Celebrating the Diamond Jubilee

Yesterday we went to a friend's house to party with about 60 other Brits for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. It was the quintessential English garden party, complete with bunting and a glass of Pims each. We even had a game of welly-throwing. Jack had a go and did great! Some of the older, more excitable Englishmen got a little too ambitious and the welly ended up in next door's garden on several occasions. They also had a raffle and Maureen won but gave Jack an English teddy bear that he's been carrying about ever since.

A rare moment outside of the bouncy castle. He bounced for 4 hours without food, water or a wee.

Everyone took English food. We took Cornish pasties, egg butties and fairy cakes with cute little rice-paper Union Jacks on the top. The pasties were gone in less than a minute! You knew it was an English spread because there was no salad dressing and the cake table had about four Victoria sponge cakes and an "adult" trifle! I had some and nearly fell over from a sherry overdose.

A new English friend, Jules. Mad as balloons &  I loved her!

One of the older ladies dressed up like the Queen, complete with mask, and did a quick round of the garden, giving us the royal wave.

Speeches and a chorus of Jerusalem

We were last to leave of course but then I get on really well with Maureen and she's become quite a close friend so we had a natter and a laugh. I met some great new English people, including a woman from Manchester called Sarah that put an idea in my head about visiting England with the kids (fly to London, have 2-3 days there with the kids before going up to visit everyone in the north-west, then fly out of Manchester back to OH).

Maureen & kids

There was the token odd couple that of course I got stuck with (I swear I am a magnet for the weirdos) but I learned at least to avoid the pair of them at future events. She's American and he's English and they were very pious, conservative and bigoted - you know, just my kind of people.  Craig stuck by my side the whole time and admitted afterwards it was just so he could watch my reaction to their spewings. I pride myself that I was polite to them, but as soon as they left I put their business card in the bin.

Brits in Ohio! Katie, Maureen, me, Lynn, Sharon & Jack

Today we had a lovely time watching the Flotilla then we went to the pool for an hour.

We do appear to be having major animal issues. Tutz is ill and I'll have to get her to a vet tomorrow. Cody has not had a good day and I am on the verge of taking Ben back to the shelter. The chewing, pooping, and digging continues. Today again we got back from the pool to find complete destruction. Sigh. I can't bring myself to take him back but I can't take much more either.  So I was laying in bed this morning and thinking that it's very probable that by the end of the week I could have no pets at all, after having three in the house.  The fish got given away last Friday but don't tell Jack. He hasn't even noticed that they've gone and been replaced by a vase of garden flowers on the sideboard.