Joy joy joy for Britain and the wonderful Commonwealth! I'm an unabashed Royalist I'm afraid. The news this side of the Pond is real life fairytale. They're madly in love. A gorgeous couple who take an easy pleasure in each other's company. A little bit of elegance, old fashioned duty from both brothers, a clear commitment and a sprinkling of stardust. Personally I am looking forward to a lot more of Kate and a lot less of Paris and our Z list X Factor celebs. I almost burst into tears when I heard... and that's not "me". I think it's because we (Britain) really need this.
Mazal tov to the Royal Family from this corner of the Middle East. It's been the talk of the media over here too, even with all the usual politicking in the background.
ReplyDeleteI like the look of young Miss Kate. She looks very poised and self-composed, much more self-assured than the shy and retiring Lady Di. I think she will be an asset to the Royal Family and she certainly seems to have had plenty of preparation time to start her new role.
The future King and Queen! It's all so exciting. I adore the pomp and ceremony; their wedding will be the event of the century!
ReplyDeleteI hope that the crown goes directly to William, and skips Charles. He's a bit of a nincompoop.
I'm a stickler for constitution so not worried about Charles so much. Plus I love his approach to this city and our countryside. I hope he fights these architects tooth and nail & protects our farmers. Man is caught in strange times politically.
ReplyDeleteAs for Kate she is much older than Di when she was engaged. So I feel a lot more confident about her ability to cope.
Love the word nicompoop :)
Concur on the good news, especially as both seem to have good heads on their shoulders and will hopefully be able to remove a bit of the tarnish the Royal's have suffered over the last years.
ReplyDeleteVery happy for the two of them.
ReplyDeleteA strong and popular monarchy will be a good thing for Britain, and this marriage will improve the strength and popularity of the royals.
Alison I definitely get what you say about the preservation of architecture, open spaces, and farms... I live in Portland, Oregon, and we have very strict planning. As a result we have some nice, dense urban neighborhoods and some nice farmland very "close in". (producing some excellent Pinot Noir in the hills... and, well, grass seed on the lower slopes).
I'd be lying if I didn't admit this planning makes Portland a nicer place to live.
The downside is that the institutions which create the planning become arbitrary, unaccountable and ultimately corrupt - e.g. knowledge of where the planning boundaries are likely to end up leaks out to friends who buy up land near the boundary and profit from the new classifications.
So there are downsides.
Texas is currently much more prosperous economically that Oregon - but Texas development is ugly.
There are tradeoffs. I don't have a good answer but I think being conscious of the tradeoff and not letting things go too far in either direction is necessary.
Wonderful! They make the perfect couple although I was kind of spooked that he gave her Diana's ring. But as long as neither one of them have a problem with that good for them.
ReplyDeleteHere is the link to the You Tube video of their full interview today. He sounds just like my nephew and has the same gentle, respecful, sense of humour. He is very protective of her in a very unboorish/unbearish way.
Mazel Tov indeed!
What a beautiful couple they make, I wish Diana could be here for him. She'd be so proud.
ReplyDeleteI love all things about the royal family :-)
Our power was out the last 24 hours and it got damned cold. We had 60 mph winds last night, our yard looks like a war zone.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to be back online...
Here's a cute cartoon on the subject from the Telegraph: (trying to post a picture and hoping not to blow up the blog...)
ReplyDeleteimgw:"http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01763/matta17112010_1763756a.gif"
And another one. :)
ReplyDeleteimgw:"http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01763/mattc17112010_1763758a.gif"
I was kind of spooked that he gave her Diana's ring.
ReplyDeleteReduce! Recycle! Reuse!
Better Kate should get it than it should end up in a landfill. Right?
I guess the ring also came about by measure of austerity. But I also think he was sincere in giving it to her - he must love her very much.
ReplyDeleteI sound exactly like her. I only wish I looked half as beautiful. She is stunning.
Times leader today: The royal engagement is a moment of great private joy and a welcome renewal of the institution of monarchy
I hope so. I have to say HuffPos article on it was entirely spiteful. Just a welcome opportunity for them to remind us all how much the American left hates Britain and likes to look down on us. Good grief.
Lewy - I agree with that entirely. I just wish the Prince was allowed to voice his issues with much much more. He has succeeded in some areas but he is the only champion I know of protecting Londons skyline, in particular St Pauls. Architects think they are gods. While appreciating some things they have vastly improved we've had some right monstrosities go up as a result of their egos. And the public never get a say. The role of monarchy is to get across some of these concerns and protect the peoples interests. It is to our own detriment that we have wittled away constitutional monarchy in the name of bloody democracy - a fools paradise.
ReplyDeletealison, one thing I read about the ring is that it was actually Harry's - according to the article, when they'd been taken in to choose something from their mothers' things, Harry had chosen that ring, and William had chosen a watch. Reportedly, Harry gave the ring to William for Kate because he believed that it should be worn by a future queen. If that's true - wow...
ReplyDeleteLoved 'em, annie!
ReplyDeleteWell, I don't know much about Kate and Harry- they do look like a lovely couple and all- however I must post a comment just to be able to say that it's so good to see you hanging out here at the table, annie!
ReplyDelete"Our power was out the last 24 hours and it got damned cold. We had 60 mph winds last night, our yard looks like a war zone."
ReplyDeleteGoodness, it was pretty windy night last here on the other side of the country, but not nearly that bad. Glad you got your power back, florrie!
