I had a night off last night. I’m going to claim that it is part of recharging my creativity and avoiding RSI. It might just be laziness and an inclination to watch low quality TV, but that’s for me to know and you to wonder.
This morning I had a blood test. The result was not good when they phoned it through- a rise of approximately 20%, meaning they are even more worried than they were last week. Did I tell you I’d had a letter from the anti-coagulant service? I forget these things. I don’t know if my test results triggered it or if they sent them out to everyone. It seems that during lockdown they have found people’s levels rising, which is a concern as it makes us more likely to bleed. It isn’t, to be fair, much of a worry to me because I don’t seem to be having any unusual bruising or bleeding, but the medical staff take all this very seriously.
I was a bit slow dressing this morning and struggled to get a parking spot. As a consequence, I forgot to take my mask with me and had to use one from the hospital dispenser by the door. Did you know they make masks in different sizes? The ones I bought at the beginning of the pandemic were a decent size and covered my face. The ones my sister made me were also a decent size. The one they gave me at the vaccination centre gave good coverage too (even though it was a poor fit and, I suggest, not as effective as the sister-made one I was already wearing, which sealed well around my nose).
A Man in a Mask made by his Sister
The one I wore this morning was smaller and only covered my nose and mouth simultaneously if I balanced it carefully. I won’t say more – us big-faced people are used to this sort of discrimination – but it’s written here as a a snippet for future students who may use my blog as part of a dissertation about life in lockdown.
The Duke of Edinburgh died today. As a seller of second hand goods my first thought was for the family and the second, which followed quickly behind, was that we should get on eBay and start putting prices up. As if they were mind-readers, several customers beat us to it in the search for commemorative coins. I’m sure there will be others issued soon, as coin producers will have been getting ready for his 100th birthday and many of the dies will have been prepared. A quick change of wording and they will still be usable.
The royal souvenir market is a volatile one – it was great in Victorian times but they really caught a cold on Edward VIII. All the stuff was made, then suddenly there was no coronation. Incidentally, did you know that they crowned George VI on the same date as the planned coronation of Edward VIII, as it was easier and they didn’t need to alter most of the arrangements? What a way to start a reign. It’s bad enough being forced to be King, but even worse when you are made to use the hand-me-down coronation arrangements.
Medallions of Edward VIII
He’s been a hard-working man all his life, with a solid naval career behind him and a record of 22,219 solo engagements and 5,493 speeches since 1952. I don’t know how many other things he did, but it’s a record that some of the younger royals may want to think about.
However, we seem to have four TV channels broadcasting programmes about him and I’m not sure that we need all that. A few dignified programmes would have been plenty (and they have clearly been making programmes in preparation for this day). I’m just hoping that when the Queen dies it’s a Tuesday or a Wednesday – there’s never much worth watching then anyway. Another snippet before I go – did you know that the death of George V was managed by his personal physician so that it could be reported in the morning by The Times, rather than the evening papers, which were felt to be less dignified? As a member of the Royal Family, even your death isn’t left to chance.
So my question to you, as an actual Brit, is will the Queen step down (and is abdicate) the correct term?
Abdicate is the correct term. There has been talk of her abdicating for years and letting Charles take over, We don’t have a tradition of royalty retiring, they just slow down. They have little actual power, and no access to nuclear weapons, so it doesn’t matter if they get old and confused. I mean, what state would the world be in if we allowed senile old fogies to have access to nuclear weapons and real power?
This made my year….
🙂 In that case I can retire for the rest of 2021.
😉
Nooooo! Who will speak the truth and make me laugh?
I’m sure there are others capable of doing this amongst your considerable fan base. However, if you insist…
Totally insist….
That conforms it, you are a woman of good taste and refinement. 🙂
😉
I am sorry to read about your bloods, Quercus. I hadn’t known about George VI’s hand me down arrangements. Of course we have been expecting the death of Prince Philip for a few weeks.
t must be strange to be a public figure, particularly royalty, and know that the media has been making preparations for your death for years.
Every time an icon that I have known all my life goes, it hits home that the line is getting shorter. 🙂
That is true – he has been there all my life and the new generation of Royals don’t measure up in so many ways.
Change is the one constant in life, for better, or for worse.
That is true. 😉
The same thing happens here when someone famous dies. Well, it’s the passing of an era, isn’t it?
It is, but it doesn’t require so many TV stations to switch to 100% coverage. 🙂
And I can just imagine what the anti-royalists will start harping on about.
The same people who are praising him now have been on his back for decades about other things. Like all of us, he had his good points and his faults. But it’s no excuse for blanket TV coverage.
And your request to see some farming is at https://paolsoren.wordpress.com/2021/04/08/16697/
Thank you. I will pop over and have a look. 🙂
Interesting stuff on coins. I had heard that about George V, but with reference to your suggestion for Her Majesty would point out that catch-up TV seems to be good on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Hope the health issues are minor.
TV and the Queen – another fact. My grandfather built his own TV to watch the coronation.
I share your view that the coverage was excessive. I missed a potentially interesting item on the history of lawns because of it.
That would have been interesting. I once had an interesting encounter with a ha-ha at a Sealed Knot muster. It involved drink and a sudden descent. Since then I must confess I have been intrigued by the historical aspects of gradening.
Our local duke insisted on having a ha-ha built when football pitches were installed on his grounds. This was to preserve the view from a sporting lodge which had long been demolished. He took ha-has seriously.
I took them more seriously when I eventually emerged. 🙂