2012 was a very eventful year for Great Britain with an abundance of celebrations.
The year marked the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, 60 years since her accession to the throne in 1952. The only other diamond jubilee of any of our Queen’s predecessors to ever be celebrated was in 1897 for Queen Victoria.
Just as a little aside, I have watched all of the Netflix series of ‘The Crown’ and discovered a personal connection to the sad passing of George VI. At the time of the King’s death the then Princess Elizabeth was away in Kenya as part of a tour of the Commonwealth. On hearing the news she flew home immediately. In the series, following a refuel, they showed her boarding a plane at RAF El Adem in Tobruk, the military base where I was born in Libya as a result of my dad being stationed there some years later. It’s a tenuous link and may seem rather trivial but it was exciting for me to hear an interesting fact about my birth place! When I told my dad, he hadn’t known either! Another interesting fact is that when my poor mum went into labour with me she was literally rushed across the desert in a Jeep to the military hospital which ensured that I would be born on British territory and be assigned British Citizenship rather than Libyan! Consequently I have two birth certificates – one scribed in Arabic and the other in English!
There was a magnificent Diamond Jubilee equestrian pageant at Windsor, featuring 550 horses and 26 of the Queen’s fellow sovereigns from all over the world were invited to a special lunch with her.
The main event on the Jubilee weekend was a spectacular river parade, involving a 1,000-strong flotilla which sailed from Putney Bridge to Canary Wharf. All the Royal Family, assorted VIPs and celebrities were scattered across various boats while the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were in pride of place on the Spirit Of Chartwell.
More than a million people lined the banks to watch but unfortunately the typical British weather made it a cold and wet event for everyone. Once the rain started it was relentless. Despite the torrential downpours, the Queen refused to go below deck and remained in view for her people. By the end of this delightfully eccentric event more than 20 people had to be hospitalised with Hypothermia. They were joined later by the Duke of Edinburgh who had contracted a bladder infection. Sadly, it meant the Queen was without her ‘strength and stay’ for the rest of the long weekend.
There was of course a star-studded line-up for the Diamond Jubilee concert with the spectacular backdrop of Buckingham Palace. All organised by the wonderful Gary Barlow, it was a mixture of iconic artists such as Elton John, Tom Jones, Kylie Minogue, Paul McCartney, Shirley Bassey, Robbie Williams and Cliff Richard to name a few, as well as newer artists at the time such as Ed Sheeran and Jessie J. The most memorable for me was Madness performing ‘Our House’ from the top of Buckingham Palace with an impressive light show which lit up the whole building. Prince Charles made a speech addressing the Queen, once again, with what is now a somewhat familiar introduction – “Your Majesty…. Mummy” before the National
Anthem was sung! As part of the Grand Finale the Queen lit the last National Beacon, followed by a firework display, accompanied by several patriotic songs and hymns in true British style with the dutiful waving of Union Jack flags and the usual revelry and excitement!
That same summer Great Britain proudly hosted the Olympics and, competitively, it turned out to be GB’s most successful games in recent times. As part of the opening ceremony, the Queen ended up in a starring role herself in what was unquestionably the non-sporting highlight of the Games – her appearance in a spoof video at the opening ceremony. Daniel Craig starred alongside her in the video which showed his character, James Bond, being summoned to Buckingham Palace before skydiving into the Olympic Stadium with the Queen! The actor later said that the Queen was “fun and incredibly game”. It was certainly entertaining and I have no doubt will remain an iconic and memorable part of our country’s history.
Prior to the opening of the games there was of course the journey of the Olympic torch and Bexhill residents were delighted to be part of the final 10 days countdown to the London Games. On July 17th, I went down to the seafront with a group of friends to cheer on actor and comedian Eddie Izzard, who is also now known and hugely respected for being a marathon enthusiast, having completed 32 marathons in 31 days raising £275,000 for charity. Eddie was part of a relay team which carried the beacon from Pevensey to Bexhill, where he grew up. He is regularly spotted in the area and is always friendly and pleasant to members of the public who are excited to meet him so he was the perfect torch bearer for our little seaside town.
