Meanwhile, the rain keeps falling and the hosepipe ban continues in our part of soggy East Anglia. Surely we can't be in drought at this moment. They say British people are preoccupied by the weather. I wonder why?

Queen phones home from Fenland Royal Box

"OK, I'll accept the bloody reverse charge call if I must."
"Hello, hello. Is that you, Philip?"

"Yes, who the hell IS this?"

"It's your darling wife, here, Phil."

"Oh, really. Where are you, Liz? We've got Diamond Jubilee gigs to attend, you know."

"Well I thought I'd pop out and meet my lovely people before the big bash. I'm just letting you know that I'm in an interesting little area known as the Fens. And one is in one's very own royal box, too. So quaint."

"Bloody hell, old gal, do take care out there. They're liable to shoot anything that moves."
"Oh, the shooting season is over darling."

One is amused: Royal visitor makes a call

Yes, HRH, has been seen in a nearby town apparently making a call from a rare red K-series public telephone box designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott [read on].

No mobile [cell] phones for this lady as she prepares to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee after coming to the throne in 1952 and being crowned queen on June 2, 1953. 

Perhaps she's using the old phone box because she's worried about mobile reception, although Elizabeth II should have no worries on that score. She's a popular lady in these parts. Or is she using the kiosk because she wants to avoid roaming charges? She certainly gets to travel around more than most 86-year-old women. 

Could she be ringing the changes in this neck of the woods and setting the tone for the Jubilee celebrations this coming weekend - one more to come, so hold tight - or does her mobile phone contract stipulate weekends and knights only? C'mon, it wasn't that bad, was it? Stop cringing. 

While on the subject of phones, why not see a great sketch on YouTube, My Blackberry Is Not Working - The One Ronnie Preview - BBC One

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAG39jKi0lI

I'm generally an Apple man, myself, although some do say the future is Orange.

Residents in the pictured Fenland street seem to be getting in celebratory mood as the nation as a whole is being encouraged to hold street parties and various activities to mark the Queen's 60-year-reign. It hasn't quite caught on here, although one or two houses are starting to put out the bunting, but there is still time. Villagers here are being encouraged to stay put and enjoy the activities being laid on by volunteers. Here's a flavour of what's on offer in this outpost.

• Saturday June 2: Village treasure hunt around the village - fun and adventure for all the family.
• Sunday June 3: Open air church service in the morning, followed by a bring-your-own-food-drink-and-furniture Picnic in the Park, meet up with friends and listen to live music.
• Monday June 4: At the Royal British Legion, something for everybody: 3pm - 5pm, tea dance; 5.30pm - 7pm, music and Diamond Games for ages 11 and under; 7pm - 11 pm, Family disco.
• Tuesday June 5: Manealympics, an afternoon of wild and whacky (and some very genteel) sports that everyone can enter. Will include a bar and a hog roast.

The bar and hog roast is underlined ... a surefire hit.

Future king: otherwise known as Prince

Businesses, large and small, have been trying to cash in on the Diamond Jubilee, and our senses are being saturated by a haze of red, white and blue [Union flag colours]. It's called patriotic marketing. Yes, quite...

Anyway, TV programmes saluting the Queen and the royal family, special cakes, quirky TV ads for limited editions M & Ms, flags, clothing, head gear, pottery, toys, bouquets, oh, you name any sort of royal merchandise and it's on offer. Usually at silly prices.

Crowning glory: tea time

Some things are better value than others. Large Union flags in one garden centre we visited last week were being sold at almost £20 while exactly the same product could be bought at a large DIY store for £3. That same garden centre was selling all sorts of Royal memorabilia, including tea towels and aprons. They were folded in such a way that comedy-loving Prince Charles, so often the subject of cruel jokes about one's ears, might have found it difficult to suppress a laugh-out-loud moment had he visited the place. 

Better value items might be the Royal Mint's official Queen's Diamond Jubilee coins which are sure to increase in value as the years go by http://www.royalmint.com/.

Yes, there's plenty happening over the next few days so I will try to keep you posted. In the meantime, why not visit http://www.thediamondjubilee.org/
or ww.royal.gov.uk/ or www.direct.gov.uk/diamondjubilee if you are interested in the Royal goings-on.
PS: Battered old red phone box, in need of windows and painting, now on eBay.uk for asking price of £960. I won't get hung up on that.