Coronation Celebration

Did you think with all my going on about Sicily that we weren't celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Queen's Coronation?  Not quite!  I'm so tickled that my royal collection hasn't yet been packed into boxes.

Not to be outdone by my own decor, Regent Street has hung these beautiful purple banners (although honestly not as striking as the Union Jacks for the royal wedding or flags of many nations for the Olympics) in honor of the occasion.

I blame the visual overdose of British icons so soon after we arrived that pushed me into collecting. It was a natural instinct to nest. Or a touch of post-move psychosis. Definitely a bit of nervous energy and abundant enthusiasm for our new environs.

This treasure was part of the Coronation celebration in 1953. I bought it and shared it with the Jubilee exhibit and soon it will adorn one lucky wall in Nashville. We had about 30 minutes in our new house last month and I spent more than a few of them noodling through where this would best be displayed. Time well spent.

I know the movers come in a few days so the end is near, but I just found this tiny bench used in the Abbey! Or that's the narrative I'm giving it. No one is quite sure, but it is hard to imagine a woollen kneeler (currently favorite footstool for the smalls) monogrammed with ER and 1953 being used for something less than special. The coronation mayonnaise* on top didn't come with. Just saving you from having to look at another photo. I fear you've just dozed off.  Shortly after you read, "Queen. la la la...."

But rest assured we're in celebration mode here, passing the coronation mayonnaise, cheering heartily.  And even better, making plans to attend the Coronation Festival at the Palace!  You should have heard me ordering the associated lunch from John Lewis over the phone. ("American royal fanatic on Line 4. American fanatic, Line 4.") I confided to the woman taking my order that I hope church bells would begin to ring out announcing the royal baby's arrival just as the Mister and I tucked into our souvenir hamper of treats. We can only hope, right?

I take pride in settling in to our new homes and can't really be held accountable for all the fanfare that was for the taking while we've lived in London. It has been a spectacularly festive time to be in this wonderful city. But short of needing two shipping containers or a museum annex, I'm likely going to need to curtail my collecting in Nashville. But I hear they have great vintage prints, amazing antiques and retro kitsch galore.  Well. Let's just say I already have old Moon Pie boxes on display.

It will be fun to put it all together in a new house. To unpack these London totems and remember it all. Just like the best souvenirs.

Hip, hip, hooray!

*and don't get me started on coronation mayonnaise. I don't even like mayonnaise and I want this elevated to a food group. If I can figure out how to make it the basis of a summer soup, my life will have been a huge success.