tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post3022710119561205117..comments2023-05-02T12:33:58.182+01:00Comments on Perpetually In Transit: Sixty years of servicePerpetuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01214396019726161983noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-3304813714053494682012-02-09T10:55:38.848+00:002012-02-09T10:55:38.848+00:00C, thanks for reminding me that some people really...C, thanks for reminding me that some people really do have the Queen as a neighbour as well as a monarch. So different to see her and her family routinely around the area, instead of only on TV or glimpsed on an official visit. It’s probably easier in those circumstances to picture the comfy slippers and cup of tea scenario, with the corgis on the sofa, and this is a welcome contrast to the image of pomp and formality which surrounds her so much of the time. The woman as well as the sovereign.Perpetuahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01214396019726161983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-42119072476853489522012-02-09T06:18:13.337+00:002012-02-09T06:18:13.337+00:00Perpetua, as you know, this is my next-door neighb...Perpetua, as you know, this is my next-door neighbour we're talking about! (I exaggerate only slightly!) I missed all the coronation excitement, for which I blame my parents, but only because they hadn't even met at the time. Round these parts, I guess we take the royals for granted, as they form part of the local landscape. But then, they form part of the national landscape too, and it would be quite a different landscape without them. I like to think of her "indoors" at Windsor Castle, in a pair of comfy slippers with her feet up, enjoying a nice cup of tea and watching the TV. It would be good to think that she can (and does) relax from time to time! She's certainly earned it!Croixblancheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01192628008722634336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-7470165982392824302012-02-08T09:09:27.090+00:002012-02-08T09:09:27.090+00:00Thanks, DB. I agree entirely with what you say. Du...Thanks, DB. I agree entirely with what you say. Duty isn't a word we hear often today, but if we want to know what it means in practice, we only have to look at the Queen. As for the hard work, she appears to be indefatigable at an age when most people are taking life very easy.Perpetuahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01214396019726161983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-38551453165269986902012-02-07T23:46:20.208+00:002012-02-07T23:46:20.208+00:00Hear, hear! What an extraordinary example of duty ...Hear, hear! What an extraordinary example of duty and hard work the Queen sets the rest of us. I often think we don't know how lucky we are to have had her steady hand at the helm for so long. Perhaps this Jubilee year will help to remind us. God bless her!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-32155411113262442842012-02-07T15:52:56.966+00:002012-02-07T15:52:56.966+00:00Ich sehe es anders, R. Ja, was in den Kriegesjahre...Ich sehe es anders, R. Ja, was in den Kriegesjahren geschehen ist, kann man nicht leicht vergessen oder vergeben. Aber was Ihr nach dem Krieg geschaffen habt, wie Deutschland sich wiederaufgebaut und für Frieden und Kooperation in Europa gearbeitet hat, davon dürft Ihr meiner Meinung nach stolz sein.<br /><br />Ich meine wie Du, dass die Königin am tollsten ihre Rolle gespielt hat. Noch heute arbeitet sie trotz ihren 85 Jahren rechy tüchtig. Eine erstaunliche Frau.Perpetuahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01214396019726161983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-60149306614229880012012-02-07T13:01:00.097+00:002012-02-07T13:01:00.097+00:00Absolutely, Ayak. The amazing thing is that she se...Absolutely, Ayak. The amazing thing is that she seems to have no intention of withdrawing from public life and still works very hard and conscientiously. She must have great stamina and self-discipline.Perpetuahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01214396019726161983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-25284352560040463722012-02-07T12:58:42.913+00:002012-02-07T12:58:42.913+00:00Thank you, Debra, it was good to recall them on th...Thank you, Debra, it was good to recall them on that special day. Are you reading the book by Andrew Marr, by any chance? I mentioned in my reply to Penny that I watched the first part of his documentary and would be interested to read the book that goes with it. <br /><br />I shall look forward to reading your post on the Queen and your memorabilia of her coronation. I can easily imagine your Scottish grandmother passing on to you her respect and admiration for her, even on your side of the pond. Over here all the schoolchildren were give a coronation mug, but sadly mine hasn’t withstood the ravages of time.Perpetuahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01214396019726161983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-80176898518448445242012-02-07T12:31:11.633+00:002012-02-07T12:31:11.633+00:00Thank you Penny, both for your appreciation of my ...Thank you Penny, both for your appreciation of my post and also of our Queen. It is good to know that her dedicated service and yes, constancy (such a good word to describe her) is so widely recognised outside Britain as well as here. I think you make an important point with your distinction between the office and the holder and the respect due to the latter. <br /><br />Yesterday evening I watched the first part of a 3 part documentary by Andrew Marr on the sixty years of the Queen’s reign and ended it more impressed than ever by her self-discipline and sheer hard work, which continues at an age when most of us are long retired and following our own interests.<br /><br />Finally, I love the thought of my grandmother placing me, probably all unwittingly, in the context of history. It certainly opened my eyes to the world outside the safe confines of home. It’s fun too to think of you as a child learning about our Queen through her visit to your city, just as I too remember her visit to my very ordinary little home town.