End of an Era

I felt really sad when I watched the news unfolding on TV last night. I switched on at 6pm and saw the first news bulletin. Although we knew The Queen couldn't live forever and she has got more frail over the last year and especially since the death of Prince Philip it still felt a shock. I am just so happy she got to celebrate her platinum jubilee. 
I have this tea caddy commemorating her coronation which belonged to my grandma. Inside the tin there is a collection of medals. I have other coronation mugs but not hers. 
I lived in London for 14 years and did see parades and would go to beating retreat and trooping the colour with my dad. I also remember going to a Buckingham Palace Garden party with my parents in 1977. It was my mum who got the invite for her charity work. The rule as I remember it was they could take an unmarried  daughter under 25. I'm not sure if we saw the Queen or who we did see, it is too long ago but I do remember walking through a couple of rooms in the palace and out through the front gates and people gawping at us!