Jubilee... without the jubilee

Ok, so let's flashback several weeks now, as I think the trauma of the event has settled and I can properly discuss it. 

For a bit of background information, in the UK, the bank holidays are always rainy... without fail. I don't know why anyone would have expected anything different. Still, the UK geared-up hardcore for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee packed with events that took place entirely outdoors and the population got excited for not just one day off, but TWO... and Monday and Tuesday at that! 

So, as usual, we prepared for the long four-day weekend by stocking up on junk food and booze. We spend Friday night out with a friends and all seemed well. The weather was fine... not warm but fine. Saturday Rob and I met a friend at Walkabout and watched the Socceroos play Denmark (the biggest game of the day, for Rob... despite England playing two hours later). Spending the day at an Australian themed bar watching the Socceroos get beat really put us in a joyous mood. 

On the way to watch Australia lose :(

I had every intention of spending the next day at the river bank watching the Queen's Flotilla pass by, the thought of literally THOUSANDS of 'decorated' boats was genuinely entertaining for me. However we woke up Sunday to the most dismal dreary rainy day ever! It was awful. So instead of watching at the river we decided to shack up all comfy on the sofa and watch it on the BBC.

Now I have never seen a floatilla, but I have see a Southern Boat Parade at Christmas in Savannah and I was expecting THOUSANDS of boats lit up and decorated elaborately with lots of fun cheesy Union Jacks. Disappointingly this is what a floatilla actually is...

WOW... amazing!

What on Earth is fun about that?! It was the Queen's 'people' (aka slaves) literally rowing past her, in her opulence, while they froze in the rain on a dirty river... no decorations, no lights, no fun music, just rain, miserable people and boring ordinary boats... nothing jubilant about it at all! 

People watching the AMAZING flotilla.

After nearly and hour of watching it on the BBC I had only one thing to do...

Oh and bake theses delicious Jubilee coloured cupcakes which you can read more about here.

And tried to make beer can chicken but there was lots of GnT in me at this point and the picture below is really all I can say about that. 

Beer cans do not fit all chicken bums! 

The rest of the weekend was spent by everyone in the UK recovering from the rain and complete emotional/mental breakdown of the failure of the entire Jubilee celebration. Here's looking forward to her 70th!