<br /><br />PS Thank you for the link to such a beautifully-written postPerpetuahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01214396019726161983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-47843766873679158682012-02-07T12:14:57.458+00:002012-02-07T12:14:57.458+00:00Friko I would guess that a fair proportion of Brit...Friko I would guess that a fair proportion of Britons don’t feel such ties either, but I would hope that they can still recognise how hard she has worked and how well she has fulfilled her role, and indeed continues to do so. There are plenty too who feel just as your Beloved does and revere her.Perpetuahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01214396019726161983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-64591348758437921012012-02-07T09:04:26.192+00:002012-02-07T09:04:26.192+00:00Tja, liebe Perpetua, in Deinem Nationalstolz kann ...Tja, liebe Perpetua, in Deinem Nationalstolz kann ich Dir natürlich nicht folgen, da ich als Deutsche ja keinen mehr haben darf aufgrund der grauenvollen Leistung meines Landes im 2.Weltkrieg. Mir hat übrigens sehr imponiert, dass die Mutter der Queen, als sie selbst in Amt und Würden war, mit ihrer Familie London während des Bombardemants nicht verlassen hat. Das ist Haltung und Pflichterfüllung als Projektionsfläche bzw. als Leitfigur. Wir leiden ja zur zeit unter unserem käuflichen Präsidenten, aber der geht ja bald mit der nächsten Wahl. Und wir dürfen seine Pension bezahlen. Liebe Kathy, ob very british oder nicht, Elisabeth II macht einen tollen Job, da folge ich Dir in Deinen Gefühlen. Ich stoße mit Dir auf die Frau an, die eine würdige Vertreterin unseres Geschlechts ist. Prost und good save the Queen!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-91742117896277066412012-02-07T05:43:09.129+00:002012-02-07T05:43:09.129+00:00I feel the same as Mark really. Leaving personal v...I feel the same as Mark really. Leaving personal views of the monarchy aside, she has done an incredible job. Utter dedication for 60 years would be hard to beat.Ayakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16903896106779269050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-53979738247881172002012-02-07T05:01:06.867+00:002012-02-07T05:01:06.867+00:00I really enjoyed reading your memories, Perpetua. ...I really enjoyed reading your memories, Perpetua. I am currently reading a really wonderful book about Queen Elizabeth. My grandmother gave me such an appreciation for the Queen. I intend to share on that at some point. I have a nice collection of memorabilia from the coronation that I'd like to share...my American friends are a little perplexed with my enthusiasm! This was a wonderful post. I have a great deal of respect for her, too. And that's from the "other" side of the pond :-) DebraAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-21273843986150777252012-02-07T01:38:10.281+00:002012-02-07T01:38:10.281+00:00Me, again. Sorry, but, I thought you might appreci...Me, again. Sorry, but, I thought you might appreciate this post from a gentle blog that I visit. Pamela says better than I how many of us feel about Elizabeth. <br /><br />fromthehouseofedward.blogspot.com/2012/02/elizabeth.htmlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-84441343835063793462012-02-07T01:15:23.748+00:002012-02-07T01:15:23.748+00:00What a heartfelt tribute to the Queen, Perpetua. S...What a heartfelt tribute to the Queen, Perpetua. She has been steadfast and dedicated to her role and her country for so long. I think someone else said constancy. <br /><br />I can only imagine your grandmother's distress at the news of the King's death, but, I'm also struck by the fact that in coming to your room and telling you, she was placing you as a young child into the context of history. That your parents took you to wave at the Queen's cavalcade is also outstanding. So many don't give children these moments in time any more - at least hereabouts. <br /><br />I admire Queen Elizabeth for so many reasons and she deserves credit for all she has done and stands for. Dee's comment about differing views and respecting that is so true. Respectfully disagreeing seems to be a lost art at the moment. I also feel that one should always respect and honor the office held, in spite of one's personal viewpoint. Here I go rambling on. <br /><br />Your pride and honoring the Queen are wonderfully rendered in your words today. <br /><br />My first memory of Queen Elizabeth as an American child was of her visit to Chicago as part of the commemoration of the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway. She stepped onto land at Buckingham Fountain which until this summer I thought was named for Buckingham Palace. (it was for a Chicagoan). Funny how something like that sticks in one's mind.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-42948270850651246632012-02-06T22:53:28.095+00:002012-02-06T22:53:28.095+00:00Not being British I have no great emotional ties t...Not being British I have no great emotional ties to the Queen but I can admire her for the way she has conducted herself over the years. A true monarch.<br /><br />Beloved is of the old school too, he won't have a word said against her.Frikohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04277167831642088694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-74052222066479127892012-02-06T22:33:37.980+00:002012-02-06T22:33:37.980+00:00That must be true of the majority of Britons, Anni...That must be true of the majority of Britons, Annie. The Queen is a fact of life and it's hard to imagine it without her.<br /><br />Having just watched the first part of Andrew Marr's documentary "Diamond Queen", I’m very impressed by how hard she has always worked, not just in public appearances but behind the scenes at her desk. I felt tired just watching her and she's 85!Perpetuahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01214396019726161983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-38689526251744000652012-02-06T22:06:15.365+00:002012-02-06T22:06:15.365+00:00Too young to remember this day so I've spent m...Too young to remember this day so I've spent my whole life with this Queen and can't imagine it any other way. Whilst a very long way from being a royalist, I am always very impressed at the Queen's stamina and commitment - and 'royalness', I suppose is the word.