Jubilend

I'm not a royalist. I believe inequality. I really resent that I am not a British citizen, but a British subject.

I was once at an opera gala that the Queen Mother attended, and I didn't stand up for the national anthem. When asked why, I replied that I would stand up for the old lady on a bus, but not as a mark of deference.

On another occasion I was in the front row of the stalls for an opera performance that the Duke and Duchess of Kent were attending. They kept us all waiting, then we were expected to stand for the anthem. As usual I stayed seated. A woman behind me jabbed me on the shoulder and did a "stand up" gesture with her thumb, saying "Up". For once, the correct response came to me in good time. "Up yours," I replied.

So I have not strung out any Union Jack bunting - I've actually seen hardly any. There have been no street parties. I have watched almost nothing on TV. As for going up there, well, apart from the cold and rain, and the standing round that I can no longer do, I need a toilet every few minutes (OK, not quite) so I wouldn't have considered that. But there were a couple of things I wanted to see.

The first was Paul McCartney's contribution.



The second was the firework display at the end of the concert.


These I enjoyed less. I can't help thinking about the disturbance to the local wildlife, especially the birds, when we disrupt their sleep with our bangs and flashes.

Finally there was the flypast. Mostly I was hoping that after their trip along The Mall (pronounced to rhyme with "pal", not "fall") they might go home via my house. Concorde used to go over regularly, and the Red Arrows have been known to come this way during the Biggin Hill Air Show. But no such luck.



So I have still never seen a Spitfire, Hurricane or Lancaster Bomber fly in real life.