Next week at this time, I will be in London. At the moment, I am sitting at home in Western Canada watching a TV program called The Changing Face of the Queen. It is showing the crowds gathered outside of Buckingham Palace awaiting the Balcony Scene with the newly crowned Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, following the Coronation at Westminster Abbey. It was the first ever to be televised. Since I was a small child, I have always wanted to be part of the crowd gathered there for some special event…..and YES, on June 5th, 2012, I will be there!!!
It is the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee……60 years since her accession to the Throne. Her Coronation took place June 2, 1953, making her the UK’s second longest serving monarch after Queen Victoria, her great great grandmother. Events will be taking place all over London, and one of the most spectacular will be the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant with 1000 boats from all over the world.
Amongst Canada’s representation, will be a canoe from Seeley’s Bay with Voyageurs’ doing the paddling and a Dragon Boat, powered by a crew of 16 Women Breast Cancer Survivors from Vancouver, BC who have renamed themselves Abreast from the West. They, along with other people powered boats, will have pride of place in the pageant. Because of safety concerns for the wash that will be created by the flotilla, they will be in the first stage of the procession and will be just in front of the Barge carrying the Queen and Prince Philip.
I and my companions, Adventurous Trippers from the Alberta Genealogy Society, Edmonton Branch made a spur of the moment decision to go to London for the BIG PARTY WEEKEND… June 2-5, 2012.. We might even fit in some time for actual research on our English Ancestors, but that is only after we have done the partying and, if any of you thought Genealogy was something that “old” people did, come along on our trip and we will dispel this notion!!!!! CHEERS!
A Genealogist goes Wandering 