The Royal Wedding

The day of the Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton is about to take place. It is a  real life fairy story of a commoner marrying a prince

Everyone is caught up in the fever pitch about the Royal Wedding. Well perhaps not everyone, but most people will be interested in what is happening, what the bride is wearing and who is who at Westminster Abbey. We Brits certainly excel at celebrating Royal Occasions and know how to put on a good show of Pomp and Circumstance, ceremony and pageantry! 

I hope it will be a good day for the young couple and that they will enjoy their special day.

Although I personally do not like all the hype, the wedding trophies and kitch, I suppose it does bring in some much needed money  and it is good for the tourist trade..  On the other hand I do like the street parties when neighbours actually get to know one another and good humour and a friendly atmosphere reins all around.

Many people will recall their own wedding. when every bride is indeed a princess for the day, with her own handsome prince at her side and they recall their hopes and plans for a successful future. We will all spare a thought for the Royal Couple as they make their vows and hope that all their dreams will be fulfilled.


My own wedding was no great affair as I had to take a bus to the registry office to meet the love of my life. Neither of our parents wanted to know much about the wedding. We even thought of getting married in Paris but as I was not pregnant or living there, that dream came to naught. So we just got married with a couple of friends in attendance and at the last moment, my future mother-in-law decided to make an appearance and monopolised the car as well as the day. How ever nothing could mar my happiness,my love or the joy as I married my wonderful man and my husband and I stayed together for fourty years. I was devastated when he left me for a younger model as I still love him. 


Thinking about weddings, my thoughts stray to the weddings of my children. My eldest son married his beautiful bride, whom he met at St Andrew's in an old temple in Ireland, overlooking the Atlantic ocean. My second son chose the lovely tree cathedral outside Dunstable for his wedding, while my beloved daughter got married in the historic St Enodoc church in Cornwall and had her reception in the Old School House in the romantic village of Port Isaac.  I was and am so very proud of them all.


 I wish every couple, where ever they may be, all the happiness in the world and hope that they will live 'happily ever after'.


Like any young girl, I still dream about my prince and who knows what the future will bring. But for now, I will enjoy watching this Royal Wedding, as I watched the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana, when I slept on the pavement near St Paul's Church.


Oh I am just an old emotional, sentimental and romantic woman.


Please let cupid aim his arrows straight and true and let love prevail throughout the world.

Good Luck William and Kate.

       
                                                                  

See as thou was want to see

- well that is a quotation from Shakespeare's Midsummer Nights Dream. Very apt for us older people whose vision becomes impaired with age. Suddenly we do not see as well as before and need glasses or have to have cataracts removed or worse still develop glaucoma. Modern medicin is fantastic and makes little of these optical ailments.

I developed cataracts, first in one eye and then the other and needed to have eye operations to clear my vision. I found this very daunting as I hate anyone fiddling with my eyes.Still it had to be done as the cataract became very dense and clouded my vision and badly impaired my sight .                                                                                                                                                                       The day of the operation dawned and I was given a lift to the hospital at 7.30am. I arrived, quaking in my shoes and after being formally admitted was told to change into a hospital gown and be ready as I was the first person to be taken up into the operating theatre. The surgeon came and introduced himself and was very re-assuring. Next appeared the anaesthetist , who was a lovely lady and put me completely at my ease. The nurse put several drops in my eye and before I had time to worry, a porter came and wheeled me up into the operating theatre where the surgeon and his team were waiting for me, Everyone in turn introduced himself and we all chatted and joked as I was prepared for my 'ordeal'. A charming theatre sister asked whether I wanted here to hold my hand to which I readily agreed and tried not to hold on too tight. This was so very comforting and re-assuring. I never felt any of the injections in my eye or indeed any of the proceedure at all. The surgeon explained everything he was doing and praised me for being an excellent patient. He told me how an ultra sound wave melts the centre of the defected lense so that it can then be pulled out. The eye is then 'polished' and an acrylic lense is fitted into place. All this without any discomfort. Suddenly he exclaimed that all was completed  and perfectly satisfactory. I thanked everyone before being taken back to the ward to rest and enjoy a comforting cup of tea.

The other patients who were waiting were as frightened and worried as I had been, so I explained the proceedure to them and assured them of how lovely all the staff were and sang the praises of the excellent and patient surgeon.

The ward sister came and gave me a bag with eye drops, letters of instructions and a note to my GP. I was told how to treat my eye and when I had to come back for a check up.

Once more dressed for home, my daughter came to collect me and we went shopping before driving me back to my house.

I had to keep an eye shield on that day and night and when I removed it the following day to my delight, I could see perfectly well and clearly.  It was like a miracle. I had no after effects or problems at all- just perfect vision.

If any of my readers need such an eye operation,please do not feel afraid, but go for it!!  There really is  feel afraid but go for it!!  There really is nothing to worry about and the medical staff are so good
and competent, so that this is indeed a miracle that is performed and the words' see as thou was want
to see' really become true.

                                                                          
                                                                        

                Happy  Easter

Excitement is all around as people are planning their Easter Festivities. Age old customs come into play and the children can hardly await the coming of the Easter bunny who brings all those delicious and varied eggs.

