Things British....

St Patrick’s Day is just around the corner…some interesting information:
Was St Patrick Irish? Not according to historians. Most likely a Welshman born in Roman Britain!
As for driving snakes out of Ireland…well…another myth. There were no snakes in Ireland in Patrick’s time, so none to drive out!
Seems someone kissed the Blarney Stone with that one!

 

According to Irish mythology St Patrick banished Satan from a nearby mountain cave. In a fury, Satan took a bite from the mountain and spat it out creating the Rock of Cashel, also known as 'St. Patrick's Rock'.

Ah…how I love legends!

The Cathedral was built between 1235 and 1270 and is also known as Cashel of the King’s and St. Patrick’s Rock.


What impressed me about this video is the eloquence of the guides..
 
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To all my readers… both on and off site....

Well folks this is my last post on this thread. Our bags are packed and we’re ready to take off for an extended holiday in a few days!

Our first stop will be the UK. Two exciting events await us there… the wedding of my niece which is going to be quite a celebration. Thank goodness, her parents are having it all catered for at the elegant Knebworth House in Hertfordshire and are making full use of the beautiful gardens..

I’ll be hosting a few guests at my own home since the venue is not far from where I live and other guests will be staying at nearby hotels or even at Knebworth House. So there is still a lot to do.


Then we join the thousands of Brits celebrating the Coronation of King Charles. I was not born when his mother the late Queen Elizabeth was crowned, so this is quite an occasion. Looking forward to all the pomp and pageantry and more than a little excited because The Monteverdi Choir of which our daughter is a member will be performing at Westminster Abbey.
We have tickets for the concert at Windsor Castle, but my husband and I have given ours to the young crowd…we will be too bereft of energy I am sure to attend!

Here is a wonderful video of Queen Elizabeth’s coronation… a bit lengthy but a gem for history buffs! Watch until the end and you’ll be absolutely delighted!


Then off to exciting Egypt. First stop Alexandria, where my husband was born, to visit my husband’s relatives then as usual, when we are in Egypt, we call in on dear friends in Luxor and Cairo .
Enjoy a bit of Egyptian history…


Finally, homeward bound for a nice long rest…
Ah well, this brings me to the end of this long post…
As they say in Egypt “mae alsalama” or a British “cheerio”…until we meet again.

 
Jamala, have a very lovely holiday and will look forward to hearing about it upon
your return! All you shared sounds very wonderful, I know you and your husband
and family will enjoy every moment. Such nice videos you've shared. Thank You.
 
Jamala said:
"Sumer is icumen in" is the incipit of a medieval English round or rota of the mid-13th century; it is also known variously as the Summer Canon and the Cuckoo Song.

This 800-year-old song was written in the 13th century, making it one of the oldest songs in English folk songs…

Click to expand...
Have heard it already and like it very much. Today almost nobody has an imagination how vital spring and summer were in former times after the hardships during winter.
 
Jamala said:
Palladin, putting up a bunch of pictures would be more interesting if you write something about the pictures and where they are from.
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The infamous "Lumberjack Song". If I remember correctly the Mounties sing and praise the qualities of the young man to his bride while he puts off his clothes and in the end stands in front of her in bra, suspender belt (AE garter belt) and stockings.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lumberjack_Song
 
LadyEmeraude said:
Jamala, have a very lovely holiday and will look forward to hearing about it upon
your return! All you shared sounds very wonderful, I know you and your husband
and family will enjoy every moment. Such nice videos you've shared. Thank You.
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Hello lovely EM, thank you so very much for your kind words. We enjoyed every minute of our trip. First visiting my husband’s relatives in Egypt was such a joyous occasion as usual. Then… my niece’s wedding in the UK… truly divine…it really was!
Finally the Coronation...if I had to describe it in one word it would be … resplendent… even in the rain!
I’m posting a couple of snippets here and also in my Diary…. https://www.seniorforums.com/threads/a-few-of-my-precious-moments….78342/

London is teaming with an ocean of tourists as you can imagine…so… hubby and I decided, to avoid being overrun by royal fans, after having a lovely family breakfast, to depart on our flight out of Heathrow on Sunday. The young ones set off for Windsor for the Coronation concert. Still heavily jet lagged, although sleeping for two whole days …must keep awake until bedtime lol.

