Are you doing the VE Day street party?

[spinthebottle]

There’s been a widely shared VE Day social distancing street party with tea and cake decorating houses etc, are you/your street getting involved? It’s been shared on our streets WhatsApp but I’m not sure how it’s possible really. We have front gardens but they’re not huge. Just wondering what other people’s thoughts are or if you are doing it?

I'm glad for people who are looking forward to this and I hope you all have a lovely time.

However I can't bear the idea, people won't social distance after they've had a drink...also the neighbour who's organised ours has done a few street parties now and they seem to focus on her getting the chance to perform a dance for everyone and then lapping up people thanking her for the whole event afterwards. Don't hear from her the rest of the year!?

We're all going for a long walk to avoid!

I was happy to sit out front and drink tea, but I'm not keen on all the jollity, and now I can't really get out of it.

So just sit and drink tea. 🤷🏻‍♀️ They’re only neighbours, they really can’t make you do anything.

No as I find the whole thing distasteful and if there was ever a time for it, now surely is not it.

My neighbours are awful so, no. One of them is an overbearing creep who used to hide in bushes to look up at my bedroom window and he's had chairs parked on his drive since 8am in readiness. Things like this are so awkward when you don't like your neighbours.

There’s a similar thread already doing the rounds which I’ve already posted on to say yes, we’re doing a socially distanced street party in our cul-de-sac. Im not organising it, but I will go out and have some cake.

I’m going to shamelessly repost something else I posted on that thread to give a second plug to something my friends are organising it.

*If anyone wants to stay indoors and still get in the VE Day mood, can I recommend a look at some VE Day (fictionalised) monologues which have been put together by friends of mine who run Greenham Common Control Tower near Newbury, Berkshire? (Site of the old American Airbase, where US airforce planes departed from to take part in D-Day in 1944. Also site of the famous women’s peace camp in the 1980s, but that’s a different story!)

It’s really quite moving, a tribute to the ordinary people who kept the home fires burning during the war. It talks about their experiences and hopes and fears for the future. Was supposed to be performed as part of a play and exhibition at Greenham Common Control Tower this week, but had to go online because of lockdown.*

www.greenhamtower.org.uk/eight-on-the-8th-2/

I has a text from my neighbour last night. A few of us are meeting at a safe distance on our driveways for a cup of tea this afternoon. Nothing special arranged, just an excuse for a catch up really.

I don’t have a front garden and live on a main road with buses stopping outside my door every 10 mins, so no i won’t be doing it.
Also not really in the mood to party as i’m anxiously waiting for test results.

Our village had a few things arranged for today including a street party but, obviously, all been cancelled.

There has been suggestions of people sitting in their front gardens and having a picnic. We all have large front gardens with no hedges or fences separating so could be quite good. We might wait and see if anyone else does it and then decide if we are going to or not.

We have put quite a few flags up though

The problem I have with the argument that "now isn't the time for it" is that 25 year anniversaries are special, it can't really be delayed. The people who can remember VE Day are very unlikely to be alive for the 100th.

There were big plans for it that have had to change, but I still think marking the occasion is important — it just has to be done responsibly and carefully. Having a socially-distanced street party seems a good compromise.

Only one house on our street has bunting out. There's been no mention of it on the village FB page or the NextDoor one.

Irresponsible of the government not to get everyone to cancel it and do it next year instead. Just do 76 years instead of 75. It's an arbitrary number anyway.