Jubilee Weekend

Mom and Dad have arrived and just in time for the Diamond Jubilee! They will be with us for several weeks and will be travelling with us to China. We are just waiting for our travel approval and then we will be ready to go! Hopefully, first of July! So, while we wait to travel to China, we plan to see the sights around England! On Friday, we visited Polseden Lacey. It is a beautiful country estate which belonged to Margaret Greville. It was given to her and her husband, Ronald Greville, in 1906 by her father William McEwan who was a wealthy Scottish brewer. She was his illegitimate daughter and sole heir. Mrs. Greville's husband did not come from money but had royal connections through the military. They did not have any children of their own but had many dogs. Architects responsible for the Ritz in London helped remodel the house and they filled it with collections of fine furniture, porcelain, silver, and art. Polseden Lacey was transformed into the perfect setting to host her lavish parties. She entertained royalty, politicians, and the best of Edwardian society.

It was very interesting to hear of the stories within these walls. On one occasion, she hosted a party which included King Edward VII, his wife, current mistress (Alice Keppel, Camilla's great grandmother), and former mistress all seated around the same dinner table. I am sure the seating arrangement was a bit tricky! I would have loved to been a fly on the wall watching all the action! Mrs. Greville also invited King George VI and  Queen Elizabeth (the current Queen's parents) to Polseden Lacey in 1923 for their honeymoon. They spent two weeks there. It is a beautiful estate and gardens with amazing views overlooking the rolling hills of Surrey.

Polseden Lacey

Mom and Dad on the back lawn

Over the weekend, we had our own Jubilee party! We put out the flags and I made Jubilee cupcakes. We decided to avoid London and just watch the festivities on the Tele! Although, Bruce and I went in to London on Sunday evening for the Jubilee Boat cruise. (remember that?) We were able to get tickets. It's a long story but we did not stay on the boat. After waiting for over an hour in the rain, we finally boarded the boat (the boat was late to arrive because it had just been part of the Flotilla). However, there was no where to sit once on on board as a result of too many people and not enough seats. So in the end we said forget it! We hopped off the boat and headed to dinner under the Tower Bridge with some other peeps who had the same idea as we did. It was a little disappointing, but I was not going to stand against the wall of the boat for 4 hours (I was already starting to feel a little claustrophobic) or stand over someone waiting for them to get up so we could take our turn and eat. Bruce said it was like being at a Junior dance when everyone else was asked to dance and you were left standing against the wall by yourself. Awkward! What a mess! Oh well, we still had a good time!