This weekend people have been celebrating Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee all over England!
There have been massive celebrations and events over the last four days and we were given an extra bank holiday today, in addition to the normal June holiday yesterday.
I love the Queen and admire her very much and I have loved seeing the way communities have come together to celebrate our nations’ Queen 60th year of reigning as our monarch!
There have been concerts, parades, street parties, picnics, village lunches, commemorative services and gun salutes galore!
For my celebrations, I chose a wonderfully English Tea Party!
When organising things like this, I tend to leap in with a ‘all or nothing’ attitude. I get obsessed with the details, think about little tweaks and improvements even when I’m meant to be concentrating on something else, research the shops and web every couple of days, plan, plan and re-plan.
I started thinking about the tea party in March. The invitations were in the post by the middle of April.
Sadly, this didn’t stop me from becoming overcome by life and convincing myself I had two weeks preparation left … when I actually had just one … 😛
However, with the help of the wonderful man who is my husband, and the un-ending assistance of my dear friend K, who was staying that weekend, we made it to this point:
I went for a high tea theme of savouries as well as cakes.
I just had to have the traditional cucumber sandwiches and threw in a childhood favourite of Marmite and cress – yum! I was rather pleased with the mini quiches, which is something I’ve wanted to have a go at for a long time.
This wonderful cake stand – complete with coloured dots! – was a wedding present from my friend A and her husband. Doesn’t it look splendid all loaded up with sweet treats?! I was quite pleases with the sponge fancies I made – I decorated them with card-making decorations! 😉
A made this scrummy chocolate cupcakes, which embraced the English Jubilee theme hook, line and sinker! Aren’t the decorations so cool?! I had a Big Ben!! 😀
One of my closest friends, R, baked scones and brought the essential clotted cream and jam to go with them. They were absolutely scrummy and the party would not have been complete without them!
I loved planning and setting up the details of napkins, tea cups and saucers, napkins, flowers, little decorations …
I snagged a beautiful vintage-style table-cloth from Ebay for a bargain price and dissected a wedding candle wreath to add some rose-like elegance to the setting.
All three of my sisters came, so plus my friends K, R, a and myself, we were a comfortable seven round our games-chest-come-coffee-table.
My final little thing was a favour bag, containing each girl’s favourite kind of chocolate – or as near to that as I could come! 😀
I’m so glad I threw my Jubilee Tea Party and hope that everyone who came had lots of fun!!
What did you English readers do to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee?!!
frommyfrontstep 