Hundreds of man hours, poured in streams

Fingers blistered with the working needle

As it dolphin dives between the seams.

Months of labour and miles of cloth

Cut and polished in age old patterns

And all we see on that one big day

Is the beauty and majesty of marching bands

Playing the tunes of this ancient land.

If you are in the UK there is a great documentary on at the moment, all about the factories that are working around the clock to make the uniforms for the Coronation day parades.

The making of all the uniforms is one of those things that you don’t think about so much, even though it is such an important part of the day. There are literally thousands of uniforms that need to either be made oraltered. The badge is changing from EIIR to the new CIIIR, so all of these need to be done, and that is just one task.

I couldn’t believe the skill that goes into this as everything is made by hand and this includes things like helmets and buttons. These are age old skills that are really dying out and it’s amazing to watch these really skilled people doing their job.

Unfortunately, I’m running along the Thames Path during Saturday and Sunday so I won’t be able to watch live. However, I will be running past so many important sites, including Windsor Castle so I’m sure I’ll pass through a few riverside parties as I go.

Much Love

Rachel xx