Today I was in #London again, but for a family event rather than to protest, although I would like to have had time to show support for the Extinction Rebellion people who are still at Marble Arch after being evicted from the 'unofficial' protest locations.
This weekend our Queen celebrated her 93rd birthday and this is marked by a 41 gun salute in Hyde Park. I have not attended one of those before, but we were in the area and one of our group also had a birthday. There was a big area marked off in the park for this. First we had a marching band playing various tunes, including Adele's Rolling in the Deep. Maybe the Queen likes that one. I do not think she was there, but she would hear it from Buckingham Palace.
Then the guns came out at a canter drawn by lots of horses. Quite an impressive site. I am not a fan of the royals, but we do put on a good show in this country.
The guns were deployed whilst the horses retired to a safe distance. The first shot made everyone jump. The shock wave really hits you and the sound reverberates off the distant buildings. A shot was fired every few seconds from the six guns. Apparently these are 13 pound field guns. I hate to think what it would be like on a battlefield with these things going off constantly.
When the horses returned to take the guns away one of the gunners struggle to get back in the saddle. I hope he did not get into trouble for that. I know the military are very strict, even for ceremonial activities.
The park was bustling with people as the weather was gorgeous. It was packed around the Serpentine lake. We headed off to the nearby Manadrin Oriental Hotel for a celebratory afternoon tea. This is a special treat for us as it does not come cheap. It is a small taste of how the rich live.
Of course they have a huge range of teas to drink, but I prefer coffee. I did try a tea towards the end that was not bad. Their 'sandwiches' are little rolled-up things with assorted fillings. As a non-meat eater I had egg, mushrooms, avocado and other fillings in different breads. You can have as many as you like of these. I did have a couple of plates.
Next come the warm scones which are hung on a stand that is next to each table. There was a selection of jams that included rose petal.
The cakes and pastries are generally the stars of such a meal. These did not disappoint. There was an Easter theme to them.
The service was excellent with staff hovering over us to refill water glasses or take further orders. The room was quite grand as you would expect, but the entrance hall was amazing with an incredible amount of marble and a huge display of flowers. I neglected to take pictures of that.
We have had a varied and enjoyable Easter weekend. I hope yours was good too, if you get those extra days.
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