Hugs ♥️
 

Not since the death of his grandfather George VI, has the British throne been occupied by a King. The late Queen Elizabeth was indeed one of the most highly respected monarchs on the planet and her reign of 70 years has left an indelible mark on world history. King Charles has some pretty impressive royal shoes to fill!

I have to say the song Soldiers of the King (in the video above) is my favourite march, introduced to us as children by our Grandpa who was a Major General in the British Army.
I missed my Grandpa very much on the day of the Coronation, because, he was at the late Queen’s coronation and we have film reels of him at the celebrations. This march was one being played by the bands with Grandpa taking a salute.

Sadly, he had to retire early because of a leg injury much to his chagrin. For us children however, it was a stroke of selfish luck to have him around as much as we did…we had the most fun with Grandpa whom we called Major.
He was a wonderful person and told the most exciting stories of the war (not that war is exciting), of India…of dinners he and my Granny enjoyed at the palaces of Maharajas. When we got a bit restless, he would “muster the troops” and have us marching around the garden singing “soldiers of the King” at the top of our voices. The neighbours thought we were quite mad…and… poor Granny agreed with them!

Anyway, I digress too much…back to the Coronation….

 
Due to bad weather and too much cloud, the Coronation fly past had to be shortened. Anyway, the star of any British air show is a display by the Red Arrows and they did not disappoint as usual. Magnificent spectacle! The roar from the crowd was deafening!

We did not see the King and Queen on the balcony and had no desire to follow the masses up the Mall…but it was an incredible sight to see thousands of people converge in front of the Palace. However, we had excellent view of the Red Arrows doing their thing!!


Well, what can I say… you must have all had a look online or on television and by now it must be old hat? Somehow, I don’t think so! This piece of history will be played and re-played, talked about, written about for decades and cemented in the history books!
However… let me tell you…to be there…to be in the thick of it…to be enveloped in the atmosphere …feel the excitement, witness the magnificent spectacle is an unforgettable experience!

The rain did not dampen enthusiasm…not at all…the royal fans came out to be part of history and, made the best of the situation hunkering down to witness it all unfold.
Fortunately, for us because of our connections and my husband’s press pass, we were under cover all of the time. Even had snacks, a few drinks and a loo if we needed to spend a penny, lol!

Although we are told the event was scaled down drastically, compared to Queen Elizabeth’s…the pomp and pageantry was still a feast for the eyes and ears!
I have seen the Gold State Coach at the Royal Mews several times, but to see it in all its splendour on the way back from Westminster…oh my goodness…breathtaking!

The excitement was contagious and exhilarating …people from all over the world vying for a good viewing spot to watch the procession and everyone so good-natured and happy to be there on this day.

We enjoyed an unobstructed view of the King’s procession on the way to Westminster Abbey in the Diamond Jubilee Coach, and also, on the way back from the Abbey to Buckingham Palace after the Coronation in the Golden State Coach. The procession was just ..oh well…I am going to say it…majestic!!

A large screen was erected in the building and we were able to see the Coronation ceremony in the Abbey (so missed nothing!)… and the thrill to come back out on the balcony to see the procession make its way back to Buckingham Palace. Simply stunning!!
With such unrestricted viewing, my husband was able to fulfil his obligation to make a short film for Egyptian TV. So proud of him!

The view was panoramic. King Charles looked regal and dignified, although quite tired (expected). Camilla looking every bit the Queen. William, Kate and their children looked gorgeous especially my favourite, Prince Louis, who stole the show as usual!

