Friday 9 September: Queen Elizabeth embodied Britain at its very best – and will be missed throughout the world

Posted on by Geoff Graham

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Today’s letters (visible only to DT subscribers) are here.

549 thoughts on “Friday 9 September: Queen Elizabeth embodied Britain at its very best – and will be missed throughout the world”

  3. ‘Morning, Peeps. 

    Yesterday was as sad as it gets in the life of our nation, and many a tear will have been shed by the time she is laid to rest. 

    The DT did well to get today’s letters up just after 10pm yesterday, and here they are. 

    SIR – The loss of Queen Elizabeth is a truly deep and palpable one which will resonate through many generations.

    She was revered, will be missed by all – and never replaced.

    Chris Learmont-Hughes
    Caldy, Wirral

    SIR – Queen Elizabeth led by example for more than 70 years, and was adored and respected for her service not only to our country but also to the wider world.

    History will remember her with the greatest admiration and affection, and a level of respect unparalleled in the modern era.

    Kim Potter
    Lambourn, Berkshire

    SIR – Yesterday our wonderful monarch died.

    My husband and I are in our late 70s and we were in tears as soon as we heard the news. The nation has lost its greatest treasure.

    Wendy May
    Hereford

    SIR – Like so many, I am devastated by the Queen’s death.

    I have loved her for most of my life and learnt to dance round a maypole – incidentally, in the pouring rain – for her coronation.

    She has been an inspiration to our country and will be sorely missed.

    Jacqueline Davies
    Faversham, Kent

    SIR – God save the King.

    Hannah Hunt
    Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire

    SIR – Queen Elizabeth reigned for more than 70 years.

    It will take us far longer to understand what we have lost.

    Victor Launert
    Matlock Bath, Derbyshire

    SIR – Thank God the Queen made it to her Platinum Jubilee after her faultless service to the nation.

    Dominic Shelmerdine
    London SW3

    SIR – Never was a monarch loved so much by so many for so long.

    Charles Steward
    Chippenham, Wiltshire

    SIR – What are we going to do without her?

    Paul Strong
    Claxby, Lincolnshire

    SIR – We mourn the loss of a remarkable woman.

    Queen Elizabeth had the grace and dignity to walk with presidents and world leaders, while having the humour and humility to accompany James Bond and Paddington Bear.

    A life of unparalleled duty and service. I am bereft. Enjoy your marmalade sandwich, Ma’am.

    Lt Col Matthew Perkin (retd)
    Morzine, Haute-Savoie, France

    SIR – “And all the trumpets sounded for her on the other side.”

    Susan Cokyll
    London NW1

    SIR – No longer a Baby Boomer, I now consider myself an Elizabethan.

    David Garnett
    Northwich, Cheshire

    SIR – Now in my 80s, I have been a lifetime admirer of Queen Elizabeth.

    At 12 years old in the quadrangle of Christ’s Hospital school, I remember well the very spot I stood on when the death of George VI was announced, and Elizabeth was pronounced his successor.

    Subsequently, of course, we all watched the coronation live on a 12-inch back-and-white screen.

    A few years later, as a student in 1958, I worked on Derby Day for National Car Parks controlling the field between the station and the course, which I kept closed until the Queen’s coach had driven through.

    As I opened the gate to let it pass, she smiled at me.

    She has been an unforgettable part of most of my life.

    David Hill
    Lindford, Hampshire

    SIR – We hear with great sadness of the death of Queen Elizabeth.

    I was just about old enough to remember the street party held on the occasion of her coronation, and she has been a reassuring presence throughout my life. May she rest in peace.

    Geoffrey E Pursglove
    Swadlincote, Derbyshire

    SIR – I was born and baptised in the year of Elizabeth II’s coronation.

    Born in a prefab, and brought up on a council estate, I had, for 70 years, an abiding respect and admiration for the way she embodied those values of honour, duty and service to the nation and the Commonwealth.

    She was, in so many ways, a unique presence in the life of our nation. How we shall miss her.

    William Snowden
    Ilkley, West Yorkshire

    SIR – Among the worldwide tributes to our beloved Queen, we may remember also that her sense of duty persisted to the very end. Her constitutional duty was to accept the resignation of her prime minister and to invite the new one to form a government. Nobody else could carry out this action.

    Somehow, frail as she was, she found the strength to do it, as her last act for her country.

    L F Buckland
    Iwerne Minster, Dorset

    SIR – How remarkable that Queen Elizabeth looked so happy, just on Tuesday, to welcome her namesake, the 15th prime minister in her long and distinguished reign.

    How fortunate that we have had a sovereign who has provided such stability to the United Kingdom and Commonwealth during times of great turmoil, not least over the past few years. How fortunate, too, that we have a constitution which allows the seamless and peaceful transition both of head of state and premier.

    Despite huge recent political change, and our loss and sadness at the death of our Queen, I believe we can look forward to good times ahead for our great country with Liz Truss and King Charles III.

    Tim Coles
    Carlton, Bedfordshire

    SIR – How wonderful that the Queen didn’t really suffer or linger in a way that she would have so hated. Just a small plus on a miserable day for her admirers all around the world.

    Caroline Everett
    Rye, East Sussex

    SIR – Much has already been said about the qualities of the late Queen.

    Couldn’t they all be summed up in the word integrity, which covers all? This she showed us all her life.

    George Watson
    Woodbridge, Suffolk

    SIR – We would all do well to recognise that Queen Elizabeth’s stature globally stemmed not just from her wisdom and integrity but also from the fact that she embodied Great Britain.

    Andrew Roberts
    Oswestry, Shropshire

    SIR – Queen Elizabeth was the hub of our wheel, the connection between the axle – Britain and Commonwealth – through the many spokes to the wheel, the outer world.

    No matter how fast or manically that wheel spun, or how bumpy the ride, she remained steadfast, dignified, much respected and loved throughout. God speed her on her final journey.

    Gerald Lamming
    Sutton Coldfield

    SIR – I must have been about eight years old and was spending the summer with my grandmother at her holiday cabin in the mountains of North Carolina. One day, prevented by rain from going out to play, I discovered a pile of old Life magazines from the late 1940s and early 1950s. One that caught my eye was from June 15 1953. It featured the coronation two weeks earlier of Queen Elizabeth II.

    I’m sure I must have known where England was and had heard of Queen Elizabeth. Growing up, as I was in the Episcopal Church, I probably had some vague idea about Westminster Abbey.

    As the hours passed and I leafed through that magazine and a few others featuring the new Queen, I fell in love. With England. With monarchy. With pomp and circumstance. And with Queen Elizabeth. I thought she was beautiful. A real queen, not a pretend one.

    The next day my grandmother drove me into town, where I bought a scrapbook with some of my spending money. Back at the cabin, I began cutting out dozens of magical photographs of the Queen and of events surrounding the beginning of her reign and pasting them into the book. I think I have it stored away in a box somewhere.

    Ever since that day, this American has followed the life of the Queen with a sense of closeness to her, of deep respect for her, particularly for her grace, her sense of duty, her steadfastness, and her deep Christian faith.

    How many times I dreamt over the years of meeting her in various settings and having a chat with her about something. Now, I shall never meet her. She is gone, and a special part of my life has gone with her. May she rest in peace and rise in glory. And may King Charles III reign long and well.

    Albion Land
    Albondón, Granada, Spain

    SIR – My recollection of our late, much loved Queen is of what an excellent listener she was.

    On the occasion of our third and last meeting in 2004, she inquired: “Oh, and you still live here?”

    “Yes Ma’am”, I replied.

    Paul Robinson
    Berlin, Germany

    SIR – I am a Mason, and it is a time-honoured tradition of ours to toast the Queen at our regular Lodge meetings.

    We will be proud to do this one last time for the finest monarch of our lifetime, who will be dearly missed.