I was fortunate enough to get tickets to the first of the BT London Live Concert series. My cousin had tickets but sadly was unable to go and had to sell her tickets which, in turn, was very lucky for me and the friend who went with me.
The concert was held on 27th July in Hyde Park and kicked off the series with each artist/band representing each of the British nations – 1980s band Duran Duran flew the flag for England, the Stereophonics for Wales, Paolo Nutini for Scotland and Snow Patrol for Northern Ireland, all favourites of mine. In fact, Duran Duran was my first ever concert with my school friends at the Brighton Centre when I was 15! The concert was held simultaneously with the Opening Ceremony of the Games and the big screen was used intermittently to show snippets of the ceremony. The Stereophonics faced the tough task of following the live screening of Danny Boyle’s spectacular production. Of course, we were never in any doubt – they are rock legends and absolutely smashed it! There was one poignant moment for me when a video montage, showing a memorial of loved ones who had passed away, was displayed on the screen. I wish I had known and had included my mum in the slideshow. It was so moving as the crowd of thousands remained silent to pay their respects. My intuitive friend gently put her arm around me knowing that this would be particularly emotional for me only months after the loss of my mum. We stayed the night with another cousin who has a flat in Notting Hill. She had gone to the actual Opening Ceremony the same night and had an amazing time.
The same year I discovered the delights of the Radio 2 ‘Festival in a Day’. It has been held annually since 2011 and in that time my best friend and I have been to all but the very first one and 2014. Our first was in 2012 then we went in 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019! Due to Covid-19, 2020 was a live event but artists performed without an audience and it was broadcast on TV.
It’s the perfect festival if you don’t want to go hardcore with camping, massive venues and skanky toilets and shower blocks! Like other festivals though it has a line-up of different genres including folk, country, soul, rock and jazz, with a headline act, and attracts all ages. We have loved every one and after a couple of years started meeting up with some of my cousins and other friends for the day, either on the train travelling up to London or meeting them there. The first time we went there were three adults and two teenagers. The kids enjoyed it as much as we did and got a chance to see Jessie J (for a fraction of the cost!). Our first headline act was Tom Jones and subsequent years were Smokey Robinson, Rod Stewart, Elton John, Take That, Kylie Minogue and Pet Shop Boys. There are too many artists to list all the ones we have seen but there have been a few particularly memorable moments, like the time that James Blunt crowdsurfed past our heads! Then there was the unexpected appearance of Jason Donovan during Kylie’s headline set. He was backstage watching Kylie and she got him on the stage for ‘Especially For You’! You could see it was spontaneous and unrehearsed as, if I’m honest, he did look a bit like a rabbit in headlights! It turns out he had cycled to the event just to say hello to her! I also loved the Pet Shop Boys being joined on stage by Olly Alexander – it was fabulously camp, flamboyant and totally bonkers! Another act we always look forward to is Craig Charles’ DJ set – aka the ‘party’ slot. Without fail he always manages to energise the crowd and get everyone up dancing to classic ‘tuuunes’! Finally, Sir Terry Wogan who had always been a big part of Radio 2 and was involved in the festival sadly passed away in January 2016. That year there was a very moving tribute to him which brought fond memories and tears to our eyes.
I’m 2019, for the first time we decided to go to the Radio 2 ‘Proms in the Park’. This is held on the Saturday of the same weekend. It was lots of fun but strangely felt quite different from the Sunday one. The doors were opened much earlier than advertised and by the time we’d got in, there were very few places to sit. Unlike the Sunday where, within a certain distance of the stage, you have to remain standing and are not allowed to sit on a blanket or a chair (most people do anyway), there were no restrictions and groups formed big circles with large areas of space within the circles meaning there was less capacity for finding an available spot to sit. The further back you go the easier it is to find somewhere but we like to be in the hub of the atmosphere and be able to watch mostly the stage rather than screens. We were patriotically dressed in red, white and blue and had all sorts of regalia such as the obligatory flags and garlands! The line-up is a mix of easy listening and classical but there was nothing sedate about the event! The ‘Rock Choir’ did a performance and there were members all around the park identified by their t-shirts who proudly joined in from where they were sitting or standing, like a flash mob. I loved The Kingdom Choir, Lighthouse Family, Michael Ball, and duets from Aled Jones and Russell Watson. Jack Savoretti made us swoon with his brooding good looks and beautiful soulful voice. Not forgetting, of course, the usual ‘pomp and circumstance’ of the proms with renditions of ‘Land of Hope and Glory’ and ‘Rule, Britannia!’ The atmosphere was buzzing!