Other wonderful news…our daughter sang with the choir at Westminster Abbey (not her first time singing at the Abbey). It was lovely listening to her comments about what went on in the Abbey!

She said she was especially delighted to see King Charles scanning the rows of guests on his right as the royal couple were leaving the Abbey and there was no doubt he caught a glimpse of Harry. She thought he looked so pleased! Even Princess Anne stopped to have a little chat with Harry before she sat down.

All in all, a truly glorious celebration.


Whether one is British or not…history was made on May 6th 2023 at the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla…and… I was there to witness it!
 
Meet the beautiful Windsor Greys that pulled the Coronation coach:


There is something fascinating about night-time and nothing more magical than watching a fairy tale come to life on the streets of London. I am talking about the nocturnal rehearsals of the Coronation procession.
We were there to see everything we could relating to the Coronation and, when invited to watch the rehearsals before the final event…we jumped at the opportunity.

The angels must have been on our side, because, unlike the actual Coronation day, there were very few people around, NO rain and a wonderful opportunity to see the Windsor Greys : Icon, Shadow, Milford Haven, Newark, Echo, Knightsbridge, Meg and Tyrone, close up, and. who were chosen to pull the Coronation carriages.

The entire scene seemed almost surreal, a sight I shall never forget. The night sounds of the horses’ hooves, the sound of the music in the traffic free night, the soldiers marching in and out of the shadows…enchanting to say the least!!

Here are a couple of youtube videos of the rehearsals.



Again, I have to say how lucky we were to see history in the making. The memories are priceless…the pictures and videos my husband took will be treasured by our family. Copies are already being made for each family member.

Dieu et mon droit ('God and my right', is the motto of the monarch of the United Kingdom.
 
I leave you with one of Britain’s favourite patriotic hymns.

‘Jerusalem’ takes its words from a poem by William Blake and is often put forward as an alternative English national anthem. Personally, I prefer it to God Save the King.

A link below for those who wish to learn more about the song’s history.

https://www.guidelondon.org.uk/blog...s-about-william-blake-and-the-poem-jerusalem/

One of my favourite singers Katharine Jenkins sings ‘Jerusalem’…

 

Lovely cameo starring King Charles and Queen Camilla.
More proof our King has a great sense of humour!

I just watched the Coronation concert on line and agree with the children when they say it was a marvellous concert with fantastic atmosphere. I had four tickets, my husband also had four and members of the family had theirs, so those who wanted to go were able to with enough tickets to go round.

I just couldn’t stand any more crowds and was willing to give up our tickets.

Enjoy…

 
oh my - I so feel so tired said Poo bear to piglet can we sit down for one minute now the music and loadspeakers are off and have a rest - and who is that announcer Jamala - she's got such a squeaky voice ??
 
did someone mention food? one of my addictive passions is "rollymops" soused herrings in vinegar and onions but beware of over consusmption of these delicious morsels - just eaten two only and already got indigestion of a medium degree. but the passion of those teeth against the soft herring is heaven on earth!!
 
davey said:
oh my - I so feel so tired said Poo bear to piglet can we sit down for one minute now the music and loadspeakers are off and have a rest - and who is that announcer Jamala - she's got such a squeaky voice ??
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I suppose you think you are funny....however your, uncouth behaviour has not gone unnoticed.
 
davey said:
did someone mention food? one of my addictive passions is "rollymops" soused herrings in vinegar and onions but beware of over consusmption of these delicious morsels - just eaten two only and already got indigestion of a medium degree. but the passion of those teeth against the soft herring is heaven on earth!!
Click to expand...
I suppose you think you are funny....however your, uncouth behaviour has not gone unnoticed.
 
I always thought that we Brits (well, most of us) had a sense of humour.
Oh why did you have to mention rollmops, you've made me feel hungry. We get beautiful fresh fish from our local fishing port, but it's just a bit early for herring. My indigestion will have to wait until June.
 
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