Red Roses, Red Roses...

The year was 1939.

A little nine-year-old girl was chosen to give Queen Elizabeth a dozen roses when they were to stop at the little town on the cross-Canada train route.

courtesy of Frances Miller

She was so excited.  Her hair was twisted in rags the night before and then carefully fashioned into curls that hung to her shoulders. 

She excitedly put on her Sunday best dress and arrived well before the arrival time so as to be there in the designated spot when the Royalty chugged into town.

She was handed a dozen red roses and she stood at attention for a long time, barely able to contain herself, because she was the one to be handing the Queen her roses.

Then.

Off in the distance they could see the train coming.  The whistle sounded.

She could barely contain herself.

Excitement building.....

Anticipation.

The train kept coming....slowing a little.....then  - roared by.

Everyone was waving at the shadows at the window they guessed was the King and Queen.

Then the comments, "Weren't they supposed to stop? And what is Frances to do with the roses?"

The little girl stood, holding her bouquet....confused...disappointed....not really comprehending what had just happened.

A glitch in the schedule had the train miss the stop.  It wouldn't be turning back.

Heartbroken, the little girl went home, roses wilting. Dejected.

Apology letters came a month later from Buckingham castle, along with a photo of the King and Queen and the two daughters, of which one would be the present day Queen.

Through the years that little girl, clutching the dog-eared photo would retell the story, over and over.  Years passed and little girl became a young woman....a mother....then a grandmother......and a great-grandmother.

Her story would became a legend in the town, still passed around through generations.

Then -  years after the fact - fate had it that another Royal couple would be touring close by.

2011 - that very same Queen's great-grandson Prince William and his new wife were to come to Calgary....and a grass-roots movement arose to push for the now octogenarian to finally present her red roses. 

Finally, after several months and despite the bureaucracy and red tape that ensues with royalty meeting and greeting.... permission was granted.

Today that little girl's wish came true......72 years later.

Frances Miller and a future Queen 72 years later

And, that's what happened today in Calgary, as the Prince and Princess were leaving Canada.

Cowboy & Cowgirl: or is it Cowperson?

Quite the pair! The prince and his bride in their Cowboy hats and blue jeans:

Now, on to Hollywood.......

24 hour Royal break

Prince William and Catherine had a 24 hour break.

So where did they go?

Skoki Lodge apparently.   It's located in Banff National Park.

Check out this blog that describes the lodge - plus photos!

The only way to get there is hiking in - 11 kms - four hours uphill  - using this map for directions - or if you happen to be royalty - you come in by helicopter.

The lodge was built in the 1931 and still has no running water or electricity (yes, they have outhouses - the Royal Loo!).  Very austere...but then, if you are coming to Canada - you might want to get that "backwoods" pioneer experience!

It certainly would give a little dose of reality for those in a world of Royal Protocols and such.

If I had my druthers....this is where I would stay

I would tend to forgo any sort of accommodation that is lacking the basics....but that's just me.   And I certainly wouldn't pay $265 per person for that kind of experience!

The Royal couple are young and love adventure, and might happen to think that a log cabin in the middle of nowhere is sort of - romantic.

Trip Advisor reviews on Skoki Lodge. Note the antlers!

I am pretty sure they didn't have to abide by the 2 night minimum stay - or if they did, the government of Canada picked up the tab anyway - for the entire trip, so what do they care.

I wonder if William chose the King-size bed?

Fascinating Fascinator....Happy Canada Day!

Note the Maple Leaf motif in the Fascinator on Prince William's wife Catherine. She also wore diamond-studded maple leaf brooch which her mother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth wore on her first visit to Canada.

photo credit
and to read whole story



Here is their itinerary. They aren't coming to British Columbia...but then - perhaps Vancouver isn't ready for them anyway...
Catherine has always loved Anne of Green Gables...so of course they are going to Prince Edward Island.

