Friday, April 29, 2011

Kate and Will get hitched






After much thought, we finally made the decision to actually go and be part of history and go to see Kate and William get married...well be part of a million strong crowd anyway. After a very grumpy walk to the station, we were surprised to see that the train was empty. The tube was it's usual crush. We bought flags at Victoria station, Ali didn't want one but didn't have much choice. We stood by the Goring Hotel to see Kate leave for the Abbey, we didn't have much choice to be honest because the crowd was too thick to walk further.

As Kate went by the crowd cheered and the mass pushed us forward onto the barrier. There was the usual dislike of tall people, and even one person saying we should stand in 'height order'! The crowd was 20 thick, imagine trying to organise us in height order, the police couldn't even get people behind the barrier. Tempers were flaring for that one picture.

As we made our way to Buckingham palace, the police kept closing roads and moving the crowd the wrong way. However, it was quite a bonus as we stood at the front of the barrier as hundreds of horses galloped past us, as well as the carriages on the way to the Abbey. It was quite scary to see so many horses, much bigger than the crowd filing through a very small road.

We finally got to St James Park for a long wait to see the famous kiss, and a double kiss at that. During our long wait we did have entertainment though as the police had to remove a woman from a tree, in her skirt and flip flops. I discovered a hatred for the stupid light magnifer things that obstruct the view of everyone behind, especially as people were putting one on top of the other.

After lunch, we went back to the park to actually walk down the Mall, it resembled the end of glastonbury. Tents, sleeping bags and rubbish everywhere and the smell of sweaty, unwashed bodies. However, another lucky coincidence as Will drove Kate down the Mall in Prince Charles Aston Martin with 'just married' on the back.

An amazing day, a part of history and a day of great coincidences.

Friday, April 08, 2011

Springtime in Bedford






At the change of each season, I always wonder which is my favourite season but spring is definitly a firm contender. Someone once said they their preferred season is the start of every season. In our new temporary home of Bedford, spring has definitly sprung, the embankment is a sea of tulips, the rowers are on the River Great Ouse and the birds are seriously noisy. After many people warned us about Bedford, the smell from the landfill and brick works, that it's the place nobody stops between Milton keynes and Cambridge....I'm very pleased that it has proved me wrong. Maybe becuase it's spring, and the best week of sunshine since last summer, but the walk along the river is absolutely gorgeous and a new place to explore.