"At least celebrating a coronation is a better reason than celebrating the execution of a Catholic or the calendar changing from December to January.


I think there's a quasi-philosophical point here, Doug. We're not really talking about reasons to celebrate, we're talking more about excuses to celebrate. Not necessarily to celebrate specific events (such as coronations, to pluck a random example from the air), but, in consideration of the fact that this life is nought but a vale of tears, to celebrate even the tiniest things that strike us as positives. We all need more excuses and more celebrations. If the coronation lights yer fire, go for it. Mrs Steve and I started the evening with a gin and tonic. We couldn't think what we might drink to, and I certainly wasn't going to be raising a glass to Prince Flappyears or his erstwhile mistress, but then we remembered that G&T was the Queen Mother's favourite lunchtime tipple...and afternoon tea tipple...and pre-prandial evening tipple...and bedtime tipple...