    Kenny Lawn
    York

    SIR – On February 5 1952 I was dining in the mess of HMS St Angelo. In those days, the evening meal in the wardroom was always formal, with the port being passed and the loyal toast drunk. That day I had just bought a car and was short of cash, so for the first time ever I took the option to drink the loyal toast in water. I thereby missed the last opportunity to toast the King in port. Since then I always toasted the Queen in port.

    Following the first news from the Palace yesterday, I made sure to have a glass of port to toast Queen Elizabeth for the last time.

    My commission must have been one of the earliest signed by Queen Elizabeth. I hope I always served her to my best ability, as she always served me and her subjects.

    Lt Cdr Brian Smith RN
    Dunfermline, Fife

    SIR – As an ex-Serviceman I was honoured to serve the Queen. I was more honoured that she served me.

    Philip Franklin
    Wellesbourne, Warwickshire

    SIR – The Queen’s example will live on. Service was her priority, and it should remain all of ours, too.

    Jack Marriott
    Churt, Surrey

    SIR – Watching the news of Queen Elizabeth yesterday became too sad, so I gathered my dogs and we went for a walk in the fields.

    The sun shone, a red kite soared overhead and a heron stood on the riverbank watching for passing fish. All seemed at peace before the storm clouds gathered and the rain started.

    I hope our Queen knew how much she was loved by the people of her nations and the whole world.

    Jocasta Fearn
    Haywards Heath, West Sussex

    SIR – On February 6 1952 I was in the sixth form at Merchant Taylors’ School in Crosby.

    I have a vivid memory of the moment we heard during a break in a class that the King had died. I think most of us were shocked when an older sixth-former loudly asserted that it was an opportunity to establish a republic.

    When the King’s daughter’s unique 70-year reign ended yesterday, I wondered if there are many current sixth-formers who would express a similar view. Somehow, I doubt it.

    John Wolfenden
    Chester

    SIR – Elizabeth II should be remembered as Elizabeth the Great.

    Anthony Haslam
    Farnham, Surrey

    1. Just a couple of BTLs that caught my eye…and they put it much better than I could:

      Martin Selves3 HRS AGO

      I feel deeply for the loss of our Queen. I was proud to hold the Queens Commission for 20 years. Like everyone else, I mourn her passing as she always set an example of steadfast love for her Country, the Commonwealth and its people. Her Duty to the United Kingdom never stopped right up to the very end of her life. We have all lived through her wonderful reign of example and true dedication. Thank You, Ma’am.

      Angela Davies5 HRS AGO

      ER11….Great Britain’s great Briton. We shall not see her likes again

  4. Morning everyone. Yesterday was a sad day for us all, particularly those of us who remember a UK very different to what it is now. Her Majesty was the last public link with that past and for that alone we should mourn her passing! May she Rest in Peace.

  6. Did she embody Britain at its best? I know people who knew her and she was a decent human being: tough, kind, discrete and loyal.
    But her lack of engagement (and the rest of Britain’s) is symptomatic of a nation which looks forward to King Woke the 1st, ideological vassal to the WEF and all its empty promises. (Apologies to those who love the baptismal vows).

    Did she have a choice? Maybe not.
    I do love this country and have chosen it over others, because of that. But let us not pretend much about this age embodies the best of anything.

    What is certain is that her lack of engagement would be far preferable to her son’s ideological impulses. But that is like saying the Tories are better than Labour. The bar is set low.

    Edit: I am truly sorry if this bleak comment is out of place. She was certainly decent.
    May her soul rest in peace and may she pray for us. We are going to need all the help we can get.

    2. Without a doubt the second Elizabethan Age has been severely tarnished by feckless, useless and treasonous politicians. She dealt with a wide spectrum of Prime Ministers from the likes of Churchill all the way down, and I literally mean down, to the lying devious scum that includes Heath, Major, Blair and Johnson. Her private thoughts and opinions of those she had to deal with would have made a bestseller.

        1. My Leftie politics teacher described Wilson as ‘chicanery on legs’.
          However, on the plus side, he was a patriot who kept us out of the Vietnam War.

  10. How King Charles III’s reign will differ from the Queen’s. 9 September 2022.

    Charles, however, is far more of a known quantity. We know his strengths and weaknesses, his triumphs and his betrayals, making him more flawed, but also more accessible.

    “He has lived through the decline of deference,” said one ally. “He has been much more open than the Queen because he comes from a generation that has been much more open. We will see his humanity and his humour, as we have always done.”

    He will find much greater pressures on his time than when he was Prince of Wales, chiefly from the red boxes of government papers that come in every day, from the audiences with ambassadors and dignitaries, and from the endless duties he must perform as monarch, none of which involve expressing controversial opinions.

    While the King might have to tone down his public interventions, he is not about to stop fighting for the causes he has championed for decades, chiefly the natural world and the built environment.

    No one can possibly know this, particularly only two days into his reign; though the choice of name gives one something of a historical frisson. The first Charles was a political moron who also adopted the doctrine of his age (the Divine Right of Kings) bringing the country to Civil War, while his royal successor was a wastrel who spent the country’s taxes on his mistresses. We should be so lucky!

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2022/09/09/king-charles-iii-rule-reign-queen-elizabeth-ii-mother-uk/

    1. 355847+ up ticks,

      Morning AS,

      The missing segment of the circle could yet be completed
      via the civil war.

    2. When told last evening that he was taking Charles III as his title my response was, ” I suppose John or Stephen would have been worse.”

      1. Morning Korky. There was some talk years ago of him using a different name but they seem to have abandoned the idea!

        1. He could have taken Arthur from his name and fulfilled the prophecy. We need a saviour but sadly I do not think this King is up to that job.

      2. I am glad that he has taken the name Charles.
        There was talk of him using his grandfather’s name, but I think the fact that his grandson is a George knocked that idea on the head.
        Even if the reasoning appears illogical, the result is a good one.

      3. There were very strong rumours dating back a few years that he would take the title of King George VII. I would guess that these rumours were floated to see what response they received, and that he decided to go with his first name rather than his last.
        Edit: Should have read under!

      4. There were very strong rumours dating back a few years that he would take the title of King George VII. I would guess that these rumours were floated to see what response they received, and that he decided to go with his first name rather than his last.
        Edit: Should have read under!

    3. ‘Morning Minty. Most of this article is fanciful bilge.

      “While the King might have to tone down his public interventions, he is not about to stop fighting for the causes he has championed for decades, chiefly the natural world and the built environment.” Therein lies the danger…if he wants to survive, along with the monarchy, I suggest that his campaigning on all matters has to cease completely. It shouldn’t be that difficult if his mother’s fine example is any guide.

        1. Keet quiet and instead invite to tea staff from the causes of which she was patron, perhaps?

          Edited for feeble typos…

        2. The best advice some people need is:

          Think what your first decision would be and do the opposite.

          1. Ask yourself how it would look when you are standing there at the Court of Inquiry.
            “I assumed it would be all right, yer ‘Onour”.

      1. My great worry is the potential for great malignity that some off his crazed ideas and associations could produce.

        2. His great uncle managed to become (at best) a dupe of those that used him as he was clearly naïve and obviously a bit thick. In trying to find a role for himself, I think he has made this mistake and is deluded in his beliefs if he thinks these madcap schemes offer any benefits for humanity in general while they may well consolidate power into the hands of malign individuals. His website is down and is presumably being changed for obvious reasons but it may have aspects removed due to his new constitutional position. I really hope that the Queen would make 100 and by then I was hoping that some of these dubious affiliations and organisations might have been outed for what they really are.

  11. Just so glad we do not have to face an election of a new president. We would see Blair,May,Brown Cameron and Johnson crawl out from under their stone to be chosen. The very thought makes me feel sick.
    THE QUEEN IS DEAD, LONG LIVE THE KING.

