4 June 2012
I had one of my most broken sleep nights, last night. There was no obvious reason for this, it’s just that I woke up every after three quarters of an hour and this pattern went through the night. I took full advantage of my ‘genie’ and so did not have to lie awake in pain for any discernible time. I still wake up, as I did before, when some joint or other, is extremely painful and start wriggling centimetre by centimetre trying to get myself on my back to alleviate the pain and then very shortly into this exercise I suddenly remember that I have this ‘genie’ who will appear in a flash of me ‘rubbing the lamp’ ( striking the alarm) and within seconds I will be turned and the pain ‘switched off”
I suppose the previous day had been full of excitement and activity but nevertheless I’m surprised if this was sufficient to disturb my normal sleep pattern.
We heard today that the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, had been taken into King Edward’s hospital with a bladder infection. This 90-year-old man had stood by the side of the Queen for at least an hour and a half yesterday on the Royal barge, and was, no doubt, in some sort of pain from the infection, yet it was his wife’s day and he had no intention of spoiling it-what a stoic. I pray he will shortly make a full recover, as any infection in a person of that age can be extremely serious
To all intents and purposes the River pageant was not only the highlight of the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations, but also the end of those organised to appeal to the international family of most countries and other viewers. Tonight, for example, there is an concert, featuring pop star singers which I doubt whether they would appeal to the Queen. However, as the celebrations are meant to appeal to the widest possible audience, no doubt, the choice of music would be such as to have this wider appeal. (I wrote this early in the evening the following day I received reports from various people who said they really enjoyed the concert and it seems that through our own prejudices we might have missed out on something enjoyable. We must bear in mind that apart from this grand concert televised to the nation, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of small local concerts or similar events celebrating this Diamond Jubilee. I suppose the high point came late last night when the Queen ignited the first of these fire beacons, 4200 of them, which, one after the other, will circle the Globe.
Returning to local events, our Village will conclude its celebrations with an over 60’s Jubilee Tea in the Village Hall, I am only sorry that we cannot attend. Clavering’s Programme of Events, no doubt, has been repeated a thousandfold throughout the land. Not grand Pomp and Circumstance but genuine reflections from the common man of the love and appreciation felt by the people of this land for someone of whom we are all justifiably proud.
This celebration of the Queen’s dedication and devotion to duty over the past 60 years, should also make us all extremely proud to be British. I repeat, what I said before LONG MAY SHE REIGN OVER US.
I really could not find anything close to being suitable as a diversion today except one of the Queen meeting each of the last 12 American presidents. Click here to see this one with George Bush.