Thursday, June 28, 2012

Part III...The Tale of Three London Trips....Mine, Theirs, Ours!

Lucky for me our UK trip to see the girl coincided with the Fat Quarterly's  first Quilting Retreat and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee....I don't know, I guess the stars were in perfect alignment!:)  Although I am thrilled I was able to go to the Retreat and meet so many lovely online peeps I did miss a few things!
 While I met up with  Mandy (Mandalin18) and Marguerite (Rafael's Mum)...(Marg was totally surprised!:)...
...the girl introduced her dad to Big Ben!
While I had a great time with FQ peeps at Tikki Patchwork in Kew Gardens...
...the Palace put on a practice light show for them!

While Marguerite and I laughed at TrashaLou as she flirted with a Tube passenger...
....they watched another fabulous show!
The next morning I was thoroughly entertained by the Fat Quarterly Gang....
...they were entertained by this gang!:)

I admired my surroundings...busy, busy quilters getting to know each other and  learning new crafts.....
....they were admiring some serious stonework! The girl modeling a new Hold Tight! tee....they dropped a new LP the other day...go check them out!:)
While I finished my dinner purchased at the local Waitrose and enjoyed the company of the lovely Jo (Bearpaw)....
....they were partaking of coconut milk and paella!!

The next day we were to enjoy everything together and started things off with a bang....the Pageant on the Thames!!  We were at the beginning of the Pageant between Chelsea and Vauxhall bridges on the south side of the river.  
How about that?:)  The Royal Family....we think Her Highness was still below.  It was the beginning of the floating pageant!
My favorite was the barge carrying newly forged bells.  As they pealed down the river all the churches along the the route tolled in response! I still get goosebumps thinking about it!
The Gloriana lead the manpowered section.  This is a new boat that was commissioned as a tribute to the Queen....nice!:)
Every kind of rowboat was out there...even kayaks!
They just kept coming....over a thousand boats, Dunkirk little ships, work boats, steamboats, tugboats, sailboats, barges, service boats, recreation boats, narrow boats, passenger boats...

...and there were buntings and Union Jacks and revelers galore!
Luckily for us, since we were at the beginning of the Pageant, the rain didn't start until the last few sections went floating past.
Dinner that evening at The Hereford Arms was a gastronomic delight!  Bangers and Mash, Shepard's Pie and of course Fish and Chips.....divided by three.  I really could have eaten it all by myself!
(King's Cross Train Station)
Alas...I do believe I need to go back to London....to see all the places they experienced...and it was way more than all the above!:)

~d
Next up....Scotland




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12 comments:

  1. IsisjemJun 28, 2012, 4:43:00 PM

    What an amazing experience. My niece, her mum and her mum went to see the river pageant and it was so busy they couldn't see a thing!

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  2. Dana - Old Red Barn Co.Jun 29, 2012, 1:20:00 PM

    i love, love, love reading about your trip!

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  3. AnonymousJun 30, 2012, 5:29:00 AM

    You're very lucky to have seen the pageant, I went to see it in Battersea park but it was crowded didn't see anything either!

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  4. Rafael's MumJun 30, 2012, 5:55:00 AM

    What a brilliant post Dee! and such wonderful photos too. As you know I missed the whole Jubilee (retreat or Jubilee, tough choice but retreat won!) but after your post it's a little like I have been there! (and yes... sigh... I WAS totally surprised, lol!)

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  5. JoJun 30, 2012, 12:06:00 PM

    Oh Dee you and your family certainly made the most of your visit to the U.K. And you will all have happy memories for a long time to come. Love all of your pics.

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  6. TrudiJun 30, 2012, 4:00:00 PM

    It's great to see what the family got up to whilst you were surprising us all :) And the pagent we missed :) Looking forward to the Scottish edition :) Come back soon and tell us next time!

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  7. yarnivorousJun 30, 2012, 5:06:00 PM

    Sounds like you had a fab time! And your pics of the river pageant are better than the ones I saw in the newspaper....

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  8. AnonymousJul 4, 2012, 5:09:00 AM

    Great pictures! I am so glad that you could visit during the Jubilee.

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  9. LynetteJul 5, 2012, 12:02:00 AM

    What an incredible trip. :D Thanks for sharing your fabulous photo shots.

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  10. LynzJul 5, 2012, 6:43:00 PM

    Geez, your girl has mad skillz with that camera. Especially the night pics! I missed all your posts while I was on holiday! Actually I missed a LOT while on hols, trying madly to catch up with all the news!

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  11. myBearpawJul 7, 2012, 11:56:00 AM

    Great photos! I missed all the river pageant because of being at the retreat, I got a really good idea of it here though. I look a little insane - must be the wine! I think the fish and chips pic is my fav - mmm. Looking forward to part 4!!

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  12. amy smartJul 12, 2012, 4:24:00 PM

    What a fabulous time!!!! Thanks for sharing all the pics. So fun to catch a glimpse of it all!

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