Wie geht's?
When she wakes up, Jacky has a habit of looking immediately at the latest news on her phone and yelled out the other day as I was getting dressed three rooms away, "The Queen's died!"
For a lot of people, it was a bit of a surprise hearing that news - even though she was in her mid nineties, somehow you think people like the Queen are above all that earthly stuff. That is until age catches up with them, as it does all of us.
The topic of conversation at school on Friday was naturally about that news. When I arrived at school, I lowered the school's flag to half-mast as a mark of respect and after getting home, I watched the rolling coverage on the TV with Jacky.
Then on Saturday I watched the remembrance service from St Paul's Cathedral. I was doing quite well too, until the singing of the 23rd Psalm and the Lord's Prayer that is. The communal recitation of the prayer on these occasions reminds me of similar times and gets to me.
Why did I do all that?
Although I've never had any close contact with the Royals, thanks to Look and Learn, my upbringing (by Dulcie Mary Purdy especially) and being part of the baby boomer generation that has known nothing else but the Elizabethan era, I am a fan of the monarchy in general and the Queen in particular.
She and the monarchy represent things I care about - tradition, respect, a sense of service and duty, and a commitment to things. Their charity work is immense and the income generated from tourism shouldn't be discounted.
I guess it's easy to sneer at these things and point to colonialism and the louche lifestyle of some royals (Andrew has done a lot of harm in many ways) but the Queen is the Queen.
I remember the royal visits to NZ over the years and I remember at Royal Oak Primary being part of a parade for the Governor General in the 1960s. He was a big deal!
As God Save The Queen was played in cinemas before a movie played, we would stand as a mark of respect.
So, yes, I have royalist sensibilities. I don't think that's a bad thing. It's certainly something I share with millions of others.
Jacky and I have had a few tangential brushes with royalty over the years with visits to the Palace of Holyroodhouse (where Jacky was politely told to keep off the grass), Buckingham Palace, The Tower Of London, and the royal mews. We love all that pomp and circumstance.
I also love the quiet dignity the British have during these historic times. They provide a great example to us amid changed times in New Zealand.
The faces of those in St Paul's seemed to me to represent a modern picture of Britain that I will cherish. All races and ages and sexes looked to be there. No one was distracted, everyone was paying careful attention, no one was out of control emotionally, all were reflective and respectful. It was very British.
I liked that.
Love and peace - WNP
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