The Great British motto: Always Have a Plan B

Yesterday our family joined in the nation's Diamond Jubilee celebrations with a little do of our own with a few friends. It was more sedate than past celebrations.

I celebrated the Silver Jubilee as a teenager working in London. I remember walking along Knightsbridge arm in arm with some friends, singing. In my tone-deafedness there's a part of Streets of London that leads naturally, for me, into the 23rd Psalm and such was my enthusiasm I took the others along with me. We'd started out in a couple of local pubs and were heading back to the bank we were working in for some serious partying.

For the Golden Jubilee our family hosted a formal meal. I decorated the house in red, white and blue, we dressed up in red, white and blue and I cooked a sit down meal for eight of coronation chicken starter followed by crown roast of lamb and ending with cherries jubilee.

For the Diamond Jubilee we aimed for something more informal and relaxed, a barbecue! No-one can say we're not optimists but we had a plan B. If it was dry we'd barbecue the meat and serve it with salad outside. If it was wet we'd grill it and serve it with salad inside. I've spent hours in the garden over the past few weeks getting it looking good for just this occasion so I was keeping everything crossed for fine weather to eat outside.

Come the day it was pouring all morning but it dried up by midday and although it was too cold to sit out we had hopes of barbecued meat. The barbecue was lit, with some difficulty, the meat cooking away nicely and then...OF COURSE, it started to rain. Gently at first, ok...then the heavens opened and we participated in another great British tradition...barbecuing under an umbrella! My brother manned the barbecue, brolly in hand, and I dashed between him and the kitchen transferring the meat to a warming pan in the oven as it finished cooking. It was a hoot! It gave us all a good laugh and didn't detract one iota from the fun we all had.

I'd had the foresight to put all the decorations up indoors, just in case, so we were surrounded by red, white and blue bunting, spinners and a wealth of balloons. Not to mention the Union Jack flying outside the house, another pinned over the fireplace and Union Jack tablecloth, plates, napkins and cups on the table. Totally and completely over the top and no doubts whatsoever as to what WE were celebrating!

It was great, we watched the Thames Pageant on television, laughed over our barbecue and the vagaries of our weather, enjoyed our meal and toasted our Queen.