The custom of having Easter eggs goes right back to pagan times,  when people wanted to celebrate the end of the long, harsh winter, when the earth lay 'dead' and people and animals waited for Spring. The hare was the messenger and heralded the awakening from the long 'sleep'. Thus the Easter bunny came into being. The egg itself was the symbol of new life. The two combined into the Easter legend and the hare or Easter bunny would hide the eggs in the grass or bushes, for children and adults to find.
There are coloured and decorated eggs as well as chocolate eggs to be found and no=one is ever too old to enter into the spirit of the egg hunt or even egg rolling. What fun!


The church too began to celebrate the fact that Jesus arose from the dead at Easter. During Lent the church was decked in somber colours but burst into a bright  array of glorious colours and beautiful flowers to celebrate life.


The Jewish religion celebrate the Exodus from Egypt and slavery to a new life in the promised land. The stories about this event is celebrated every Spring and children ask questions about the origin and the meaning of this special celebration


The Eastern religions too choose this time to celebrate in various ways.


What ever the occasion, everyone celebrates by feasting, wearing special apparel or Easter bonnets in a parade giving presents and generally making merry.


I hope the Easter Bunny is kind to you and that you will have a really good, fun festival.

Happy Easter to You All

New Breed of Glam- grans!

A picture and article printed in the newspaper about Lulu- the glam-gran. I think many of us could also come under that heading, as grandmothers  nowadays,  are not what they used to be.

                                                      

Well anything Lulu can do, we can do as well…. ( only without  make up or a professional photo)   So how about some of these snap shots.  

                                                                            

 

        Come on grans- let us show them what            

                                                                                 WE  CAN  DO

      Just enjoy yourselves!

Spring come laughing o’er the hills, crowned with wreathes of daffoldils…

The Spring Fairy has been working her magic and it seems that over night, Spring has come. A most welcome sight after the long, hard winter, when nights were long and days so very short.

During the dark days, we found it hard to get up in the morning, for darkness still reigned. By five in the evening, one wanted to get back to bed and snuggle down with a good book, or laze in front of an open fire with a glass of wine and like a couched potato, stare at the television and nibble ‘naughty’ food.

Suddenly, the dainty snowdrop rings in the warmer days and where ever one looks, daffodils spring from their bed in abundance. Proudly they stand in the grass or garden and blow their trumpets to herald the arrival of Spring. Primroses, tulips and hyacinths are awakened by their calls and bring a hue of bright colours for us to enjoy.

Over night the trees and bushes burst into life and green shoots appear while the flowers of the magnolia  trees stand erect and proud in their trees and the fragile, pink  cherry blossoms sway on their branches, sometimes showering us like confettee eat a wedding.

New life is seen everywhere and we enjoy the antics of the baby lambs, leaping around the fields.

At this time a young man’s fancy turns to …… while the sap rises in old men, who thought they were past it.  Ladies beware or make the most of it.

Most importantly         ENJOY THE TIME!

  If Music Be the Food Of Love- Play on.....

The morning dawned dull and grey. I looked out of my bedroom window and saw thick mist rolling down from the downs. It gave me a creepy feeling- just as if I was caught up in one of these horror films, when suddenly evil would appeared out of the thick fog. I sat up in bed and watched this phenomenon as within minutes the countryside disappeared and the mist rolled on relentlessly towards my bedroom window. Nothing could be seen.

I felt very lonely.

As I continued watching some twenty minutes or so, I suddenly saw the mist rolling back again and bright sunshine taking its place. Bright blue sky appeared, birds began to sing and everything was bathed in glorious sunshine. It was just like a miracle and I was filled with joy and happiness, just to be alive. However still sad to be on my own.

Spring had arrived and everywhere I looked, new life was beginning. The trees had sprouted new, vibrant green shoots or were crowned with delicate blossoms and looked so fresh and vibrant. Birds were pairing and building their nests, and everywhere I looked birds, beasts and young lovers were enjoying the rites of Spring. Oh I too wanted to be passionately in love again.

A voice in my head said, ‘ Hold on my girl. What exactly do you mean by love?’ I thought about it and came to the conclusion that love is a great and many  splendid thing and is found on many levels – as friends,, colleagues, parents, lovers. Or is it just a chemical reaction and physical attraction?  Are men from Mars and women from Venus? Do men just want sex while women yearn for love?

 Children give love unconditionally and some animals and birds mate for life. Why are some humans unfaithful?  What causes us , when entering a crowded room,to feel drawn to some people, more than other?

When I feel lonely, I desperately wish for a prince or sheik, on a white charger to come and carry me off to to a moon-lit desert, where a myriad of stars are twinkling above, or I would just like to be able to cuddle close to another soul and take comfort.

Love makes me want to sing and shout from the roof tops and I fervently want to share my happiness with everyone I meet. Oh they can see me coming, with stars in my eyes, being full of excitement and joy.

How often do people say-‘ I do love you’ but then mean something quite different such as seeking re-assurance, praise, comfort, romance and a promise of something more yet to be explored or just wanting sex.

I can truly say I love people- where ever they come from. People are unique and wonderful, kind and helpful and often full of surprises.

Sometimes , at first glance, I misjudge someone and think I do not like them- How wrong can I be.

My motto is to seek out the best in all people.