Happy Birthday, Ma'am

The Queen is 92 today [that makes her just 3 months older than Jim-next-door]

Here she is cutting a previous birthday cake with Nadya H.

Whether or not you are a Royalist, you have to admit that she has a very full diary for a nonagenarian.

As Matriarch of her family, she's got a lot going on at home to keep her busy, quite apart from Royal duties.

Her husband Philip has only just left hospital after a hip replacement.

One grandson is due to get married next month - and the other should be announcing the birth of his third child any day now.

Those are all good news stories.

On a less happy note, her favourite corgi, Willow, had to be put to sleep last weekend. Willow starred alongside HM and Daniel Craig/James Bond in that amazing Olympics Opening Ceremony.

She announced yesterday that she hopes Prince Charles will succeed her as head of the Commonwealth. She has been a great champion for this fellowship of nations, and I hope peace and harmony will continue to be the order of the day with this one.

Weddings, babies, illness, pets, concerns for one's children...these are all features of ordinary family life with which many of us will identify. May Her Maj be blessed with a birthday full of live, love and laughter. I hope they won't expect her to blow out 92 candles though!

Long to reign over us, happy and glorious, God save our Queen!