I feel we should mark this amazing achievement.
Congratulations to Queen Elizabeth!
I wrote to her!

BBC link
Your Diamond Jubilee message to The Queen
We are delighted to present Her Majesty The Queen
with your message of congratulations on the eve of her Diamond Jubilee.
We have received more than two thousand messages from the four corners of the world - from London to Japan and Canada to South Africa - each with its own unique message. We very much hope that Her Majesty enjoys the treasured memories of her reign so far.

Onya, Liz!

Well, I've got bunting on my avatar so I'm ready for the party!

I wonder what the iconic image will be from this Jubilee? I don't think I shall ever forget Brian May playing God Save The Queen from the roof of Buckingham Palace for the Golden Jubilee, they'll have to go a long way to top that.

The only thing I am curious of is why are they having the jubilee celebration four months after the fact? Didn't she ascend in February?

She's only the second queen to keep that title after sixty years.

Obviously, Dave, you have not been in London in Feb!

I have ... I flew out out London on the 15th of February many years ago and vividly remember trudging through the snow so it's a good move to wait til June.
But I saw one weather report that they're expecting heavy rains the day of the Thames flotilla?
That will be a shame if it does.

February in London ...... ewwwww! Hope the weather holds.

No, I've never even been to London at all, but I have contended with 12.5" of snow in February here in Dallas.

The main feature of English weather is not heat, cold, rain, drought or anything like that, but simply unpredictability. If the organizers thought they'd have a chance of fine weather in June, they must have forgotten the Queen's coronation - held in early June in pouring rain!

Who could forget Queen Salote riding through the deluge in an open carriage, smiling and waving as though the heavens poured cold water on her every day?

Queen Salote was a very tall woman, and quite large as is the Tongan way. She shared the carriage with the Sultan of Kelantan, who was relatively small and not nearly as outgoing. So when someone asked Noel Coward who was with Queen Salote, he replied "Her lunch?"

It's almost certain that it will rain tomorrow but the current prediction is that the heaviest rain will fall about 60-70 miles north of London. In other words, right over my house!

Well you'd better get up to Buck House quick!

it is due to rain here all day Tuesday at the moment, soggy party!

Tom, have you been to Texas? That sounds exactly like my weather...unpredictable.

I do hope the jubilee celebration goes well without any issues.

A convoy of a thousand boats on the Thames! I must admit I'm quite excited about that.

The BBC has done a slide show about previous Thames pageants in case anyone's interested:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18107913

Have a jolly marvellous time everyone! Pip pip, cheerio and all that rot

Some lovely pics here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-18302995
(I am sooo homesick!)

Are you doing anything in Hong Kong, Ren? Getting together with some expats or something?

We have a boat from Jersey taking part in the pageant.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-jersey-16410341

This is an image tweeted by Peter J Holland and judging by other comments I think he was the photographer. I hope so, because overnight this image has gone viral.

Buckingham Palace dressed up for the Jubilee

One of the entries from Jersey in the Chelsea Flower Show last week was moved to Epson Racecourse as it was deemed appropriate for the Queen so see yesterday. She liked it when she saw it last week so will probably be surprised to see it again a week later.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-jersey-18247845

Fabulous photo, Flopsey!

I'm watching the SKY coverage - it just seemed more appropriate to listen to English commentators than Australian ones lol.
It looks like the weather is improving as the day goes on

The security must be astounding with about a million people expected to watch from the banks.

Dave, yes she did ascend in February 1952 but the Coronation wasn't until June 1953, so even though the actual 60 year anniversary was in February they are marking it with the official celebrations on Coronation weekend. This is also her "official" birthday (she has two) and usually we have Trooping the Colour this weekend.

I'm watching the river pageant on TV, and at the moment it look as though it has pretty much stopped raining. Certainly Kate and William have just arrived without an umbrella in sight. She looks lovely, bright red outfit. The river banks and bridges are jam packed and people slept out on the embankments last night to get a good place. We don't let a bit of rain stop us - we're too used to it for that.

Apart from anything else, who wants to have a big celebration week in the winter? February in the UK is not something that you want, possibly snow and certainly pretty cold by UK standards.

There are some good pictures in the Daily Telegraph.

The Queen's official birthday this year will be on 16th June, marked as usual by Trooping the Colour - I assume it was deferred because of there being so many events this weekend but it is always a movable feast and can be held on either the first, second, or third Saturday in June. I hope the Queen uses next weekend to soak her feet after standing up all that time today!

During all this pageantry, celebration, and partying let us take a moment to remember the woman that made all of this possible, Wallis Simpson! Liz would never had made it to the throne if it wasn't for her.

Actually she probably would have made it to the throne, just not to her Jubilee. Edward didn't show much sign of wanting to settle down and providing an heir not alone a spare so she probably would have ended up as queen.

Flopsy - I was surprised she stood up all the time. It looked as though there was plenty of comfortable seating provided, yet she and Philip stayed on their feet, which isn't bad at 86 and 90 respectively. And of course, as no-one else is allowed to sit unless she does.... I just hope Camilla and Kate had comfortable shoes on!

I thought Camilla seemed to be dancing just a tiny little bit to the "Jack's the Lad" hornpipe played by the London Philharmonic Orchestra towards the end of the pageant.

Yes, I noticed that. I think one of the more bizarre sights I've seen was a full orchestra floating down river on a boat complete with choir singing their hearts out, even though they looked soaked to the skin.

I thought Charles, Camilla, and Catherine were all jiggling - his dress sword was keeping time anyway.

And that choir... aww. Still, they were determined to do their bit and they sounded fine so what's a good soaking between clefs? I was sorry we didn't get a bit more of the bells leading the whole flotilla - it took them years to plan that boat, cast the bells, tune and mount them, and we saw hardly anything of them. Plus at 105 decibels you'd have thought we'd have heard more of them.