Well, all the excitement of the Coronation has died down now, but gosh, don't we Brits know how to do pomp and pageantry? It was fabulous. I sat down with my knitting and did a few rows of my new winter hat. I thought that the king looked a bit miffed at having to wait, and even then his son and heir had to bring up the rear, which upset the applecart rather (let's face it, they could hardly trot past and overtake!) Someone will have got an ear-bashing for getting that wrong!
Westminster Abbey looked absolutely amazing - how I would love to visit it, but we just live too far away. I tickled me that Princess Ann was sat in front of Harry, with a big plume at the back of her hat, so his view must have been a bit impeded :) The very least that someone that disloyal and destructive to his family might expect. Gosh, if she got him in a room on his own, I think he'd get the sharp side of her tongue as she's known for not mincing her words at the best of times. She's her father's daughter I feel.
The King looked rather vulnerable when stripped down to just a shirt. I was reminded of his namesake Charles I, who asked for a 2nd shirt he could wear for his execution, fearing that any shivering from the cold might be mistaken for fear.
As the Ceremony went on, the King looked less nervous than he had at the start. Camilla, bless her, just looked a bit bored! I bet they were SO glad to get back to Buckingham Palace and get those heavy crowns off - apparently the King's crown weighs 5 lbs.
Oh and to the Bridgerton actress who remarked that the family on the balcony were "terribly white" - well love, that's because they are. Bridgerton is a fictional world after all.
It is raining, again, and so the chap who was coming to cut the grass today won't be here. It's gotten very long too, but hey-ho, it won't rain forever, surely? I am going to finally get seeds sown. So far the only things I've planted are a couple of small things from pots (Aubretia and the like, and a beautiful Campanula which has gone in a small planter and absolutely filled it.) The mixed boxes of corms and seeds from Tescos have done really well - I have about 5 planters with them in and they are growing well. They were a very good buy.
The kittens are having a little bit of outside time each day. Lulu is fine. Pippi goes out in her harness, but yesterday escaped through an open door without it, and although she went out the front gate, I managed to get in front of her and shoo her back in.
This afternoon I am going to sit down and watch Badminton Horse Trials, and do a bit more knitting. Coverage is just two hours which includes both yesterday's x-country AND today's live show jumping. The BBC no longer does the coverage and so you get short-changed. I used to love watching all of the x-country live when they filmed it. Ah well, nothing stays the same.
Enjoy your Bank Holiday Monday. I have just joined the Devon Family History Society again, after a gap of many years. Let's hope 2023 is the year I break my main line (Bolt) brick wall. Cannot for the life of me definitively find a birth place/parents for William Bolt.
May is such a good month for many shades of green - not much left without leaves now .
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Enjoy the small bit of Badminton - I used to enjoy watching it too, especially the cross country
What a magnificent display from beginning to end. We watched here until our yes couldn't stay open another minute - as they were processing down the Mall on the way home. Loved it all. And I'm pleased the Brits have enjoyed street parties and participating in the events, things that bring people together are pretty important post-covid.
ReplyDeleteSo green. Aren’t we lucky. After a glorious day of bluebell wood walking and a spot of gardening yesterday during the late evening when all was dark and peaceful I listened to the song of the nightingale through the open doors of the garden room. Not raining here yet and we are out for ourbconstitutional walk to breathe in the scent of the bluebell woods and to check on the progress of orchids and lambs. I haven’t experienced such a damp cool spring for a long time and the garden is loving it. I got the eGo mower out at 5 o’clock yesterday and did a quick 30 minute high cut around the paths and edges. The ‘No mow’ bits are full of real bluebells, cowslips, primroses, cuckoo flower, cow parsley and spent bulb foliage from snowdrops, crocus, narcissi, fritillaries - and that’s just the garden. The wildflower meadow is even more exciting with hundreds of thousands of yellow rattle plants, the dandelions are mostly spent and the flat silvery star outline that remains once the seeds have been eaten is a revelation. Purple vetch, lesser stitchwort, pale blue speedwell, creamy tormentil, yellow crosswort are all flowering and we have mounds of black medic. This half acre meadow is my pride and joy and we’re only on year five. It is my homage to Charles III and all he has done to foster the creation of new meadows. I am reading Jenny Uglow’s book, A Gambling Man: Charles II and the Restoration. It would seem that most of the ceremony and artefacts we saw on Saturday are a consequence of the restoration of the monarchy when to be seen to be rich and powerful was everything. Did you watch Patrick Grant’s excellent programme about the making of the ceremonial uniforms? It was on BBC2 on Wednesday 3 May. I am an admirer of Princess Anne who taught me how to mount and sit and ride side saddle when I was a horse ranger. I was hoping Anne would ride side saddle in the procession but she rode like the cavalry. My favourite bit after the immaculate procession was all the British grown flowers decorating the Abbey which were there but not there as they blended so well into the Quire and High Alter and I loved the margin of wild flowers decorating the tomb of the Unknown Warrior which echoed the design of the invitation. Have a great day BB. Sarah x
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