Royal Wedding - Glimpses of Birds

Trees border the red carpet

My wife was up at 4:30 AM EDT to watch the royal wedding on television. I was not quite as dedicated - I was up at 6:00. It is notable that the bride desired an "English Garden" look (1) at her wedding, so trees were brought into Westminster Abbey to provide the desired appearance of an outdoor garden, on the inside. I can relate to the desire of having the outside on the inside - whether physically, or by way of windows, or just looking through garden magazines - it all seems to make living spaces more real, as life should be, lived in a garden. While watching the ceremonies and festive crowd (2) between the time the prince and princess climbed into their Royal Carriage and the

Trees border the Mall

Royal Air Force flyby (here, here, and here), I occasionally spotted another kind of flyby - one appropriate to an out-of-doors English garden, a kind of flyby that can complement the shrubbery inside the cathedral. Birds were flying across the security lines - a dark silhouette once, and light blur again - spectators without borders - free to come and go as they please. From areal perspectives of the spectators along the entourage's route to Buckingham Palace, or in a telephoto shot down a boulevard, there were birds freely traversing as they pleased - adding a nice touch to the garden-themed event. The preparations for wedding seem to have gone flawlessly - a lot of work paid off. See photographs of the garden preparations here and here. The live trees will be planted back in Highgrove Gardens, an organic garden owned by the Prince of Wales.
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(1) The English garden look, and a local adaptation with intended outcomes.

(2) When we checked into our condominium yesterday,  we couldn't miss noticing the preparations in the business office for the royal wedding. When we asked about the decorations, Gwen told us her

Celebration in Delaware

brother in England had sent her some notions commemorating the event, with instructions to also buy a "wedding" cake. We had a pleasant conversation and supported her enthusiasm - she offered us a piece if we would stop by today. We did, and after asking her for a picture to document the moment, she was more than willing to pose for this photograph - a hat included to be in the full spirit of the day. It was a great way to finish off the afternoon after a leisurely time at the beach, including a review of the news stories on-line and on the television.