They will also be going north up to Yellowknife, NWT - then on to Calgary and the Stampede. They will be visiting the Calgary Foothills Hospital....so hopefully some of the Nurses there might get a glimpse of them!

After Canada....they head on down to California before jetting off home.

Happy Canada Day!

Ok...so ... Happy Birthday.

It's time for some "Royal" news.

Today is Prince Philip's 90th birthday.

And, no, we don't celebrate it in Canada. 

We just recovered from celebrating Queen Victoria's birthday....well, we at least all took the day off.  Other than that....we don't really care about Queen Victoria's birthday.

Prince Philip, in case you are wondering, is the Queen of England's husband.   He is also her third cousin.

Ten years after they were married, he was declared Queen's Consort. I guess he pissed her off "royally" by having flings on the side, rumor has it,  so she got even with him by not declaring him equal to her own title, ie. "King".

Although born in Greece, his family was kicked out of the country, and his family took up residence in England - (I guess because there was no more room in Denmark* for one more royal) - where he joined the Navy.  He was 18 and Liz was 13 when they met.  She fell hopelessly in love.

But then, what do 13-year-olds know?

When Phil married Liz, and she became queen, he had to give up his day job and change his own last name - he was not even allowed to have his children take his last name.  His whole life has been spent several steps behind the queen.

I suppose the ongoing resentment from this might be part of his problem because:

He has never been known for his tact.

For instance, during the 1981 Recession, he stated:  "Everybody was saying we must have more leisure.  Now they are complaining they are unemployed".

Sounds a little like "Let them eat cake"** to me.

And, on an excursion to Canada in 1976, in response to someone asking him if he was enjoying the trip, Prince Philip said: ‘We don’t come here for our health. We can think of other ways of enjoying ourselves.’

Well, Happy Birthday to you too and congratulations on another successful trip around the sun.

At least with his advanced age,  there is now perhaps an excuse for his missteps.


********************
*He is of Danish descent, and although born in Greece, doesn't speak the language.
**technically a misquote, as it is disputed Marie Antoinette actually said, or meant these actual words.

A Royal Pain

Prince Harry is quite the Jokester. (you could tell yesterday, couldn't you??)

To keep up with her grandchildren, Queen Elizabeth was given an iPhone for Christmas a couple years ago.    Prince Harry, the Ginger of all Gingers,  decided to  preprogrammed it for her.

The message they put on it?

 “Hey, wassup? This is Liz. Sorry I’m away from the throne. For a hotline to Philip press one, for Charles press two, for the corgis press three.”

The Queen's private secretary had the shock of his life when he discovered the "joke" and quickly had it removed. 

The Queen, rumor had it, wasn't amused - at first.   When the dust settled, she could appreciate the humor in it, and wondered what VIPs might have heard it.

Which comes to the Twitter account I discovered recently, and had a great laugh reading back tweets.
You have to check it out!  It is hilarious. 

And no, it's not *really* the Queen tweeting.

Speaking of gadgets and the Queen, one thing that might be useful for those who live in rainier climes......how about this umbrella?

The Queen's umbrella for $49.95

Personally, I like wearing hoodies in the rain.  Less cumbersome and because it's attached to me, I wouldn't forgetfully leave it behind everywhere I went.

Last Royal Wedding Post

One journalist hit the nail on the head re: The Bridal Dress back in January - suggesting that Kate would look best in a "Grace Kellyesque" type dress and even titling her article - " Kate Middleton in Grace Kelly's Wedding Gown"


Prince Rainier & Grace Kelly
1956



Prince William & Catherine
2011

And so she was.

A few things bothered me during The Production. (I am Canadian after all. We tend to be a slightly negative bunch.  We look for these things!)

1.     When coming into the church, Prince Charles (Kate's new father-in-law) took his gloves off, wiped his nose with the fingers of his right hand, then with the same hand - proceeded to shake hands with the entire line of clergy.