      1. Good morning. I feel it is appropriate that though we are saddened we should remember the good times too. A celebration of a life well lived should follow the mourning.

          1. There are several Nottlers whose parents lived longer than the queen. My mother got to a mere 97 but one of our friends here has a mother in her 100s.

  14. Evil Vladimir Putin pays tribute to Queen in personal message to King Charles. 9 September 2022.

    Evil Russian leader Vladimir Putin has controversially paid tribute to Queen this evening, saying she earned ‘love, respect and authority on the world stage’.

    The dictator extended his condolences to Britain for the “irreparable loss” of Queen Elizabeth, who died earlier in the day aged 96.

    In a message to Charles, Britain’s new king, Putin said the Queen “rightfully enjoyed the love and respect of her subjects, as well as authority on the world stage”.

    He added: “I wish you courage and resilience in the face of this difficult, irreparable loss. May I ask you to pass on sincere condolences and support to members of the royal family and the entire people of Great Britain.”

    Vlad sends his condolences. One could only wish that the Daily Mirror were similarly courteous

    https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/putin-says-queen-earned-love-27945731

  15. Strange times in the mainstream media, all the traditional Lefties and Republican types that did so much harm to the monarchy are now all falling over themselves to show their empathy and sadness at the passing of the Queen.

    While those that support the Monarchy are mostly keeping their chin up and moving on, with some trepidation for what will follow.

      1. I disagree with this statement:
        “Although very distant from the lives of her subjects – she never went to school and had only the most fleeting experiences of being on equal terms with anyone” – don’t forget, she was a mechanic and driver in the Forces. I suspect she didn’t have her own quarters and mess away from all the others.

        1. Well looking pleased to be there she waved to me in the crowd at Glenelg jetty, how close to being equal was that……. And we all waved back.

          1. I was camping in a field next to a road in the lake district (1956 I think) and the Queens entourage passed. We were sitting on the wall and she waved to us

        2. School can be much overrated.

          My mother had a governess. She went to school for one term, did not like it and returned to her governess. However she was a very intelligent woman who expressed herself very clearly.

          On the other hand her husband was the head boy of his school, captain of Rugby and won an exhibition to St John’s College Cambridge where he got a First in classics and went on to become the governor of the Northern Sudan.

          Unlike the Queen my mother had to stay in this world for seventeen more years before joining her husband.

        3. I didn’t agree with many bits, but taken as a whole I thought it was a good piece.
          Being the Guardian I was expecting digs at every opportunity.

  16. The King is to address the Nation today. Let us hope and pray that he does not mention “climate change”

      1. Sorrow – and relief, I should imagine. After all, he has spent the last 70 years waiting to succeed – an event that could have happened, suddenly, at any time. Something for which he must always have been preparing (in his own woolly way).

    1. Humanity’s future is generalized paranoia, of course, because every individual will soon be (if he is not already) traced and followed to an extent not dreamed of by the patient whom I have described above. I feel paranoia creeping up on me. For example, the other day I mentioned in conversation that I would like to visit a certain place, and lo and behold, the next time I turned on my telephone (it had been within earshot, so to speak, but not turned on), I received advertisements about how to get there and what to do once I had arrived.

      Was this coincidence? Possible, I suppose, but it is impossible to work out the odds without knowing the initial conditions. And we are all worth following because we can all be sold something.

      Actually this is a well recognised phenomenon. You only have to leave your phone untended and it will pick up the very faintest and unintended communications and the algorithms will do the rest!

      1. The spy in your pocket. I’m using it at the moment but I prefer my laptop which is a bit more private.

        1. I refuse to use a mobile unless I have to. It is firmly switched off and is not carried around.

      2. Yes, this is a regular occurrence for wotsapp users, I am reliably informed. Algae-ribbons are like strands of kelp just beneath the surface.

        1. Then whoever is listening gets a steady diet of ‘Mongo. Down. Mongo, no. Ow! Mongo!’

          Along with ‘where are the keys? / Where you left them. / Where did you leave them?’ much panting, someone calling ‘drool check!’ and farts.

    2. The main problem with science is if they don’t yet know the answers, they make it up and try to fill in the gaps later.

      1. Isn’t that what scientific theory does?

        It strikes me that modern science doesn’t try to bother to fill in the gaps; it becomes “settled and incontrovertible ” far too soon.

        1. I think it depends on how much propaganda they are trying to distribute along side the facts.

  18. Good morning all

    We may be a very small country , but my goodness we have now been left with the legacy of a magnificent dignified spirit ,and as we gather our thoughts , our collective strength of the heart of a lion .

    1. And at present, I can see the children and parents walking to the state primary down the road with one of my surveillance cameras. The next generation of his majesty’s subjects: let us wish them well.

      1. If the brats going to the nearby high school are any example, we’re doomed. Their screaming, shouting, mob like arrogance is putrid.

        They litter and spit everywhere. It’s enough to make you want to take a paintball gun to them.

  19. Chengdu, Chinese city of 21m, has Covid lockdown extended indefinitely. 9 September 2022.

    Chengdu, the capital of the south-western Chinese province of Sichuan, has extended the coronavirus lockdown of most of its districts indefinitely as it hopes to stem further transmissions in the city of 21.2 million.

    The mega city, which has most recently battled with heatwaves, power cuts and an earthquake, was locked down on 1 September after detecting a number of cases, becoming the largest Chinese metropolis to be slapped with the curbs since Shanghai earlier this year.

    The lockdown was expected to be lifted on Wednesday, but local government officials said “there are still risks of social spread in some areas,” according to Chengdu authorities.

    Surely if anyone had any faith in lockdown as a cure for Covid the Chinese Experience should have killed it stone dead. They have pursued the harshest and most relentless measures and still with no end in sight!

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/08/chengdu-chinese-city-of-21m-has-covid-lockdown-extended-indefinitely

    1. No questioning of the Chinese authorities on this issue? CV-19 in our part of the World has been, and continues to be, an excuse for stopping anything the authorities do not agree to or conversely imposing rules/laws they feel they can get away with. The CCP is without doubt the greatest tyranny on the Planet: and they’re not using CV-19 to benefit their political ends?

    2. That they keep having lockdowns rather shows that they don’t work. After all, if they did….

      I think a bigger problem with China is appalling hygiene standards, litter, poor drainage and pollution.

      1. Give him credit for saying Bombay- he would be sacked by the BBC for such an utterance or if he apologised a short time in a re-education camp.

    2. Sadly all very true.
      But it seems with the wrong people ‘in charge’ as he explained, you’re, or nobody will ever be able to fix stoopid.
      Like dry rot it needs to be removed completely.

    3. My son tells me he is battling with irrelevant comments about the Queen on the Wall Street Journal.

    4. Why? Because they hate what she represents. The problem is, they can’t argue with the message: duty, dignity, integrity, service so they attack the person.

      The Left are weak, pathetic creatures who cannot cope with people who oppose their world view. Their natural doublethink prevents rational thought and any intrusion on their psychosis must be attacked lest it remind them that they are, and always will be, wrong.

  21. I hesitated about posting this, but I came to the conclusion that it should be because it is rampant wokery in all its glory.  Well done, Hampshire Constabulary, no doubt you consider that her salary of c.£150,000 pa is money well spent!