Hi Alphie! (I assume you are the poster formerly known as AM42?) It's great to see all the familiar 'faces' and names again. ;;)
ReplyDeleteHmm. Wind, dark, storms, rain. What are these things you speak of? It's still in the 80s here. In fact we're having a special national day of prayer for rain today. We haven't seen any serious rain since last March or April. I would gladly trade our sunshine for some of your damp and gloom.
For Alison, and everyone of course. Just thought Alison might particularly enjoy this photo... 'photo', what an understatement.
ReplyDeleteFrom the "Daily Mail":
"It is a unique portrait of London, a dizzying panorama of our capital city captured in unparalleled detail. A newly published 360-degree image of London takes the crown as the largest, highest-resolution panoramic photo in the world. The image of London has a total resolution of 80 gigapixels, or 80 billion pixels."
Read more...
A link to the source of the picture.
Modern technology, mind blowing, so to speak.
Okay, embedded links didn't work.
ReplyDeleteSo, here, Daily Mail...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1330811/The-incredible-360-degree-panoramic-photo-London.html
Photo source...
http://www.360cities.net/london-photo-en.html
Sorry for these off topics but I'm sitting at home with a broken leg and I'm bored.
ReplyDeleteThought some of you might like looking at 49 rock'n rollers... from back then and now. I'd say being a member of the Stones was a hard life, well, you know what I mean.
Oh, I haven't clicked anywhere else on that site, so, given its 'mission statement' one might be cautious in doing so.
49 Old Rockers ~ Then & Now
Luther - sorry to hear about your broken leg - I hope it heals quickly. Boredom sucks.
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting that some of the rock and roll types actually looked _better_ (Meatloaf definitely looks healthier).
Joan Jett remains smokin' hot.
Grace Slick is a seventy one year old woman. Whoa.
I agree Lewy, Meatloaf looked better.
ReplyDeleteSo did Bret Michaels and Richie Sambora. Bruce Springsteen looks good for his age as do David Bowie and Charlie Watts.
Then there's Jon Bon Jovi! Smokin'hot babee.
img:"http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y113/phasewest/jon_bon_jovi--300x300.jpg"
I love how he grew out of his nose and into his chin.
Oops, and meant to say sorry about the broken leg Luther. Get better soon.
ReplyDeleteSorry to read about your broken leg, Luther - hope you are a fast healer.
ReplyDeleteI am going in for some minor surgery, this afternoon, the first (and simplest)of three things I will need to have done over a few months.
In good news, my son just found a job using both his prior CNC experience and his IT training, so things are definitely getting better for him.
Luther....broken leg? Incurred whilst jumping out a bedroom window just ahead of a jealous husband's pursuit?
ReplyDeleteEnquiring minds needs to know dis stuff!
Luther, I'm so sorry to hear about your leg (while giggling at aridog's comment). I hope you mend quickly, without going out of your skull with boredom.
ReplyDeleteDWT, I hope your surgery goes well, too. I'll be thinking about you today. I'm delighted things are looking up for your boy! Our son just landed a new job a lot closer to his home, and will be whittling an hour and a half round-trip commute down to ten minutes. Yay! That will leave him a lot more time for his family and his second job. :)
I don't know why so many media-types are bashing the royal engagement. Personally, I think it's a welcome respite from all the doom and gloom.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the condolences everyone. I have three fractures, the Tibia, Fibula, and Tarsus on my right foot. Unfortunately, the circumstances leading to my accident were boringly more prosaic than suggested by Ari. A simple slip and fall after leaving the dive boat and walking back to the office. I was on vacation in San Carlos, MX, staying at the Sea of Cortez Premiere Vacation Club. A lovely place if you're ever down that way. Small, only forty-four units, right on the water and with a good in-house restaurant.
ReplyDeleteI decided while in San Carlos that I was tired of being 'just' a snorkeler, that I wanted to get down further than those first tantalizing six inches of ocean. So I signed up for, and completed, the requirements for my 'Open Water' scuba certification with these folks Ocean Sports San Carlos Mexico
, whom I also heartily recommend. I made five dives total with a couple of them at sixty feet. Amazing fun! We dove off of San Pedro island. And yes, the sea lions do cavort with the divers just as shown in the video at that link. Cool stuff.
Lewy, I do agree about Joan Jett, but would have to add Deborah “Debbie” Harry, Pat Benatar, and Cherie Currie as well. At least in the sense that I wouldn't kick any of them out of bed for eating crackers. But then, at my age, my tastes are more mature... yeah, right! I will say that Iggy Pop really should wear a shirt in future performances.
DWT, hope your surgery today goes well and that you have a nice lazy afternoon of recovery. And it sounds as if your son has a good combination of skills. He should have no problems with finding employment I would think.
Thanks, Lady Red. And yep... that Ari, I could only wish. ;)
ReplyDeleteThat's good news about your son's job, I hate long commutes.
Hmm, breaking your leg while on an exotic diving expedition in Mexico sounds exciting to me! Heck, at this point, driving to Memphis to Christmas shop would be hugely exciting.
ReplyDeleteI think I've been cooped up too long. :(
Well, yes, LR, you do make a good point from your perspective. But trust me, the rest of the time it is the 8 to 5 routine around here.
ReplyDeleteAnd so, start planning that Memphis trip before it is too late!
Sorry to hear about your leg Luther - ouch :(
ReplyDeleteSorry about your leg, Luther. I hadn't peaked in on this thread until now -- so I didn't know.
ReplyDelete