My best friend had planned to give me money for my birthday towards a ticket for Robbie Williams in Hyde Park that summer but the cost was so extortionate we decided not to book, both having seen him live previously. I can’t remember how we managed to go from Robbie to the Proms concert but we agreed we both fancied it. The line-up for the Radio 2 events is usually announced daily in the week leading up to the day the tickets are released, leaving the headline act until that day. There is always a lot of speculation about who it might be. We really had to laugh when they announced that year was Barry Manilow! I mean, I don’t mind shimmying and shaking to a bit of ‘Copacabana’ but I wouldn’t call myself a fan of the big man! “For your birthday I’ll give you money towards a ticket to see Barry Manilow” said no friend of mine ever. Oh wait…..she unwittingly did!
We have seen around 70 live music acts in all with Radio 2 but, more importantly, we have made some of the best memories and met lots of lovely people. It’s so laid back, brilliantly organised, no pushing and shoving, just lots of chilling out and enjoying great music. It’s something I would definitely recommend.
In December we had a family day out at ‘Winter Wonderland’ in Hyde Park. My dad joined the six of us and we travelled up to London. The kids loved all the rides and I had pre-booked some of the attractions, including ice skating. It started off really well and I felt more confident than I’ve ever been on the ice. While we skated my dad went for a drink with two of my cousins who we had met up with there. My husband and I took turns to support our youngest son who was only nine and not very confident on the ice. Unfortunately he started to stumble and my first instinct was to break his fall. As I did so I went down really hard and landed on my bottom on the rock hard surface. At first the impact literally took my breath away. Two of the assistants on the ice came over to me very quickly to help me up but I had to stop them while I caught my breath. I felt like I’d been winded. Eventually I allowed them to help me up and for some time I leaned over the surrounding barrier of the rink until I felt able to leave the ice. I somehow managed to take off my skates and put on my shoes then we made our way to some seating just outside of the rink to wait for my dad and cousins. I sat with my head on my arms on the table and actually passed out! It must have been delayed shock. Once I’d composed myself there must have been a surge of adrenalin because I managed to continue to get through the afternoon and the pain eased off for a bit.
I don’t know how I did it but I went to work that week despite the fact that getting in and out of the bath was agonising and I could barely get my socks or shoes on. My job involves quite a bit of driving and I carried on as normal. I genuinely thought I had just bruised my coccyx. I damaged my coccyx when I was a teenager and I already knew how uncomfortable it can be. In reality though, this was a whole new level of pain. By the following weekend my resolve weakened and I had to admit defeat. My husband took me to A&E where my spine was x-rayed. The images showed a hairline fracture on the sacrum. The upper part of the sacrum connects with the lumbar vertebra (pelvic area) and is situated above the coccyx. The doctor was more than a little surprised that it had taken me so long to get it checked! I know I have a high pain threshold (four children…..!) but I may have gone a little too far in proving the point on this occasion! Unfortunately there wasn’t anything they could do to help me. The advice was that it would heal on its own and to take painkillers. I’m happy to say the pain eventually went and I haven’t had any long term suffering. Very occasionally I get a dull throb but at my age it just gets lost in all the other aches and pains reminding me I’m no Jayne Torvill and any hopes of Olympic success were dashed on that fateful day! I haven’t been on the ice since, unless you count the occasional slippy pavement….
“Keep Calm and Carry On!”
Hoping for a Happy Ever After 