The Queen, The Canal and the Wedding Party

As a committed republican I've always said that I wouldn't walk to the end of our road to see the Queen, but when faced with the prospect of doing just that I must confess my curiosity got the better of me today.
The Queen (or "The Duke of Lancaster" as she's also known locally - something to do with King Edward III and the Black Prince) was due to arrive in town on the Royal Train and as the main line from the south runs past the bottom of our garden I thought it would be interesting to see that at least. But Liz fooled us by cunningly arriving from the North thus bypassing our little welcoming party.

However, we then found out that she planned to abandon the train at Lancaster and make her way out of the city by car along the A6, which passes "the end of our road", an hour later. I was a bit surprised she'd apparently borrowed someone's Range Rover for the journey but it was definitely her - sitting on the right in the back (does she ever get to sit in the front?). She even waved at me in that funny little way of hers as she passed!

After all the morning's excitement I thought the best way to calm down would be to take a trip along the Lancaster Canal and do some boat mooring checking for the Canal & River Trust. I'd left it too take to cycle or take the bus (we have to do the checks during CRT's office hours so that we can report in and out under their Lone Working Policy) so I had to drive from site to site, but it did mean I arrived at Tewitfield in time to see this wedding party, which had decamped from their reception at the  nearby Longlands Hotel to take a few photos on the towpath!

That was quite enough excitement for one day, so I came home.