The Platinum Jubilee brought back memories for Steve. Lovely diary.

The platinum jubilee reminded me of this story, especially when the queen came into view in that magnificent golden carriage.

My mum had a load of brothers and sisters most of them living in and around manchester, but the oldest, my Uncle Tom was a very successful and wealthy man.

He lived in a huge posh house on a gated private road, in London ,and also had a flat in Mayfair.

It was 1953, coronation year and my dad drove down to London with mum and my sister viv to not only see uncle Tom and his wife Christine, but to see the coronation. We stayed in this huge posh house.

Now In those days televisions were a rarety, but he had the only one on his road and all the other residents on this road were millionaires.

The plan was we would drive as near as we could to the coronation route, I can’t remember if we got the tube or not, anyway there we were, thousands of people most with cardboard periscopes so they could see, I was sat on my dad’s shoulders.

The crowd suddenly went mad shouting and cheering as the gold coach came slowly into view, the queen, or I suppose princess Elizabeth waving to the crowd.

When it passed we made our way back to the car and my dad drove us back to uncle Toms house.

In his living room there were dozens of chairs all filled with his neighbours watching the black and white tv and the crowning of the queen.

We all watched in silence.

This memory had long since been archived in my brain, but because of recent events it came flooding back in quite remarkable detail.

I just  wonder how ma,by others amongst us have a similar memory?