<br />Sixty years is a long time indeed - and yes, I think she's done (and still doing) a sterling job.<br />AxArtyZenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12628693178003940118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-39237594391917712532012-02-06T19:51:08.853+00:002012-02-06T19:51:08.853+00:00Hello Dee. I'm glad you've enjoyed the pos...Hello Dee. I'm glad you've enjoyed the post and the comments. I know that there has always been a lot of interest in the US in our Royal Family, as your memories of seeing wartime pictures of the young princesses show. I think the fact that King George VI and his family remained in London throughout the war is one of the reasons he was much loved and his death was so mourned.<br /><br />I think that I and those who have commented all recognise how devotedly the Queen has served for so long and that her Jubilee isn't the time to debate whether we should still have a monarchy. Speaking purely personally, I value the fact that our head of state is above politics. in addition I hope I would always be able to see the good in someone, even if I profoundly disagreed with what they said or did.Perpetuahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01214396019726161983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-66673564276755952512012-02-06T19:18:51.905+00:002012-02-06T19:18:51.905+00:00Dear Perpetua,
Your posting today and all the comm...Dear Perpetua,<br />Your posting today and all the comments are so interesting to a woman from the United States who was fifteen when Queen Elizabeth II was crowned. I don't have any memories of the day, but I do remember seeing her picture and that of Margaret's many time in the weekly reader we got at the Catholic grade and high school. That was during WWII and after. <br /><br />I wanted to be just like those two sisters--steadfast during the war.<br /><br />I am so impressed with how you in your posting and the readers in their comments acknowledge the dedication of the queen, despite sometimes differing views of the worth of monarchy. In the United States,<br />people often get testy when hearing differing views. Some seem unable to acknowledge the good things that a leader, perhaps a politician, has done.<br /><br />Now I know that the Queen is not a politician, but she is a person of influence on her country. She has and does lead. That's all I mean.<br /><br />Peace.Deehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-68935904127930287372012-02-06T18:57:54.706+00:002012-02-06T18:57:54.706+00:00Hello Astrid and welcome. That is such a clear mem...Hello Astrid and welcome. That is such a clear memory you describe, and very interesting, as being the first I've had from the wider Commonwealth perspective. <br /><br />My father spent 8 years in Australia as a young man in the 1930s and he always remembered how the Australians he knew then still talked about Britain as the home country. Twenty years later the identification with Britain via the monarchy was obviously still there, and you must have absorbed it as a child, hence your strong reaction.<br /><br />Thank you for this.Perpetuahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01214396019726161983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-68720809591069175492012-02-06T18:17:28.543+00:002012-02-06T18:17:28.543+00:00Aloha Perpetua...
I was sent up to the shops to bu...Aloha Perpetua...<br />I was sent up to the shops to buy something for my Mum and saw the huge newspaper poster outside announcing the death of the King. I remember I was shocked and sat down on the stoop and cried. I was about seven. Have no idea why the news upset me so much..but Aussie's were very enamored of the Royals back then, so maybe that's why.AstridsSoapboxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12765645879431056941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-63861121391732840122012-02-06T17:50:27.860+00:002012-02-06T17:50:27.860+00:00And of how many people can that be said, Mark? My ...And of how many people can that be said, Mark? My working life adds up to 30 years, just half of hers.Perpetuahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01214396019726161983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-3640813415483410422012-02-06T17:33:57.394+00:002012-02-06T17:33:57.394+00:00I'm going to avoid the political / philosophic...I'm going to avoid the political / philosophical debate too and agree that she has given a lifetime of service and pleasure to others, which deserves recognition regardless of views on monarchy.The bike shedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05195882998271591934noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-46793682226126711902012-02-06T16:34:10.468+00:002012-02-06T16:34:10.468+00:00Thank you for this, Ray. It's so interesting t...Thank you for this, Ray. It's so interesting to have the memories of someone old enough to remember in much more detail how the news of the King's death was received, even by someone who wasn't a fan of royalty.<br /><br />I can well imagine your reluctant admiration for the young queen's dignity at her coronation and I'm glad that you too now esteem her highly for the way she has lived a life and a calling she didn't choose.Perpetuahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01214396019726161983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3705825161954545710.post-85318119044588642762012-02-06T16:29:08.262+00:002012-02-06T16:29:08.262+00:00Yes, one has to be of a certain age to have these ...Yes, one has to be of a certain age to have these particular memories, Ricky. It's interesting though that your earliest memory is also linked to the Queen. It was such a big thing to have a royal visit back then and people turned out in their droves. I love the thought of the 4yr-old you, looking in vain for the Queen's crown as she was driven by. :-)Perpetuahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01214396019726161983noreply@blogger.com