    DT headline:

    “Sexual harassment includes sitting in rooms with more male officers than women, says police chief

    Deputy Chief Constable Maggie Blyth says sexism remains a major problem within many forces as well as in wider society”

    This BTL poster’s response is spot on:

    Nicholas Millman12 HRS AGO

    Started her career in the Probation Service, went on to specialise in youth justice. Was responsible for setting up youth offending team arrangements in 1998 and took a ‘leadership’ role at the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales from 2000 to 2005. Worked for local government child protection services from 2006 to 2016. During that time she was a member of the Parole Board for England and Wales, advising on the release of the most serious and persistent criminals. She joined Hampshire Constabulary as a Superintendent in 2016 and was promoted to Assistant Chief Constable in May 2019! She has never been a police constable, a police Sergeant, a police Inspector or a police Chief Inspector. She has never walked a beat and never been first responder to a serious or violent crime. She has never been a detective investigating crime. The recruitment process that made her an instant police Superintendent and those who endorsed it can only be wondered at.

    * * *
    In that case, what the hell is she doing in a police officers’ uniform, and a very senior one at that??

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/09/08/sexual-harassment-includes-sitting-rooms-male-officers-women/

    2. She is an example of the incompetence and pointlessness of plod these days. Incapable of understanding what the police want, she continues a pet crusade of fripperies she can understand.

      Any problems she encounters – such as soaring crime figures – are blamed on a lack of funding – ignorant, of course that she is the epitome of that funding being misspent.

    3. Both Plod and the NHS need to stop this graduate recruitment. That way, with promontion only on merit, we’ll get people who know the job from the bottom up and start to act in the best interests of the country.

      1. Contrast her with a friend’s late father.
        He was a local constable with the Suffolk police all his working life. Lived in police houses in various Suffolk villages and raised a family in them. Knew his patch. Travelled mostly on a bike; motor bikes and a police car were shared with several of his fellow local plods.
        In those days, Suffolk seemed as peaceful and law abiding as any other county; it had its crooks and bad’uns but at a manageable level.

        1. Thank you, Anne, I grew up in just such a small Suffolk village and we were all in awe of Inspector Hamilton who lived in the village Police House. If we were caught doing something ant-social, we were rewarded with a clip round the lug and a phoned report to our Parents . We quickly learned to behave in public.

        2. Sounds like my (Worcestershire) village. PC Bosworth lived in the police house attached to the station, knew everybody and pounded the beat every day.

      2. “Promotion only on merit”? No, it’ll never catch on again, Nanners. What a lamentable state of affairs!

    4. Infuriating at the best of times: today, of all days add cloth eared.
      That self obsessed bint sums up all that has poisoned this country over the past 70 years.

  24. My brother in law just phoned. He is one of the UK’s leading sound engineers (don’t ask!).

    20 years ago he was retained to deal with the sound feed for the State Funeral of The Queen.

    He and his chums have been rehearsing three times a year for the last 15 years. He told me he’ll be relieved when it is over. (He did the Jubilee Day sound, too. He was in a shed all day behind the Victoria Memorial.)

  25. Good morning all. A grey start up here, perhaps fitting the sombre mood of the nation.
    11°C outside and currently not raining, though rain is forecast.

    1. 14.8C here and bits of blue, but everywhere dripping following half an inch of rain at 6pm last night.

    2. 14.8C here and bits of blue, but everywhere dripping following half an inch of rain at 6pm last night.

    2. I’m re-watching Parks and Recreation and the Warqueen commented that I have too much in common with Ron to be healthy.

      Except the useful skills and moustache.

      1. I haven’t met him yet as i’m not back until tomorrow. I think it a foregone conclusion that Dolly is going to get a little brother.

    1. The sentiment is lovely, but why is there no apostrophe on the I? Why is duty not understood as a plural?

    2. Thanks, JF.
      I have managed to copy and print this. I’ve got some frames and glass somewhere and it’s going on the wall in the ‘office’.
      There is Nothing more to be said.

  30. I left the house at 5.00am – the world came to life gradually and seemed to be carrying on as normal. I wish I were still in uniform – there would be some formality.
    I’m wearing a black armband – I haven’t seen any others.

      3. Some would. Although I worry that there are too many who ‘wear a poppy’ – BBC presenters, for example – who don’t care for the sacrifice, the loss, the pain it represents.

      4. I don’t think that’s true, Bill. Racegoers certainly would as it’s common for jockeys to wear black armbands in memory of someone recently deceased.

    3. Good morning Stormy, and everyone.
      We now have a King, and life and death will carry on.
      A hospice nurse who spends the days making home visits is extra busy at the moment, as predicted during the Lockdown.
      The bosses have said that it should be twenty minutes maximum per visit, but some patients accept their fate and others need lots of TLC. So the twenty minute rule is ignored. It’s not so bad when the patient is 85, but very tough when they are 20.
      And even worse when the nurse knows that the youngster is dying because of a late diagnosis.

    4. I didn’t see anyone wearing a black armband, but I did see plenty of ordinary people wearing black.

    1. I’d cut their hands off. The vandalism, arrogance, egotism and self righteousness of these spiteful fools needs to be stopped, permanently.

      1. You can undo down ticks. If you give someone a down tick by mistake just click on it again and it will disappear.

        1. Thanks, just found that, in my panic to rectify my error. 👍
          Never like using my phone touch screen.

      2. If only Richard,I am not that talented,just a continuation of only stealing the best for NoTTL……..
        I have no clue of the original author

  34. I hope that when King Charles comes up against a testing problem he will say to himself “What would my mother have done “ and act accordingly.
    You can but live in hope.

  35. I’ve just had this by email enough said I would say.

    From the PM


    We are all devastated by the news we have just heard from Balmoral.

    The death of Her Majesty The Queen is a huge shock to the nation and to the world

    Queen Elizabeth II was the rock on which modern Britain was built.

    Our country has grown and flourished under her reign.

    Britain is the great country it is today because of her.

    She ascended the throne just after the Second World War.

    She championed the development of the Commonwealth – from a small group of seven countries to a family of 56 nations spanning every continent of the world.

    We are now a modern, thriving, dynamic nation.

    Through thick and thin, Queen Elizabeth II provided us with the stability and the strength that we needed.

    She was the very spirit of Great Britain – and that spirit will endure.

    She has been our longest-ever reigning monarch.

    It is an extraordinary achievement to have presided with such dignity and grace for 70 years.

    Her life of service stretched beyond most of our living memories.

    In return, she was loved and admired by the people in the United Kingdom and all around the world

    She has been a personal inspiration to me and to many Britons. Her devotion to duty is an example to us all.

    Earlier this week, at 96, she remained determined to carry out her duties as she appointed me as her 15th Prime Minister.

    Throughout her life she has visited more than 100 countries and she has touched the lives of millions around the world.

    In the difficult days ahead, we will come together with our friends…

    …across the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and the world…

    …to celebrate her extraordinary lifetime of service.

    It is a day of great loss, but Queen Elizabeth II leaves a great legacy.

    Today the Crown passes – as it is has done for more than a thousand years – to our new monarch, our new head of state:

    His Majesty King Charles III.

    With the King’s family, we mourn the loss of his mother.

    And as we mourn, we must come together as a people to support him.

    To help him bear the awesome responsibility that he now carries for us all.

    We offer him our loyalty and devotion just as his mother devoted so much to so many for so long.

    And with the passing of the second Elizabethan age, we usher in a new era in the magnificent history of our great country

    – exactly as Her Majesty would have wished –

    by saying the words…

    God save the King.

    1. It’s a pity the politicians have ruined, in recent years, what was a flourishing country.

      1. Not half Alf,…….. I’m not the initiator of this statement but it’s one I use and pass on as often as I possibly can.
        Everything our political classes and civil service come into contact with they Eff it up and big time.
        And not just our political classes.

