Monday, September 12, 2022

 Helen and Archie got to the Royal Mile to watch the procession. She and I agreed this morning that the crowds were too much, but she phoned at about one to say that she had a place and Archie (who was here) should join her. Her studio (where she makes mosaics) is just around the corner from Holyrood – she must have popped out at lunchtime to see if there was any hope.

 

The King must be getting tired. Emotion on this scale is exhausting enough in itself, and he is packing in a lot of extra meetings and ceremonies in addition to the strictly funeral-related ones. 

 

It has been a nice day again. Daniella and I got about 3/4s of the way around the garden. Yesterday, I attempted it with a stick, with C. I would be much more mobile if I could recover the ability to walk with a stick. I had it in May, when I went into my care home. I didn’t get terribly far in the garden yesterday, but I did it and got home safely. I hesitate to practice stick-walking when I am alone in the house.

 

I knit successfully on while watching the procession on television. I’m ready to bind off the body ribbing.

 

The Stephen West MKAL seems to be everywhere, among the websites I patronise – independent dyers putting together their own five-skein packages, West himself putting out teaser videos. So exciting!

 

Oberlin: Gibson’s victory in court has had substantial publicity here, with full-sized articles in both the Times and the Telegraph. I’ve also heard from the Oberlin Review, which I used to edit. See Rebecca’s comment of September 8. I also used to be a waitress at the Oberlin Inn, although that is to claim too much glory for myself. I was a “hostess” whose humble task was to pour water, hand out menus, and clear tables. I could take desert orders, too. For all that, when tips were added up and portioned out, I got a half-share. Real waiters and waitresses got a full share. It was fairly hard work. It never dawned on me that Oberlin’s “dryness” was a drag on profits, but of course it was.

 

I remember (alas, too vaguely) the New Yorker article you mention, Rebecca. If it wasn’t about Gibson’s, what was it about?

 

Wordle: Nobody shone today. Thomas and his father Alexander were best, with four. All the rest of us – Mark, Rachel, Ketki, and I – needed five. Of the word (spoiler alert) Alexander remarked, “There’s a word of which I never thought I would disapprove”.

8 comments:

  1. Shandy7:45 PM

    It is incredible when you think how quickly all this has happened. In most families there is a long pause between the death and the funeral, but with all the protocols already in place it seems to be moving very fast.

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  2. Julie Dyson8:20 PM

    I do not know how Charles, at his age, and the rest of the family have been able to do this. The walk from Holyrood House to the Cathedral wasn't that long, but uphill! The strain of losing a parent isn't just emotional it is physical as well, and when you add all of the pomp and ceremony - well, I guess that is where the lifetime of training comes in. My heart aches for all of the family that they are not able to just mourn their loved one as the rest of us could. I love that you are getting out in the garden more! Hope you can keep it up.

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    1. It is a very long walk and on cobbled stones at a set pace it must have been heavy going.

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  3. I feel very proud that we are keeping all the traditions going,it's something we do rather well, I think.

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  4. =Tamar9:39 PM

    Brava for the walk. Keep at it--it is persistence, not distance, that builds strength.

    As a non-drinker, it always puzzles me how much emphasis is put on it. I tried it, didn't like it, and decided not to bother. I suppose other people like the stuff and don't mind the side effects. I spend the money on books instead.
    :-)

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  5. Wordle: it was the only one I could come up with after my two starter words gave me two letters, but I entered it with great misgivings and got today's in three!

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  6. I've given up attempting to get my Mother to the cathedral. All uphill and no transport links doesn't bode well for 91yr-olds. There's talk of 4,000 an hour at St Giles with trains and buses in and out of Edinburgh running all night.

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  7. Anonymous12:45 PM

    Reading your lament about not feeling comfortable using a ‘stick’ when alone in your house gave me a thought. Try using a pair of very light adjustable hiking poles. They are recommended here as a better alternative to just one stick as they don’t throw your balance off. I loaned my pair to a friend who was having some mobility issues due to a minor stroke and she loves them. Mine are made here in the US by the Montem Company. The ‘tips’ on my poles are interchangeable. A solid non slip rubber tip for most conditions and a tip with a carbide stud for rough or slippery conditions. I suspect that you will find them in the UK easily by doing an online search or by have someone in your family go to a local sporting goods store. Wishing you the best! Mundi, on the foggy coast of Maine.

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