The Art of Monarchy

When I was a newby ex-pat, I used to speak with affected scorn about our royal family. I would say that they are little more than a useful marketing tool for the English Tourist Board, an anachronism and a drain on the resources of decent tax payers. Truly, I now cringe that I ever spouted such ignorant claptrap. I've had this in the back of my mind for a while, but first there was that outrageous attack on the (fine British) institution of the boat race and then I started listening to an fascinating, erudite, intelligent podcast from BBC Radio 4 called The Art of Monarchy and I realized it was time to think again publically.

The commentator of the Art of Monarchy follows the British tradition of monarchy from 1066 (and all that!) and William the Conquereor up unto the present day. That's 1000 years of the same family (more or less) ruling the country, plus at times a commonwealth and/or an empire. That alone seems pretty incredible. This program was about the art purchased by, at times made by and at all times used for, their own agenda by the king or queen of that time. I learned SO much that I didn't know about my own heritage plus the music was fabulous.

I don't claim to know all there is about the rights and wrongs of our system of constitutional monarchy but I do understand now that there is so much more to monarchy than I had ever imagined and that right or wrong, the institutions that support and guide our queen and her (however many) predecessors are worthy of respect, if for no other reason than they have survived in a dog-eat-dog kind of world for a bloody long time!

I highly recommend this podcast which you can access by clicking on this link The Art of Monarchy

Let me know what you think!

It just wasn't cricket!

Protestor nearly gets his head sliced off!

I completely forgot to watch the boat race at the weekend, despite my good intentions....something to do with an unwarranted belief that my house was going to view that day and urges to do a complete Spring Cleaning.

I was gobsmacked when my English Mum, living in Australia gave me a blow by blow account of the drama that unfolded as she listened to the race on the radio!

If you don't know about the boat race, it comprises two boats of 8 men and one cox, one for Oxford, one for Cambridge. The course covers 4 miles of the River Thames. The crews have trained for years for this prestigious and traditional event and it IS an event that is watched, nay enjoyed,  by thousands world over, whether or not they attended an Oxbridge college.

Two miles in to the course, the Oxford cox alerted the crews to the fact that a man was swimming in the water, about to have his head sliced off by the flashing blades. The race was halted while police arrested the man, a protestor against elitism. PURLEEAASE............

The man, an Australian, as it turned out was angry. No kidding...really? As someone who was cox of the 3rd boat at her Cambridge college (I was pretty bad at it but it was still a lot of fun) I can attest to the amount of training that goes into an event like this and as an ex-pat who finds such events even more important now that I am not surrounded by them,  I mourn the disruption of a pageant which is usually fun and part of my cultural heritage, especially by someone who isn't even part of that heritage!

I hope they throw him in the Tower of London!

Union Jackie's Old Glory!

Union Jackie's first product! For Dawn, my dear friend and Girl Friday at TSJCL!

I Know that pride is not a pretty virtue and generally as a rule I'm a pretty humble gal, but I do have to say that I am SO proud of this attempt at applique!

In my desire to have a business one day which sells artisan made English crafts here in Texas, I thought I might try my hand at some new skills, applique being one of them.

Photographic artist: Lindsey Porter

I think it has turned out pretty well, although I can already see a coupla things I would change to make it even more gorgeous :)



I love the colors and the cheerfulness of the flag. The hearts make it country and the gingham and the spots make it English.

Just wait until you see the English Country Garden wall hanging I am working on! Liberty of London fabric(esque?), quintessentially British in its quirkiness.

FUN!!!

Cambridge Blues

Not only are the daffodils and the bluebells springing to life on the backs of the Cambridge Colleges as I daydream, and Robert Browning's lines,"oh to be in England, now that April's there", are going through my head, but now also an email from my alma mater plopped into my inbox this morning to alert me to the fact that

The 158th Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race will take place on Saturday 7th April at 9:15 A.M.

(obviously it will be about 2:15 in England!)

and the beauty of it is that it will be broadcast live  on BBC America! Terrific!

Just wanted to alert you to this tidbit of Britannica (akin to Americana) that is taking place this weekend.

Obviously anyone with real taste and breeding will be rooting for the pale blues - Cambridge that is :)

On Saturday I will be watching the telly while wearing my Newnham scarf and rooting for my lads to cruise to victory under the Putney Bridge. Can't wait!








Time