  36. 355847+ up ticks,

    They never listened then, perhaps they’,ll listen now

    Gerard Batten
    @gjb2021
    ·
    22h
    Remember what the WEF is: the World’s top 1,000 corporations. Remember what Adam Smith wrote 250 years ago ( I paraphrase), ‘Businessmen never meet together unless to form a cartel against the interests of the public.’

    previewImg
    UK and World Economic Forum to lead regulation revolution to foster industries of the future

    New partnership between the UK and World Economic Forum (WEF) to ensure innovators have the environment needed to create and support the industries, products and services of the future.

    http://www.gov.uk

    https://gettr.com/post/p1q4n63a5ae

  39. Our friend in America sent us this text from Nebraska.

    LINCOLN, Neb. —

    Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts announced Thursday that all U.S. and Nebraska flags will be flown at half-staff to honor Queen Elizabeth II.

    Elizabeth II, the longest-lived and longest-reigning monarch in British history, died Thursday at the age of 96.

    President Joe Biden also issued a proclamation that all flags at U.S. federal and military facilities would fly at half-staff.

    Flags in Nebraska should be flown at half-staff until sunset on the day of Her Majesty’s internment, according to Ricketts.

    1. I emailed my neighbour to take my flag down to half staff. He has to climb over his garden shed to get in my back garden.

      1. A man over the road has a flagpole and has been flying the RAF Ensign. Today there is a Union Flag at half staff.

        1. Our neighbour was out in the driving wind and rain last night lowering his Union Flag, and Help for Heroes emblem. And he’s Scottish!

        2. Advice (see above) was that ensigns and the like cannot be flown at half mast, so shouldn’t be flown at all (which is somewhat annoying as Sunday 18th is Battle of Britain Sunday).

    3. Many houses in Norway have a flagpole, and most of those I have seen today are “firing på halv stang” – half mast.

        1. Yes, respect from all around the world.
          A few home-grown wowsers whimpering about BREXIT, unfortunately.

          2. And some people are just moserable, self-centred gits.
            BTW, did you know a “git” is a tiny poppadom, about the same size as the base on a red wine glass?

          3. No I didn’t know that but my life now feels fulfilled knowing that.
            I’ll try to remember the little git when I have a glass of Shiraz.

    4. According to the Flag Flying Protocol I received (courtesy of my Parish Council’s role in Operation London Bridge) flags should be flown at half mast immediately and then on Proclamation Day (and P Day +1 to allow for the Proclamation to be made in various different places) they should be flown as normal, then back to half mast until after the funeral. If the flag pole is not vertical then, if the flag isn’t clearly half mast, it should be flown with a black cravat.

  40. With the death of QE II the bastards have been handed the biggest event ever to use to their advantage e.g. burying bad news, deflection from what they are plotting and doing. We must remain vigilant, they have no scruples, whatsoever.

  41. Weird thing. Went out in the car at 9.45. 100 yards down the lane, the heavens opened. Torrential rain for three miles. Then clear and dry.

    Just got back home. Not a drop fell on the house. The border line between rain and dry – 100 yards away – striking.

    1. I was on the golf course this morning, the forecast scattered showers congregated on the 7th fairway and soaked our happy trio.

  42. Meghan Markle may have stayed away from Balmoral over fears she would not be ‘warmly welcomed’ by the Royal Family, BBC’s royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell says.
    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/index.html

    BTL

    Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge did not go to Balmoral because she had to stay with her children. It would be quite acceptable to say that the Duchess of Sussex did not go to Balmoral because she too felt she had to stay with her children. If this is the case then why has this not been stated?

    1. The greater question is why Harry wasn’t on the same plane as the rest of them or was he on the way back from Germany.

      2. That is the point I was making. I wonder if Migraine has ever even changed a nappy.

        She dumps her children with the nanny as soon as she can.

        1. I wonder whether the children were born by a surrogate. Can’t imagine Trash going through the misery of morning sickness and, later, the pain of childbirth.

    3. Meghan Markle may have stayed away from Balmoral over fears she would not be ‘warmly welcomed’ by the Royal Family

      No sh*t Sherlock

  43. I see mention of vile comments from the usual diverse sections of society. One has to be careful when expressing views, as those words can reveal more about the character of commentator that of the subject.

    2. Some of the comments have been absolutely foul, and I hope that they get some comeuppance, but if one believes in Free Speech one must accept their right to comment as they have

  44. Modern times. I mentioned my brother-in-law earlier.

    He has just been told that the company which has been rehearsing the State Funeral for the last 15 years and knows the whole thing inside out will NOT be employed.

    A new outfit – that has never anything like it before – will be used.

    WEF orders, I expect.

    1. A nice fat contract for friends of those in power? I’m all for a period of solemn mourning, but I can’t help feeling that our late Queen might not have wished to see the horse racing cancelled?

    5. I suspect that they will be able to afford to hire your B-i-L’s team as sub-contractors and still make a handsome profit from what they are being paid for the work, even after any applicable backhanders.

  46. Trevor Sinclair facing calls to be sacked after controversial Queen tweet. 9 September 2022.

    Within two hours of Buckingham Palace confirming the Queen’s death, Sinclair tweeted: “Racism was outlawed in England in the 60’s & its [sic] been allowed to thrive so why should black & brown mourn!! #queen.”

    The outburst from Sinclair was in contrast with previous tweets he had written about the Queen. “Our Queen looked so fragile when addressing the nation earlier but was so genuine with humility, her majesty still inspired,” he tweeted in 2020
    .
    In 2018, Sinclair had been ditched from punditry for the BBC after he racially abused a police officer who had arrested him for drink-driving. Sinclair was arrested after being found to be more than twice the legal drink-drive limit, Blackpool magistrates court heard.

    Sinclair asked the arresting officer if he was being arrested because he was black, accused the police of racism and urinated in a police car. He continued making racist comments after he was taken to the cells at Blackpool police station. Sinclair, who pleaded guilty to drink-driving and a racially aggravated public order offence, had been sentenced to 150 hours of community service and handed a 20-month driving ban.

    How often it is that those proclaiming the Greatest Virtue are so often the worst offenders!

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2022/09/09/trevor-sinclair-facing-calls-sacked-controversial-queen-tweet/

      1. He apparently played footie for England! His mother was Irish and his step-father from Glasgow. He called the policeman a “white c*nt”. A really charming fellow! 😱

          1. Pretty much my thoughts! Are they really so dim? Yes, was the resounding response! I know one Premiership footballer personally, and he is definitely the exception!

    4. Black people are always demanding respect. They even kill over the lack of it. They don’t seem to be in abundance outside the Palace either. I hope he gets fired.

    5. He sounds a right little shiite. Given his history, sack him on the basis that he’s a waste of skin.

  47. How dreadful it must feel to live in areas of the UK where English isn’t a first language , and indifference to the death of our late Queen will be noticeable.

    1. Which language? Travel back to the mid-eighteenth century and visit Cornwall, parts of Wales, much of rural Ireland and quite a few areas of North Britain.
      It was firstly the industrial revolution and then later the development of the railway network which advanced everyday english, I suggest. In other words, economic factors which still apply today all around the world. Sadly for
      dying languages, english is aspirational.
      Self-made millionaires in any culture or foreign country may not speak more than a few words of english, but you can be certain that their children will.

    2. Which language? Travel back to the mid-eighteenth century and visit Cornwall, parts of Wales, much of rural Ireland and quite a few areas of North Britain.
      It was firstly the industrial revolution and then later the development of the railway network which advanced everyday english, I suggest. In other words, economic factors which still apply today all around the world. Sadly for
      dying languages, english is aspirational.
      Self-made millionaires in any culture or foreign country may not speak more than a few words of english, but you can be certain that their children will.

    1. At least he was allowed to put his side of the argument publicly. Other people who are sceptical of man-made climate change just get shouted down.

    3. As is often the case the brains in the family don’t go into politics but the dolts do.

  50. On a frivolous note, my niece in Pittsburgh who’s a fellow Wordle addict just sent me this New York Times article (she subscribes so sent a “guest link”).

    “Few Wordle Players Use Consistent Starting Words, but When They Do, It’s ADIEU
    What the data tells us about how people play the game.

