Hello from my little country corner here in New Zealand. I hope life is good with you wherever you are.
With the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, London sights are constantly flashing across our TV and national radio is constantly 'crossing over' to a live correspondent, somewhere in the midst of thousands of people, capturing their memories in picture and in sound bites. The sadness is there but I'm loving all the pomp and ceremony that accompanies the death of a Monarch, as well as welcoming a new one. I'll never see it again in my life time.
Witnessing it live would be an incredible experience, and I'd have so loved to have been there during this time but can only look back on photos to recapture some of what we saw.
The day I was at Hyde Park corner and saw the Queen's Calvary stopping traffic, was indeed memorable. You have to have the sound up to hear the clip clop, as they passed by.
Five weeks ago we were in London and all the places being shown and talked about
were part of our life - touring for two months, and while we lived there. So the mourning coverage is bringing back marvellous memories.
Corin Dann, a New Zealand radio presenter is there and this morning described the "buzz and vibrancy" of the crowds (and London in general), lining up to pay their respects at Westminster. No disrespect was meant. There was a solemnity
too. Corin hasn't left NZ since before Covid and was struggling with the sheer number of people gathering and not wearing masks. Here, in NZ, we have only recently stopped a requirement for masks to be worn in supermarkets, restaurants, shops - except in hospitals, aged care facilities, those sorts of places. So it would have come as a shock to him, and a little unnerving.
While there, we too noticed 99% of people didn't bother with masks or talked about Covid. For us, the sense of freedom was exhilarating and the 'getting on with life' post-vaccination, fascinating.
Queen Elizabeth's passing reminded me of our invitation to the 2020 Royal Garden Party. I'd entered the ballot through the New Zealand High Commission and we got lucky. You'll know of course, that none of that happened and the invitation was rolled over to 2021; that never happened either! I was so disappointed and had even bought my dress. It's still hanging in the wardrobe and never been worn ... sigh. First world problems and all that.
I know it's not for everyone, but I'll be glued to the TV Monday night (10pm New Zealand time), watching it all unfold. Will you?
