Cart-wheeling vergers, laughing policemen, happy crowds and the comment ‘I beat him to it’ ... oh yes and lock out! Royal Wedding Day Memories – a week later ... part 1/3

Broadcasting the Pageantry

Remember what we were all waking up to a week ago, or hearing the alarm go off at all funny times of day and night around the world .. so that 2 billion of us could watch That Wedding on television.

What do I call her .. Catherine, Kate .. she’s not a Princess – as she’s not born a Royal, hence the bestowing of the title Duke and Duchess of Cambridge ...

      - the Foreign press had been around for 5 days

      - Local press – BBC, ITV etc started to join the foreign crews

      - Press boxes outside the Abbey, at Buckingham Palace – costly press suites

       - Members of public camping out .. some bringing their children as they’d camped

         out for Charles and Diana in 1981 ...

       - Interviews with all and sundy ..

     Buckingham Palace public celebrations

      

        - Street parties, house parties across the country

        - Duckleberry village – duck racing .. and party on the Green (well that’s what I wanted to call it) – it’s actually Bucklebury the village where the Middletons do their local shop - see right..

       - St Andrews University where the couple met

        - Vast screens in town centres, outside pubs etc etc

        - New York – yellow cabs with the British flags flying

        - Outer Space – International Space Station ... Yellow, Red and Blue – celebrations .. not sure why the yellow – oh well ...

St Andrews Castle - since 1189






The North American, Australian, Indian and other nations totally hooked – but sure so were the Brits – or were we just looking forward to the day off – not me .. British all the way.  I was crying at 6.00 am when I got up to post my Y for Yoke – it was a burden .. the poor people were lying down – could I get them to appear standing up – yes, eventually!

The local butcher,
a guest at the Wedding

The twittering – social networks ... around the world .. had been in full swing for months ... the Royal Engagement – was the first to be announced on Twitter and Facebook – suddenly Monarchy had moved into the 21^st century and they were going to take full advantage of its power ... becoming more accessible to the whole world.

The night before, Prince William and Prince Harry went out to meet and greet the public waiting outside Clarence House  ...  his Public Relations team weren’t ready .. but the Princes were and they went – engaging with the people who were waiting for the morrow.

My day continued  ... the tv was on – but I was ‘slaving’ away in the kitchen making sure the food I took to the party was freshly made.  Some I had par-cooked the day before, but I wanted it to finish cooking it so that it would be crisped up, and I had lots of fresh vegetable sticks to make ...

A slice of Spanakopita Pie

The Spanakopita pie .. buttered filo pastry top and bottom, with a filling of good quality spinach pieces, crumbled feta cheese, grated farmhouse cheddar, thick cream cheese and eggs all mixed together, with sprinklings of nutmeg, black pepper and a little cayenne ..  scoring the top layers of filo into squares, left to cook for an hour or so in a medium oven ...

I left the Spanakopita to cool, sliced it into squares (bite-sized), before arranging it on a platter; then I’d fried some pieces of onion in butter to get them a little caramelised, added some pork fillet cut into bite-sized pieces and fried those.

Prince William and Prince Harry

With another pack of filo pastry – I spread mincemeat (Christmas sweet mincemeat) over three buttered filo leaves (I should have warmed the mincemeat – because it was difficult to spread and rather thick in places) .. then rolled it up like a swiss roll – cut into slices and cooked, cooled on a wire rack.

The Spanakopita was done, the mincemeat whirls were gummy and cooked – but I decided they were too sticky and gungy ... too risky for fillings, false teeth etc .. so I rejected those.  The vegetable sticks had been unceremoniously put into a plastic bag for transport ... and then I had to assemble the pork, onion and mango squares.

I’d used a similar recipe in South Africa .. but couldn’t find it – so had to make it up – I put a couple of pieces of onion round a piece of pork , with a wadge of mango skewered with a cocktail stick – each put on a mini lettuce leaf and plattered up.  Actually as the ingredients weren’t mixed into mayonnaise .. it was better – and I found a ‘new recipe’.

Off I went to be with Mum to watch the Ceremony .. it was a good thing I’d allowed an extra hour .. it gave me a chance to watch from 10.00 or so .. Mum came too just as the Service was about to start.

Didn’t the Queen and Prince Philip look the picture of health at 85 and 89?  I pointed out Prince Philip, magnificently attired, to my mother and said he’d be 90 in June .. to which came an immediate riposte – well I beat him to it! 

So we watched in contented companionship ...

After the balcony scene .. I returned home to gather up my bits to drive over and join in the party at a friend’s house, where they’d invited the rest of the Close to share the day – a large screen in the garden in a marquee, food for Africa, good company, a Royal Quiz, a Raffle for the Hospice and a karaoke for the evening .. well that was my intention ...

The Tudor Rose, England’s

national floral emblem

The lady in the flat down stairs had asked what I was going to cook – I’d said I had no idea .. but I’d borrowed her cake racks .. so I thought I’d leave a few bits for them to have during the day .. could I get an answer – no – totally glued to the tv!  I tried two or three times - popping down and knocking loudly, before I went to my mother ...

When I got back – by hook or by crook – I was going to leave them some food – so I wrote a note and left the ‘tupperware’ outside for them to find at some stage!  Well the idea was kind .. the only problem was it was windy .. the back door at the garage level was open, my windows in the flat were open ... and the door slammed!!  My keys inside .. h e l p?!

Thank goodness for technological advances and people not interested in watching the wedding – the lads opposite .. got on their iphone internet and rang the agents – and hey presto 15 minutes later I was back in ... honestly I could have kicked myself .. as I’d wandered round filling up the bird baths with my keys in my hand .. so I don’t do lock-outs!  Talk about a brief moment of pit-like remorse and horror, to a great piece of luck!

On the evening of the wedding the
London Eye was lit in the
colours of the Union Flag

The party was fabulous and was I glad to get there .. Linda and I met up at the Nursing Centre, where her father died 2 years ago now ... and we’ve remained friends since .. and she comes up to the Centre to give ‘Tea Talks’ – and in fact had done a Royal Tea Party talk the day before ... so she had been busy.

After my excursions of the day .. I returned to watched the hour and half Review programme in the evening .. so I was able to see some parts I’d missed.

My next couple of posts will contain snippets that I’ve read, seen or heard – but probably will have been forgotten about in the Splendour of The Day ...  I’ve been talking to my mother about everything this week as she has been wide awake and happy to listen and engage in these memories.

So – Mr Postman – I haven’t commented about my mother too much during the A – Z Challenge ... but she enjoys peace and quiet, sometimes not wanting to talk or listen, other times wanting both.  We watched some snooker at the weekend .. which she enjoyed.

She’s always amazed at the wishes she gets from everyone around the world – THANK YOU - and we heard again recently from an amazing American mother and her daughter, Griffin, who were exceptionally kind to my mother when she was first ill (four years ago) – and they adored my Mama and Hardwick .. Mum remembers them!

Hilary Melton-Butcher

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