    The internet is full of advice about the best first guess to use for Wordle, the New York Times game in which players have to figure out the five-letter word of the day in six tries.

    Even Bill Gates is willing to tell you his strategy.

    We would never tell you how to play — but a look at The Times’s user data from June 15 to Aug. 22 revealed that if you don’t have a favorite starting word, you’re in good company. Most of the other players don’t either.

    Among the tens of millions of people who played the game during that time, only 28 percent of players with more than 10 games under their belts used the same starting word consistently. (“Consistent” was defined as using the same word 90 percent of the time.)

    The favorite starting word among players during that time was ADIEU, the French word for “farewell.” It was used by an average of 5 percent of users each day, which still included millions of people. And even after a June 22 CNET article discouraged using ADIEU — because its abundance of vowels may interfere with the chance of getting some good consonants — it was still one of the top five guesses.

    Finding a good balance of non-repeating vowels and commonly used consonants, such as R, S, T or N, is also said to give the player an advantage. And yet, there are nuances to that strategy. In a request from The Times for the experiences of players, Kat Whyte of Central Point, Ore., said that she starts with ADIEU.

    “It contains all the vowels except O and possibly Y,” she said, adding, “D is fairly common.”

    On the other hand, fellow Wordle player Michael Lounsberry of Seattle said, “Finding consonants is where it’s at! Finding vowels is a bad strategy.”

    The second attempt, the prevailing wisdom goes, should use completely different letters to increase the likelihood of solving the daily puzzle in the fewest guesses.

    Chris Rand of State College, Pa., said that he opens with the word CRANE, but that’s not as important to him as the next word. “For me, Wordle is largely about how much information is collected on the second guess,” he said. “Typically, CRANE sets me up to collect a lot of info and increases my rate of scoring threes.” (Mr. Rand was talking about solving the puzzle in three guesses.)

    Still with us?

    Mike Sinon of Indianapolis uses CRANE, but for reasons that are more sentimental than strategic. “It has three very common consonants that easily pair with other letter combinations,” Mr. Sinon said. “And it reminds me of my mother, who would always run outside with me to watch the sand hill cranes.”

    If you’re really committed to a starting word, you may eventually get lucky.

    But that’s human behavior. Maybe you would rather compare your starting word to Wordlebot, the game’s analytical companion.

    WordleBot is the brainchild of Josh Katz, Matthew Conlen and a small team at The Upshot, The Times’s data visualization group. The bot was in development before The New York Times purchased the game, but it was offered to the public on Apr. 7. In its first incarnation, WordleBot knew the answers to the roughly 2,300 possible solutions and chose the word that allowed it to solve the game in as few guesses as possible, assuming any of the remaining solutions were equally likely.
    Mr. Katz and Mr. Conlen, two graphics editors, announced on Aug. 17 that WordleBot’s algorithm had been updated so that it no longer knew the 2,300-word solution list.

    Instead, the bot “assigned roughly 4,500 relatively common English words a probability of being a Wordle solution, based on what it has observed about the words that have been solutions so far.” Mr. Katz said.

    “What’s important to remember is that the bot’s first choice is based on its own algorithm, not on users’ guesses,” he added in an interview.

    The update also changed its favorite starting word from CRANE to SLATE.

    This yielded a few online suggestions for players to drop CRANE and try the word SLATE instead. But there’s not necessarily anything wrong with the former top word, Mr. Katz said.

    “I think either makes for a great starting word,” he added. “The difference between best and second-best is tiny.”

    My go-to word is RAISE because it has a nice balance between the vowels and the common consonants S and R. The crosswords editor, Will Shortz, uses AROSE. His average number of guesses is slightly better than mine — a little under four vs. my solid four — so maybe I’ll try his word for a while”.

    1. I simply have no idea what you are talking about, Our Susan.

      I see the beeboids have scrapped The last two Porms. At least that avoids the widespread display of EUSSR flags.

      1. Yes. I feel sorry for one of my friends though as Saturday is her birthday and she was to have been the prommer who put the wreath on the bust of Sir Henry. It won’t be the same next year, as it won’t fall on the right day.

    2. You stole my starter word lol.

      I use ARISE a lot now because it’s slightly better than RAISE even though it uses the same letters.

      Today’s…

      Wordle 447 4/6

      ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩
      🟩⬜⬜⬜🟨
      🟩🟩⬜🟩🟩
      🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

      Daily Quordle 228
      5️⃣4️⃣
      6️⃣7️⃣
      quordle.com
      ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
      ⬜⬜🟩🟨⬜ ⬜🟩🟩⬜⬜
      🟨⬜⬜🟩⬜ 🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜
      🟨⬜🟩⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
      🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛

      🟩⬜🟨🟨🟩 ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜
      ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟩🟩
      ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
      ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜
      ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ 🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜
      🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜
      ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

      2. A process of elimination job today – establishing what isn’t more than what is.
        Wordle 447 3/6

        ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜
        ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩
        🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

    4. I often use ‘adieu’, but sometimes ‘table’ or ‘sable’ as the fancy take me. Perhaps I’ll try ‘slate’…

  51. All football called off, horse racing too. Today’s play at the Oval Test also abandoned. Rugby yet to decide. You can still go to concerts, the cinema, the pub, beer and food festivals, whatever you want, but sport’s off.

    Before the decision, government guidance was:
    “There is no obligation to cancel or postpone events and sporting fixtures, or close entertainment venues during the National Mourning period. This is at the discretion of individual organisations. As a mark of respect, organisations might wish to consider cancelling or postponing events or closing venues on the day of the State Funeral. They are under no obligation to do so and this is entirely at the discretion of individual organisations.”

    1. Surely a respectful two minute silence would be sufficient even if a Christian prayer is now too much to ask. Closing everything feels like lockdown rather than mourning. More spite than respect.

        1. Yes. A revised programme should have been possible. The orchestra people can read music. They could have put in some suitable things that they have rehearsed in the past.

  52. I see they are cancelling the football this weekend, despite that none of the players, managers and owners are British.

  55. Our nice neighbour who gave us 5 k of tomatoes has just been by with some lovely freshly dug spuds. They smell wonderful and we are having lamb tonight.
    2 courgettes and a large onion also. Ratatouille tomorrow.

      1. Even better, MH is doing the lamb and is now slicing garlic and will be picking rosemary to add. I shall do the spuds and veg unless he insists on taking over;-)

    4. The DT & Student Son were out shopping when I finished the concreting, so I did the dinner.
      I chucked a mix of leftover rice & tattie in the big frying pan with sliced red peppers and chopped water cress I needed to get used up.
      Chucked some sea bass fillets on top with sliced onions, mushrooms and some plum & hosen sauce and cooked over a low gas.
      And very nice it was too.

  56. Idiocy isn’t taking a break.

    The Detroit international marathon follows a route that crosses the bridge into Canada before turning back across to the US. Runners are in Canada for about twenty minutes.

    The powers that be have decided there will be no exceptions for marathon runners, just like every other person crossing the border, they will need to show proof of vaccination and use the Arrivecan app before they can cross over fr6om Detroit.

    Needles to say, registrations for the marathon are much lower than on previous years.

    2. I am making a very pointed reply! Could they not thread their way through the border….?

          2. The North Shropshire Camel Race has been cancelled due to the demise of HM (I kid you not! There really was going to be a North Shrops Camel Race and it has been cancelled for that reason!).

    1. I wish all these people who keep on about how dry it is & etc would shut up. It has been raining here, on and off, for over a week and heavily at times. My chives are waterlogged.
      No sniggering at the back 😉

      1. Half way through doing dinner, I suddenly realised I’d left the concrete I laid this morning uncovered!
        Que one rapid run up the so-called “garden” to lay a sheet of plywood over it.
        Yes, I did get a bit damp!