Not good.  Maybe no one else noticed, but the nurse in me cringed.*

2.     When William and Kate left the Abby in the open Landau.....he was all warm in not only a shirt and heavy jacket - but also heavy pants a hat and gloves.  Poor Kate only had on fine lacy sleeves and a dress that certainly - unless she was wearing long johns beneath - drafty.

It was cold.   Why wasn't there a nice little matching jacket for her to wear over top, or at least a lap blanket provided?   I would have been freezing to death.... it wasn't even warm, after all.

3.     On our TV station, Peter Mansbridge - the announcer - was downright annoying. 

A fairy-tale wedding just wasn't the time for dredging up - and going on and on and on ad nauseum about Diana and the divorce and how badly things went with her and Charles marriage and ensuing bad feelings all the way around......and then making public the fact that he himself could have said some things to make his own marriage work......it just was, well,  unnecessary.

His comment that the "chuckle" the pair shared during the ceremony was, in his words, the "highlight" of the ceremony.....balderdash.   Was he even watching or listening to have made such a comment???

Thankfully, the TV could be muted and also the DVR (Canadian TiVo equivalent) fast-forwarded.

And so it ends.

Or begins......







********************
*And that, my people, is how you got your latest flu bug - just in case you didn't know!  Ick.  And why I don't shake hands.

I am not the only one that noticed.  Within minutes of posting this, I immediately had at least 5 google hits "Prince Charles wipes nose then shakes hands"

ADDENDUM:  It's now been 25 google hits for "Prince wipes nose and shakes hands"!  Glad people noticed.  Maybe this means that people are aware that this is not a good thing to do?

SECOND ADDENDUM: Another 20 googles about "Prince wipes nose and shakes hand".....wow. What's going on???

The Royal Programme of the Wedding

Here you go....

The Official Programme.


Now you can follow the ceremony as you watch the whole thing on TV.

Or - on Live Streaming Video

At the Wedding.......well at least in close proximity....

Some friends of mine planned a trip to London some time ago.

Unfortunately, or fortunately for them, it just happened to fall on the same dates that much later, William and Kate decided to set for their wedding!

So now they are serendipitously caught up in the Royal Kerfuffle, so to speak.

They were at the Palace, with a crowd already forming 16 hours in advance.  Prince William came out and mingled with the crowd around an hour after they left the area. 

They just missed him!

The crowd is already gathering

Bobbies keeping the crowds in line

The Guard at Buckingham Palace: All is calm

The press is reporting non-stop

Hyde park has it's Ginormous screens set up

And what does it cost to rent here at Kensington? $1400 per WEEK

To buy a little over 1300 square foot "flat"? $2.5 million Canadian.

The temporary media building constructed just for the Wedding. Any coverage
you watch, will be from this building.

Getting ready!

So, just a little close-up as to what to expect if you are there...................

Here is the link to the route and also live streaming coverage if you are so inclined.

Me?

I will be working.

April Showers..........

Could they have picked a worse day, weather-wise,  for their Wedding**?

Sheesh.




         Weather Report
         for London, England

Thursday April 28
Mostly Sunny

**Friday, April 29th
Thundershowers

Saturday, April 30th
Cloud & Sun Mix

Sunday, May 1st
Mostly Sunny

Monday, May 2nd
Mostly Sunny

Seating at the Royal Wedding: Where I would be sitting....

You can see where I have noted "CC: sits with the Foreign Royal families since I am descendant of the King of Ireland and also Charlemagne". 

On my father's side, we are Irish.   There is a castle in the County Cavan that belongs to our family.  I have never been there, but would love to go in a couple years.

On my mother's side, I have a documented "pedigree chart" that lists our family all the way back to Charlemagne....King of the Franks and Emperor of the Romans. 

I think that qualifies me to sit in that light blue section of the chart seating -  in the South Lantern.

Now if flying didn't freak me out so much........

I might actually be there!



I already sent my regrets.

Wedding Dress Trivia - Royal Inspiration

It's getting closer to *that* Royal wedding.

