Memories found inside or outside or underground

[sovay]

The first thing I saw on the internet this afternoon was the news of the death of the Queen. My mother always thought of her as her queen; she had watched her coronation on the neighbors' television in Arizona. I was shown once a small collection of memorabilia that had been sent by friends of my grandparents in England—paper cutouts, a programme. And now that is a historical era, even though it is living memory. Not yet out of an Etruscan seclum, counting time by people. I lost most of the rest of the day to pain. The last Charles to be King of England etc. was a great friend of the Taaffes, so I am expecting the phone call any day now, thank you.

And now Elizabeth and Dee go along the same great highway, and the light of the air about them seemed somewhat dark, like evening or twilight, and as they walked the phoenix spoke and cried with a loud voice: COME AWAY.
—Derek Jarman, Jubilee (1977)

Comments

[gwynnega]

Living in England made me a raging anti-royalist, but today I kept thinking about my childhood stamp collection, and all the stamps from one-time colonies bearing her youthful visage. History...

[sovay]

History...

That.

[asakiyume]

When did you live in England, and how long?

[gwynnega]

I lived there (in Bath) for most of 1990.

[asakiyume]

Wow, cool!

[asakiyume]

Did you happen to see photo of the rainbow that appeared over Buckingham Palace as people gathered there? That's a good meteorological sendoff.

[minoanmiss]

I have to admit that's kind of lovely.

[asakiyume]

:-)

[sovay]

Did you happen to see photo of the rainbow that appeared over Buckingham Palace as people gathered there? That's a good meteorological sendoff.

I had not!

(My first thought: The Queen is dead, long live queer and trans rights.)

[asakiyume]

A good first thought!

[cmcmck]

I'm that somewhat rare creature a native English republican.

Being a seventeenth century historian tends to make people core royalist or core republican and I have to admit that the late Stuarts did little to impress me.

Lizzie Windsor was, however, gear freak, petrol head, vehicle engineer and mad ambulance driver which is pretty impressive for a woman of her generation! :o)

[selkie]

My favorite anecdote is of the Queen, the Prince of Saudi Arabia, and the Land Rover. "ENJOY OUR CHARMING NATIVE TERRAIN WHEEEEEEE!"

[cmcmck]

Harold Wilson told a story of his arriving at Balmoral station for a prime ministerial visit and being picked up by Queenie in a Land Rover. :o)