          1. At least I only had my tracksuit bottoms on.
            Thunder is still rumbling about and though it has abated, the rain is still raining!

          8. According to MiL, that’s the funniest line ever written and performed. It’s the main reason I’m not a Goon fan – if that’s funny, what’s the rest of it like?

          13. It is all a matter of taste and chance and age.

            When I was a child, “ITMA” was THE comedy on the wireless. There were various regular punchlines – “Can I do you now, Sir,” “I don’t mind if I do”..which we all knew. But I never found it funny. The GOON Show seemed funny – partly because there was nothing else like it and also because my parents didn’t find it even faintly amusing. But they didn’t like (or understand) Monty Python. Nor Hancock…

            I think we’d find most of it unfunny – now (I, anyway) in our 90th decade….

          14. Humour moved on.
            Live at the Apollo was funny 10 years ago, when it first started, but now the “comedians” are just pathetic. Puh.

          15. But funnier than ENSA (Every Night Something Awful) and the Goons were the catalyst for Monty Python.

          20. Ref comments recently.
            Your mention of King Charles brought me to a stop sharply.
            It’s going to take some getting used to.

          21. Although the programme was a bit later, my favourite was “Beyond Our Ken” which became “Round The Horn”.

    1. They got out of the car and did a meet and greet. Can you imagine Biden doing such a thing? Or the majority of ‘Dear Leaders’?

      1. When my father died (the last of the boys’ grandparents) MB and I suddenly felt very exposed.
        Although my father had got on with his own life, he had always been there – a sort of generational backstop – and suddenly MB and I were at the top of the tree.

        2. I still miss my Father – to wonder what Pa would say when I tell him something weird or funny, what advice he would give, but he’s been gone 25 years now, so maybe I need to grow up a bit?
          But I’ve always been pretty self-reliant, due to being at boarding school since 8th birthday, universities, living in my own home, so never really got to know or rely on parental guidance. Makes me weird, I guess.

        3. I know the feeling, Anne, being the last surviving member of my generation, having lost 8 siblings over the years – and I am the youngest at just 78 years old.

          2. Thank you, Paul, it is such a feeling of lonliness that it is amost depressing – but I won’t let it happen.

          3. My parents died almost 40 years ago, 3 days apart. That’s a wake up call. My little brother died in 2015 aged 56. I am the last person standing.

      2. When my second parent died I felt just like that, an orphan, and rootless. I felt I wasn’t attached to anyone any more. Although I have an older brother.

        1. I remember my father saying that, that he was an orphan, when my grandma died – dad was about 50 at the time. I found it funny at the time. Luckily I am 55 now and have both my Mum and Dad. I cannot imagine what it will be like to be an orphan, even at my age. All very sobering.

          1. My mother died when I was 41, my father 8 months later. Several friends in their sixties have parents living in their 90s.

  62. At the age of 71½ I have only known a Queen [for the 11 months I lived under a King I was nobbut a toddler and have no recollection]. To hear a group of young chaps outside Buckingham Palace singing, heartily, “God Save The King” was surreal, to say the least.

    Moreover, ALL my life there has been this omnipresent character known as “Prince Charles”. After 71½ years of knowing him as such, I shall find it nigh-on impossible to think of him as anything else!

    2. #Me Too. I was only 3 months old when the Queen came to the throne. It will be strange hearing “God Save the King” being sung.

    3. There was speculation once that he might become George VII but it seems that he doesn’t want to have to get used to a complete change of name either and is to be Charles III.

      1. In today’s DT it explains that he had long considered becoming George VII in tribute to his grandfather; however, he belatedly chose Charles III following the example of his mother in choosing to use the name everyone knew her as. The fact that his grandson, who is in direct line to the throne, is called George also persuaded him in his choice.

    5. I thought yesterday that it’s going to be very strange singing “God Save The King” and praying for our sovereign majesty King Charles …

  64. It is absolutely pissing it down- again. Wood ordered to build ark.

    If I was going to be soppy, I could say that England’s weather is also grieving the loss of a lovely lady and Queen.

    1. Did you see pictures of that magnificent rainbow yesterday, over Windsor Castle, Ann? Was that a message?

      1. ‘Autumn’ isn’t with until September 21st (the Autumnal Equinox) so it’s just part of the wet summer.

          1. I prefer to keep to the traditional equinoxes. I am a great traditionalist. March 21st, June 21st, Sptember 21st and December 21st. Scoff if you will.

          2. No scoffing from me, Tom. I prefer to use the time and date when the sun physically crosses the equator (figuratively speaking) for the equinoxes, and when it reaches its highest point at the solstices.

    3. I was planning to get a bit more done up the so-called “garden”, but it’s too much start raining, stop raining, start raining, stop raining, start raining, stop raining, start raining, stop raining, start raining, stop raining, to bother.

      1. Seems to be fine here at the moment- somewhere between York and King’s Cross. Quite wet in Hexham this morning.

    1. That salute is, traditionally ,by the HAC, The Honourable Artillery Company, incorporated by royal charter in 1537 by King Henry VIII, it is the oldest regiment in the British Army and is considered the second-oldest military unit in the world.

  67. Rugby goes ahead this weekend. There appears to be some buck-passing in the football world, with claims that the FA was going to wash its hands of responsibility and leave the decision to the clubs or the leagues.

    Three days after the death of KGVI in 1952 there was a full football programme in that much more deferential age.

    1. If ever there was a missed opportunity.

      A two minutes silence with the players taking the knee would have been entirely appropriate; unlike their other similar antic.

      2. Sadly, Brenda was not a drug addict, a burglar or a drug dealer, so no chance that our over-paid thugs would bother to kneel in her memory.

      3. And a great opportunity missed by the lower leagues to attract big numbers of Premier and Football League club supporters without a game to go to.

    2. Rugby in Scotland is cancelled. I’d have thought some consistency would have been thoughtful

      1. Musselburgh is off on Sunday (racing in England goes ahead) because HM is lying “at rest” in Edinburgh Castle according to my sources. Presumably that applies also to the Rugby.

  68. Rugby goes ahead this weekend. There appears to be some buck-passing in the football world, with claims that the FA was going to wash its hands of responsibility and leave the decision to the clubs or the leagues.

    Three days after the death of KGVI in 1952 there was a full football programme in that much more deferential age.

  69. I am now signing off for today, the first full day of the new reign. Must warm up the TV in readiness for the King – and the Service from St Paul’s.

    Through pure luck, I saw on TV – LIVE – the King and Queen and the young Princesses setting sale for South Africa in HMS Vanguard. And Princess Elizabeth’s Wedding. The King’s Funeral – and the Coronation.

    Not many people know that.

    Which reminds me. I wonder what on earth they did with Prince Philip’s hundreds of uniforms. Hardly things to give to the Sally Army, or put on E-bay.
    Anyone have any ideas?

    Anyway – have a reflective evening.

    A demain.

    1. Re: Prince Philip’s uniforms. Your second paragraph suggests that they went on sale once they got to South Africa. {:^}}

    2. Hopefully both Prince Philip’s uniforms and Queen Elizabeth’s formal dresses will be preserved so that they can be put on public display.

    4. Apparently EIR left 3,000 dresses.
      Given the number of jewels and fancy thread work, I would imagine a lot of recycling took place.
      The material from one of them ended up as an alter cloth.

        1. The speech was so very moving, and in one swoop he was transformed, he transitioned (how I hate that word now!) from Prince to King. Quite amazing. You could see it happening.

    4. Faultlessly sincere.
      I loved the earlier footage out side Buck house where people were not only wishing him condolences and shaking his hand but even hugging and kissing him. It must have been so emotional for him.

  71. So from what Charles said as I understand it he will no longer have the time to attend the WEF and Davos conferences

    Thank the Lord.

