Royal Tea

Firwood Avenue flying the flags.

I'm a Republican at heart and therefore didn't spend yesterday morning glued to the television. I did catch a few glimpses of the events on the set by the treadmill at the gym, from which it occurred to me that David Beckham looked the most likely handsome Prince on display, whilst the bulky and balding Prince William resembled a journeyman centre half at somewhere like Hartlepool United. Whatever the fawning commentators on the BBC might have said, he is certainly not very good looking. Pippa Middleton, though, is another matter. Phwoarrrrr! Joking aside, from what I did see, the body language of the happy couple gave every indication that this Royal love match, finally, is a genuine one, and I wish them all the very best. The absolute hightlight of the few bits I did see was the little bridesmaid who didn't appear at all well covering her ears and looking absolutely terrified as the noisy jets swooped over the Palace. Priceless, and much more entertainingt than the over-hyped 'kisses'.

As the ceremonials came to and end, the residents of Firwood Avenue made their the down to the end of the street where our Royal Wedding street party was ready to get underway.

A Royal tea fit for Royalty!

The party was meticulously organised by Juliet and Val from across the road with help from Hannah and another neighbour, Florence. The rest of the street were all keen to join in and the spread of food that took shape as people emerged from their houses was quite staggering. My personal favourite was the hot curried beef rolls served up by Paul from no. 65. In the beverages department there was really only once place to loiter. Chris from No. 14's 'Firwood Ale' keg. The home brewed beer slid down very nicely!

Chris dispensing his Firwood Ale.

Just as we started to tuck into the food, some menacing clouds and a few drops of rain threatened to cause havoc, but within a few minutes the sun reappeared and stayed for the rest of the afternoon.

Tucking in.

There was plenty going on, including the Royal Cake competition. Some of the entries were more regal than others, although I'm not sure quite how edible the cake in the shape of a crown actually was.

A Royal Fruitcake? And the Duke of Edinburgh nowhere to be seen!

Hannah was delighted to win the children's categories with her arty buns arranged in the shape of a heart. There weren't actually any other entries in this category, but I'm sure she would have won even if there were.

Love Food!

The most popular activity was definitely the tug of war. It's many years since I last took part in one of these and I had forgotten just how much fun they are. We started with odds against evens, moving on to various other combinations based around gender and age groups. Great fun!

Heaaaaaaaaavvvve!

Other activities included a marathon raffle, face and pavement painting, various shove ha'penny style games, a photo quiz, photo displays, best presented house and garden competition and a longest-standing resident contest. As daylight began to fade partygoers began to disperse particularly those with young children, but a hard core of revellers remained outside well into the evening. It was a thoroughly enjoyable event. I enjoyed chatting with neighbours, some who I already knew and many more who I didn't. Funnily enough, the wedding itself wasn't mentioned in any of the conversations I had. Perhaps I was giving off some kind of Republican vibes, who knows? Whatever the reason for the party, though, anything that brings people together in such a positive way can only be a good thing. Cheers!