One Fine Day

 Friday. 6.55 a.m. It's definitely a good deal colder this morning when I took Alfie out.

I think I have sorted out the problem I had regarding the mystery sound that has been keeping me awake at night. It occurred to me yesterday to put notes through the doors of the neighbouring flats along the corridor where I live in Dexter House. I wrote the polite (stressing polite and respect.) that the tenant who had whatever it was on (ie: radio, television or whatever.) would please turn the volume done so I couldn't hear it. This note was created on my MacBook and printed and then posted through around six of the flat doors. As I put them through each door, I discovered how difficult it was to actually push the notes through, with the new letterboxes with a metal flap inside and a sort of brush. I think it must make the job of the postman difficult or at least, time-consuming, to make sure any mail that is delivered has to be pushed right through. As I mentioned, it would appear that my note has made a difference I didn't hear anything extraneous in the night and I slept far better. In fact, I didn't wake up until around 6.10 am which might explain the difference between having that background noise and not having it.

10.05 a.m. I wasn't intending to mention too much of the death of H.M. Queen, but seeing the incredible queue of people who are going to file past her coffin in Westminster Hall for her Lying In State, I really couldn't ignore it. The queue stretches for around four miles along the banks of the River Thames and at the end nearest the hall, they have set up a snake system which is often used at theme parks and other attractions, in the park right next to The Houses of Parliament. This has been shown on BBC Breakfast this morning and one of the reporters has been interviewing people to give a flavour of the atmosphere and discover more about why people were there. A truly amazing sight. This morning they had to pause the queue for six hours and told people not to come to and queue until it moves. The affection for Her Majesty seems overwhelming. So, who says the British don't care for the monarchy? Or, for that matter, the admiration for Her Majesty and what she has achieved during her record-breaking seventy-year reign.

10.37 a.m. I have continued with my writing. I had given it a break for quite a while because it is possible to just get bogged down with writing too intensively.

1.45 p.m. According to the BBC website, the queue for people paying their respects to H.M. Queen lying in State in Westminster Hall stretches around five miles, as far as Southwark Park.  I have no idea how many people that would be, but certainly quite a few. 

God Save The King!

Monday. 7.15 a.m. So, now we have a new monarch, Charles III. On Saturday, I saw the proclamation of the new king on television because this ceremony has never been seen by the public before. It was a symbolic occasion, the sort of pageantry that we seem to do so well in Britain. The death of the Queen was incredibly sad and unexpected, considering we had only a few months ago celebrated her Platinum Jubilee. But now we are celebrating the accession of our new monarch, Charles III. He has to change drastically his life, transferring from being somewhat in the background as Prince of Wales to becoming monarch and very much in the forefront of the life of the nation.

This morning, on television, we had a ceremony in Central Hall, Westminster, of the new king and his    Queen Consort, listening to speeches from both sides of parliament, The Lords and Commons and then Charles gave his address. This was all done in front of the massed MPs and members of The Lords. I am somewhat surprised that Charles chose his name as his Reginal name, because of the connection of Charles I, who was actually put on trial in that same vast hall and then had his head chopped off by Oliver Cromwell's henchmen.

No sooner had the ceremony finished, than Charles and Camilla got in a car and were driven off to Northolt airfield to fly to Edinburgh because they were going to follow his mother's coffin to St Giles cathedral where it will be lying in state for 24 hours. It had been bought to Edinburgh from Balmoral where it took a good 6 hours for the journey to be completed.

I'm thinking, it must be difficult for Charles. He's just lost his mother. He thought the world of her. He immediately became king, the moment she passed away. An onerous task, a great job to take on, considering his age (he is 73.). He has to go through a great deal of pageantry over the next days, months and years, the build-up to his coronation, probably next year. Its date will no doubt be announced before too long. That in itself will be a huge event, not just for Charles, but for those who will have to organize it. On top of all this, which should be very exciting and overwhelming, he still has to be thinking of losing his late mother.