Did you know that White as the color most brides wear for their Wedding ceremony is a direct influence of the British Royal Family?

History has it that Queen Victoria started that tradition in 1840 - and although she wasn't the first documented Royal to do so - she was the one that popularized it among the common population. 

She had a length of beautiful lace she wanted incorporated into her wedding gown, and since the lace was white.....the dress color chosen was - white!  

Just as it happens today, her published wedding photo inspired brides-to-be wanting the same for themselves. 

So, all you who think the white is for virginity.......nope.  It isn't.   If you wish to wear the color that traditionally symbolizes virginity - blue is your color.

Before Queen Victoria, many other colors were worn by the bride - one of the popular colors being - black - if you lived in Scandinavia. 

In China and India, red is the traditional color that brides choose  - red being the color of good luck and fortune.

My girlfriend in Japan wore a pink dress at her wedding.

I wore gold.

It is rumored that Miss Middleton wishes to wear a wreath of flowers on her head.  Apparently this is causing more than a few ruffled feathers at the palace, where it is expected that she should choose from one of the many tiaras.

What did Queen Victoria wear?

You guessed it! A wreath of flowers.

Queen Victoria's Wedding portrait

It's anyone's guess what Catherine will wear on her wedding day.

One thing I know, bets are being made in Las Vegas right at this moment on every single detail about the wedding that you can imagine........

Insider Information

Ok - so you weren't invited to the Royal Wedding.....

Here is a glimpse as to what it might be like...JK style




AND....this is how they did it....



So....now you know.

And now you don't have to feel sorry when you miss the whole production, because the reproduction above is much more fun!!

Lady Gaga and The Royal Wedding

Let's just say you are a commoner engaged to a Prince, a future King of England.

Let's just say you met at College, and now there is a group of guys from that college you attended that is paying homage to your engagement and future marriage.  

They aren't your usual singers. 

No - they are disgruntled would-be suitors.



Oh well.

It can't be any worse than the "Official Initials" fiasco.

What the official china's embossing should have looked like

What the official souvenirs are now embossed with

When I first saw the WC - I laughed.  I got it right away.  

In Britain the abbreviation "WC" stands for the old  "Water Closet" which is British-speak for Toilet, or Biffy, or Can or Washroom - if you are Canadian, or if you are American - Restroom.

Thankfully, for the Royal Couple-to-be, changes were made before all the formal china was fired at the Royal china factory....to avoid the "Royal Flush" jokes that would surely ensue. 

BUT - If you ever find the former initials on anything - "WC" - they will soon be expensive collector's items. 

This is the first time that Tradition has been broken, and the bride's initials are put first - before the Royal.

See?  Even the stuffy Monarchy can break with tradition, if the situation is just right.


Meanwhile, here is a FREEBIE you can download in honor of the Royal Newlyweds-to-be:  George Michael singing Stevie Wonder's song - "You and I".

You're welcome!

Royal Wedding in One Month

Why am I posting about something that isn't anything that most Canadians really care about?

I can remember watching The Wedding of Charles and Diana thirty years ago.

I had flown with my sister-in-law and her two little kids to the Middle-of-Nowhere, Saskatchewan - where my RCMP brother (NOT the same one as I previously mentioned!) was posted - to help with the kids and visit.

The town was right out of an old western movie, with dust-blown dirt streets and a hotel/store/post office/soda fountain was the one-and-only community social place.

This particular night July 29th, 1981 - my sister-in-law had arisen to breast-feed my little nephew. It was a tiny house with thin walls and - not being used to babies crying in the middle of the night - I was awakened.

Since I wasn't able to get back to sleep - decided I may as well watch The Wedding with my sis-in-law.

We watched it in it's entirety.

I am not sure if I will do the same for the upcoming nuptials one month from today. Would you?

On the other hand - if you like to knit, you could always recreate your own little Wedding:




Ingenious!

Much more fun to watch, and a great deal shorter!