Being sad. Impressing people. Making an exit.

Yesterday morning our small grandson threw the daddy of all tantrums when his mother left him with me and went off to work. No, tantrum is wrong word. It implies totally unreasonable crossness. This was an upset close to heartbreak. He’s been doing it all week at nursery too so I don’t feel that it was any kind of personal insult that he spent about twenty minutes howling for MUMMY! at the living room door before finally settling down to play and be absolutely charming for the rest of the day. He’s suffering from some digestive problems, maybe related to his bout of covid-related illness when he was a tiny babe and that might be making him a bit clingy.

Late morning we set off for a walk to the “sandy park” at the other side of the village. En route we stopped to talk to various dog owners, the little fellow politely asking, “What’s your dog’s name?“ and impressing people. We also stopped to sample blackberries. We really should have taken a box to collect them. That may be a job for tomorrow, assuming the rain doesn’t come down too hard! 

We got back in time for the news that Balmoral was in turmoil and that there was grave concern for the queen’s health. All the royal correspondents were called upon to comment on events that nobody really knew much about. And people began to gather outside Windsor and Balmoral. Later, in the early evening, came the news that the queen had died.

So Her Majesty has died quietly and without fuss apparently, showing the same kind of dignity that she always displayed. I hope it was as quick as it seemed to be seen from the outside. I hope her children and grandchildren all managed to get here to see her on her way. It’s hard enough to lose the family matriarch without having to do it all in the public eye. 

If you have to have a queen, which I doubt, then she’s been a good one. She’ll be a hard act to follow. I don’t envy Charles in the least. We’re of an age and personally I wouldn’t want to pick up the reins of any organisation right now. Some say he should abdicate in favour of William but I suppose he’s sort of been in training for this job for the last fifty years. Maybe he deserves a chance. We live in strange times.

But as the queen toddles off with Paddington, I wish her a peaceful farewell. 

Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!