Street Party

Lyvedon Road street party yesterday in the "Big E" off Charlton Road (Couthurst, Hassendean, Furzefield and Lyvedon) . I wasn't expecting too much but have to say that that it was about as good as you could have wished for. There are not too many young children in the Big E so invites were extended to wider families and grandchildren, hence our presence. My Mum has lived there for nearly 30 years, so I know many of the residents, including all of the Addicks of course. Proof that the kids enjoyed it is the fact that it's ten to eight on Sunday morning and they are still asleep in bed! 


They started off with a rendition of God Save the Queen then got on with the sit-down and drinking. There was a children's entertainer who told stories, sang songs and played games with the younger children before the mini Olympics. Sixty years on from the Queen's Coronation and the Sack Race and the Egg-and-Spoon are just as competitive and enjoyable as they have ever been. My four year old dashed for glory in the Egg-and-Spoon and collected the Gold in spite of holding the egg with her other hand throughout. They had a fancy dress competition properly won by a family who had put a lot of effort into dressing their kids in war-time evacuee clothing complete with identity cards and gas masks! Pirates and Superhero costumes just weren't going to cut it...


Towards the end of the afternoon the main event took place. A hotly contested Tug-of-War between Lyvedon and the rival Couthurst parties. Before the first pull it looked like it might be a bit one-sided as the Lyvedon side looked much larger than Couthurst, but it was their rope and  they looked quietly confident. The best-of-three were very close affairs and we nicked it 2-1. Amazing how much my calves and forearms are hurting this morning!


Pity about the weather today but the Flotilla of 1,000 ships will look impressive nonetheless as it winds it's way down the greatest city-river on earth. Two successive public holidays and the European Championships kick-off on Friday. Wimbledon and the Olympics to come and this should be a memorable Summer in London, especially if the sun shines.