Or “It’s a Knockout” contests- a silly European gameshow we had here in the 70s. It was a riot and I loved it. It was great laughing at the Swiss, Germans, French, Italians, Belgians (can’t remember which other countries were represented). There was one game in particular which still sticks in my mind where the players dressed in penguin outfits effectively blindfolded with country identifying bibs (UK, D for Germany, CH for Switzerland, B for Belgium, F for France etc), had to mount a circular black and white spinning platform, collect water from a high up tap into a bucket, dismount the spinning roundabout and tip the water into an outsize measuring tube and then the next team player got on. The team with the most water got most points.There was a joker to play on your best chosen game to get double points. Of course the roundabout got wet and so there were all these sprawling penguins going round and round on the roundabout, falling off and getting back on etc repeat repeat. It was a hoot! In fact the Royal Family over here did It’s a Royal Knockout one year and that was really funny too. Wouldn’t this just lend itself so well to World Politics instead of bombing the hell out of each other? Seriously?
The Coronation is on TV right now, the choir just ended with - hallelujah!. “We are here to crown a King.” Before that I watched Ben Hur. Chariot races, has it advanced since then, the weapons and tools have gotten bigger, I keep wondering if the mentality has, even my own. Last night I watched a 3 Stooges pie fight
I didn’t watch the Coronation. I don’t give a freeze dried turd for King Charles and his reptilian wife. We did have a celebratory street party (day off work! Wa- hey!) which I went to with my daughters. We’ve lived in our house since 1983. When we moved here, I had 2 pre-school kids and carried on to have more. This was a great road, full of families with kids and that’s how we knew most of our neighbours. Then there was an odd patch when empty nesters down sized or moved to seaside towns. My kids were no longer kids. There were a couple of years when many of our friends moved and homes were empty being renovated.Then came Covid. Yesterday I could see there are loads of kids again and I’m pleased. Our road’s not grand in any way but the houses are old and roomy, next door to a park. Everything is within reasonable walking distance (library, sports center, transport to central London is 20 minutes by train etc). It’s a great suburb, we never want to move. Next to the homes that once belonged to friends ours looks a bit tatty. We still have curtains in the windows! Our driveway is falling apart. I intend to get blinds or shutters for the front facing windows. Curtains are naff. It was a great excuse for a party, but we didn’t put up bunting or flags to honor the Royalty, which many of the neighbours did. Screw ‘em. Royalty, I mean. Not long weekends and street parties. Those are ace.
Haha. No I had other stuff to do as well. I watched the highlights on the New at Ten- the whole half hour was taken up with it. I like Zadok the Priest by Handel. Quite what a Jewish priest adviser to Solomon and David has to with the British Royalty coronation I’m not sure. I’ll have to ask someone about that I think. Anyhoo (as you like to say @SweetFannyAddams I enjoyed our half street party too. The sun shone, the kids played hopscotch so there was coloured chalk all over the road, the food was great (a great big chocolate cake with chocolate buttons from M&S bought by my neighbour), sarnies, celery and carrot sticks etc. I took a bottle of sparkling rhubarb and grape juice I had lying around). Had a good old chinwag with peeps before running off to catch The Three Musketeers at the Curzon Richmond which was great! Lots of derring do- firing muskets and sword fighting. Eva Green as the baddie and Vincent Cassel as D’Artagnan oh and it was all in French! Fab. Only 5 of us there. Apparently Part 2 is in December (to be continued…). I hung out some home made bunting and a Union Jack flag. I guess I like the idea of the country/nation states- it’s fun and gives a sense of identity. I just wish they wouldn’t keep fighting each other. I mean “War? Huh! What is it good for? Absolutely NOTHING!” 
We wouldn’t have the World Cup or International Sports without them would we? I think they’re a good thing for bringing people together. 
Oops that doesn’t read quite right but you get my general drift.