You May Have Wondered Where I Had Got To...!
Well - nowhere, really. I have been here all along, pootling, writing, visiting folks, cooking, washing up, mending, washing and ironing - all of the things I actually enjoy doing! but just not writing an entry for my blog.
This does not mean I have not been creative. In October, we had a really successful meeting of The Redbridge Rhymesters - the poetry group I run in Wanstead - and we were joined by children from Snaresbrook Primary School.
Having just celebrated King Charles III's Coronation in May, the theme was "Coronations" - and it was inspiring and encouraging to read the wonderful poetry written by everyone, especially the children.
I read one poem I had written about Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation; we were in Kampala, and even though we were so far away, we felt very much a part of it, and it was a memorable day.
CORONATION DAY IN KAMPALA 1953
It was a sweltering June in Kampala
With the African sun shining down;
Whilst in a city four thousand and more miles away
The skies opened in grey London town.
There was no television where we lived -
Short-wave radio was all that we heard;
Through crackles and static interference
Richard Dimbleby painted pictures in words.
He reported the pageant and colour,
The coaches, the horses; the crowds
Of her jubilant subjects lining the streets
To glimpse the Queen on her way to be crowned.
At the Great West Door of the Abbey,
Archbishop Fisher greeted the Queen;
On this day of faith and tradition
Our young Monarch was calm and serene.
And when the ceremony arrived at that moment
Of crowning, the congregation responded with cheers:
“Vivat! Vivat! Regina! “
The prayer has echoed down through the years.
As a child, I was given a gold model coach,
With a toy Queen and Prince Phillip inside;
Then I just imagined I was there on that day
And joined the celebrations with pride.
And later, when newsreels were shown on the screens
In cinemas, all over the world,
In glorious techniclour, we watched: so entranced
As that momentous day unfurled.
It was a day when spirits could not be dampened
No matter how heavy the rain;
There was joy, there was pride, renewed hope in all hearts
For this second Elizabeth reign!
Alexandra Wilde
The best news came after our poetry session, when their teacher later told me the children were now so enthusiastic about writing and performing poetry, they had set up - of the own accord - their own poetry group.
That is such encouraging news! and long may it continue. We've set the date for the next session: Tuesday, 26 March 2024; we have not yet got a theme, so it is a case of "Watch this space!"
Then I set to really nice and early, writing Christmas cards, writing letters and e-mails and wrapping Christmas presents for dear friends and loved ones. It was a truly good idea to get started so early, because I finished everything in really good time, and had everything away in the post well ahead of the official last posting dates for Christmas.
One disappointing note is that one parcel I have sent to a dear friend in Vienna has still not arrived. I paid the extra fee for Track and Trace; to my dismay, I saw that although it had arrived at the office in Heathrow Airport, it did not budge for weeks. Eventually, I rang up a number (I found this with great difficulty - clearly Royal Mail doesn't want to be disturbed!) and spoke to someone about it. He checked the contents I'd packed in the parcel were all legal and valid, there was nothing prohibited included in it, so there should be no reason for it to be delayed. When I last checked, a couple of days ago, it advised the parcel should be on its way to Austria, but there was no further information about its progress.
I was told if it hadn't been delivered by 29 December, it should be considered lost! and I could make a claim on it; I suppose that is what I shall have to do, unless by some amazing chance it turns up in the next day or so. I am not too hopeful!
And now we are in the countdown to midnight, and the chimes of Big Ben, heralding the start of a new day and a New Year. We all hope and pray for peace in the world, and that we shall all have happiness, peace and prosperity throughout 2024.
I hope everyone who reads my blog will have a happy time; and watch out for more articles and news and travel in the New Year!