    1. I thought it was an excellent speech/message.
      My opinion of him is changing rapidly.
      70+ years of training for the role appear to have paid off.

      I may be misinterpreting it, but I got the impression that Harry and Megan will be left to their own devices, away from the Monarchy.

      2. ‘Evening, Sos, “I may be misinterpreting it, but I got the impression that Harry and Megan will be left to their own devices, away from the Monarchy.”

        We may only hope, but strange that they were the only members of the family, mentioned.

        1. He also mentioned William and his duties in some detail, including his appointment as Prince of Wales and to the Duchy of Cornwall.

      5. The King’s announcement of the titles now bestowed on the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
        followed immediately by Harry and Meghan continuing to live their lives abroad must have cut them down to size.

      7. I thought so too. If he hadn’t mentioned the gruesome 2some, there would all sorts of accusations. But after pointing out what fine support the monarchy has from Willum and Kate, he wished H&M good luck in their new life. He seemed to imply that we’ll get on just fine without you.

  72. Well now we know that it takes the death of our beloved Monarch for the BBC to do a church service live, especially on a Friday

    3. Shocking- but that is what she is known for- jargon-ridden, badly read clap trap. She is no more a priest than I am.

  74. Point of interest: the death of HM The Queen also marks the demise of the House of Windsor. I’ve not yet heard it mentioned whether the new Royal House will be entitled The House of Mountbatten or The House of Mountbatten-Windsor. Has anyone heard — from any source — what it is to be?

    1. The Carolean age returns: How the Elizabethan era ends as Britain comes under the reign of the THIRD King Charles – after his predecessors who ruled through the Civil War, Great Fire of London and the plague
      Prime Minister Liz Truss said today how Charles will rule over a ‘new Carolean age’
      Term was previously used for the reigns of Charles II, from 1660 to 1685, and Charles I from 1625 until 1649
      The name Carolean originates from the Latin name for Charles, Carolus
      Charles I was the only British monarch to have been publicly tried and executed for treason
      Charles II – known as the Merry Monarch – spent many years in exile before monarchy was restored

      https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11197511/The-reign-King-Charles-III-marks-dawn-new-Carolean-age.html

      1. “the THIRD King Charles – after his predecessors who ruled through the Civil War, Great Fire of London and the plague”
        Very apt for Charles then, for him to become king at this time, Belle.

      2. …and remained through the rest of his Monarchy by screwing as many women that were available.

  75. Last post – but it is a special day:

    Good speech by Charles. Got the tone just right.

    Whoever planned the service deserves a medal.
    For a national memorial service with a handful of
    tedious pols – but 2,000 ordinary people of all
    shapes, sizes and colours – was a brilliant idea.

    The Midwife was appalling – but that is her great
    strength….

    The King must have been heartened to see the
    REAL people of Britain – not those who carry knives
    and guns or change sex by the hour or glue themselves
    to the streets.

    We will have formality but in a different style.
    I feel strangely uplifted – won’t last, of course!

    Also, Macron spoke very well – I don’t know if
    you saw the video – it is on The Times website.

    1. Quite a number of the people you mentioned Bill were no where to be seen outside Buck House.
      Once more the spread of what might be discreetly known as normality was hideously white. God bless each and every single one of them.
      No headdresses or letter boxes either.
      Maybe we missed something. Or not.

    2. Didn’t see the service; I’m in the process of producing orders of service for our four churches. And the bloody printer has decided ,today of all days, that its waste toner bottle is full. The replacement I ordered on Tuesday (there was an error message saying it was nearly full) is – according to Fedex – at Stansted, yet simultaneously on time to be delivered to Guildford by the end of today. Did I mention I hate couriers?

      Agree re. the King’s Speech. And Macron was a surprise, but then so was Vlad’s message…

  76. I was interested to see how relatively young was the congregation at St Paul’s.

    The BBC camera man certainly earned his corn, how they managed to find so many BAMES to focus on in the non-political congregation was remarkable.

    1. For once, I think there was a sensible point being made – that, surprisingly, there WERE lots of BAMEs who wanted to be there. They hadn’t been rounded up in nets to make a quota.

      1. Good to see them there.

        As a % of the population as a whole, and particularly in London, there really weren’t all that many.

  77. GBNews/Farage/Tom Bower

    Harry Markle had to pay for his charter flight to Aberdeen yesterday. He returned to London on BA commercial.

  78. Paella for dinner. First of many this week, I’ve no doubt, Valentia’s being where it originated

  79. I did pretty well through the service until the Piper played Flowers of the Forest- lost it and then I saw his sporran and thought, I wonder if he’s got a marmalade sandwich in there for later.
    Sorry.

      1. I have been OK today but lost it this evening. Don’t know how old you are Bob but I am 68 and she’s the only monarch I and MH have known.
        Going to take a while to get used to His Majesty and etc. I think he’ll be OK.

          1. All too human. Being half Scots the Pipes really stir me.
            I have always liked Prince Charles and now he is King, I think he’ll do a good job. Camilla is a steadfast ally to him as is Catherine to William.
            God bless the King and Queen and the Prince and Princess of Wales.

          2. Love the Pipes, me.
            Always remember, about 1981, dusk on the banks of the loch at Ullapool, hearing a Piper playing in the purple distance… so romantic, it was. Emotional moment. Purple heather, sundown, pipes.

  80. Ah! A first mouthful of The Incredible Brewing Company’s Mild that’s been lurking for the past 6 or so months!

    Just been up to check the concrete I mixed this morning and it’s gone off nicely enough to take my weight. Shifted a load of rock to make space to pour the next lot, weather permitting, tomorrow, then ready to do the next lot of The Wall.
    If I really get my arse into gear, I might take some photos tomorrow.

    1. Goacher’s Mild (Maidstone brewery) is a lovely pint. I brew my own beer, favouring the darker beers, like porter. A dark Mild may well be my next brew.

      1. I’ll just stick with my two x 5 litres of Affligem (a strong belgian lager) that my beer machine is happy to dispense

      2. I’ll just stick with my two x 5 litres of Affligem (a strong belgian lager) that my beer machine is happy to dispense

  81. Evening, all. Went into town for coffee and cake this morning with the cur dogs (neither of them is a hound) and was quite surprised by the number of people (not just the young, who seem to like dressing that way) wearing black.

  82. We’ve just arrived home from our short break in Hexham – all the trains were on time and we managed to get across London in time for the train home.

  83. Another email from the US with sympathy and condolences for us Brits. The late Queen was truly loved in the USA.

  84. A couple we know were dining in a local restaurant and during their meal the waiter came across and whispered that the Queen had just died and expressed her condolences.

    It soon became apparent that several other diners were becoming aware and the pro Queen Elizabeth sentiment was very obvious; what was a pleasant surprise was the way the French expressed their sadness to that English couple.

    A very respected Monarch.

          1. Charles is a professional diplomat, and a slick operator. It’s like waiting for Cameron, May or Johnson to be a conservative. Charles is one of the WEF. His speech there earlier this year was appallingly inappropriate, particularly when it was clear that he would be king soon.
            He was quoted yesterday in the Mail as saying that his environmental goals couldn’t be achieved by government, but only by private corporations.
            In other words, democracy won’t deliver his agenda – and the definition of fascism is big corporations running the government.

            Time to stop seeing Charles as a well-meaning, powerless bumbler – his environmental agenda is ruthless, the political system that he advocates to achieve it is authoritarian, and the Prime Minister belongs to the same powerful organisation as Charles does.

  87. Just watched a compilation of moments from the Queen’s long life – we won’t see her like again.

  89. I have eaten more spuds tonight than I have in ages, Fresh and tasty.
    We had the spuds with roast lamb and sauteed veggies.
    Am worn out so am off to bed.
    Sleep well y’all.

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