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Happy 90th Birthday Queen Elizabeth II

Posted in around the UK, Fun Stuff, Historical, It's my life, Palaces and castles in UK, tagged changing the guard windsor castle, Cindy's travels, happy birthday Queen Elizabeth II, not just a granny, Queen Elizabeth II, queen's 90th birthday beacons lit, the queen goes walkabout in windsor, the queen's 90th birthday on April 22, 2016| 1 Comment »

I went to Windsor to see The Queen! 🙂 Yesterday was Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday, and as soon as I discovered she was due to do a walkabout in Windsor I made my way there double quick. Well not quite….I slept over in London at the YHA the night before 😉

Chelsea Bridge and the Albert Bridge in the distance

I set off for London on the 18:57 train to Victoria Station, slept over at the Earls Court YHA, up and about by 6am on Thursday….and by 07:38 I arrived in Windsor. Thrilling stuff.

The Queen: A full-scale replica of the GWR Achilles built in 1894. No examples of these locomotives survive and were withdrawn from service in 1912. This model is located on the platform of the station at Windsor Central

The reason I got there so early was to ensure I found a good space at the front…these events fill up pretty darn quick, but to my surprise there were only about 40 people ahead of me! I wandered about for a bit, checking out this spot and that, and then finally made my decision: it had to be facing the castle and it had to be in shade and I was hoping Her Majesty would walk down my side of the road….

Not yet much of a crowd, but a few stalwarts were there as well as a group (the ladies in pink with the big pink 90 balloon) from Cardiff, who apparently left their city at 6am

I settled in and quickly made friends with the people around me. We chatted and swopped stories, where we were from and why we were there etc. We also had a very entertaining couple of hours people watching.

See the lady directly in the middle with the British Flag glasses! She held court and entertained the crowds….an American lady, she was loud, forward and hilarious!!

One of the first people I saw was Carol Kirkwood doing a piece to camera for the BBC News

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our lass Carol Kirkwood doing a piece to camera for BBC News with a Town Crier watching on – this was at 07:46 in the morning 😉

and then Terry Hutt; one of The Queen’s lifelong fans. When I saw Terry’s outfit I realised I need to up my game…. LOL

Terry Hutt; the Royal family’s bigest fan! For more about Terry read http://theduchessdiary.com/2015/05/6-things-to-know-about-terry-hutt-the-royal-family-biggest-fan-royal-baby-lindo-wing/

As the crowds swelled and the time drew near the level of excitement escalated. Suddenly we saw Joey!!! The horse from the play War Horse. That was an added thrill to the day.

Joey; War Horse joins the celebrations

Then just before 11am the Coldstream Guards arrived for Changing the Guard in the castle grounds.

The Coldstream Guards – Changing the Guard at Windsor Castle

They marched them up the hill, then marched them down again…..to just beyond the gates where they made themselves comfortable and played some stunning pieces of music…they really are very good.

they marched them up the hill…..

then marched them down again…..

Then at 12noon and without further ado Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II arrived in her smashing Bentley and stopped just before the welcome party. After being greeted by the Mayor(ess) and assembled guests, to my absolute delight I saw that Her Majesty was walking down our side of the road!!! OMG!!! Hoorah.

The Queen and Prince Philip arrive in the Bentley

andddd there she is 🙂 on my side of the road Hoorah!

Then I started praying that she wouldn’t do her zag before she got to where we were standing, which would have given me the zig!!!

But she didn’t and I did get to see her – from just two feet away. If I wasn’t filming I swear I would have swooned with sheer excitement…..but you can’t interrupt a good opportunity to film The Queen by passing out in the street. LOL

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Looking fresh and sprightly in spring green – I loved her hat!!!

However, I did almost lose my footing….as she got near the crowd behind swooped forward and I was nearly knocked off my feet, almost dropping my camera in the process…the barrier suddenly felt very flimsy as it swayed with the weight of the crowd. It was a little bit scary, and I wasn’t impressed with that at all. However, we managed and my word the roar of excitement when she arrived…fantastic.

the crowd surges forward….

She looked absolutely stunning in her spring green outfit with a perfect hat perched on top of those lovely grey curls, a gorgeous smile on her face for the whole time. Amazing woman.

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Her Majesty; Queen Elizabeth II born this day in 1926 at 21 Bruton Street in Mayfair

As soon as she made her zag to the opposite side of the road,

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The Queen makes her zag and away she goes to the opposite side of the road

my companion (someone I got chatting to whilst waiting), and I ran down the side alleys to the Guildhall hoping to spot the birthday girl before she left on her ride around the city. While at the Guildhall she met other people who were 90…how cool is that! Mind you, in comparison to some of my clients, many of whom are a lot younger than HM, she is blooming marvellous and certainly very sprightly.We were in luck, the crowds hadn’t yet swelled to bursting point and I had a great view of the steps where she was due to walk down to her open-topped car.

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Standing in their open-top car they set off for the car route through the city

We were all amazed to see The Queen and Prince Philip actually standing in the car as they set off. They waved and smiled as the car pulled out and then we ran helter-skelter to the back entrance of the castle, again ahead of the crowds and had a fab view of them returning. They had by that stage sat down in the car, but I still managed one final photograph…..

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arriving back at Windsor Castle by a rear entrance

What a splendid day. I have seen the Queen a number of times, but always from afar. Usually at Trooping the Colour or other such events, and once we saw her up close and personal in Cape Town the last time she visit South Africa in the 1990’s. At that time she also went walkabout, but did her zag just three people before she reached where we were standing and I remember how devastated I was then that I hadn’t got to shake her hand…she still used to shake the hands of people in the crowd in those days….but sadly I didn’t and although I didn’t get to shake her this time either, she was so close I could have kissed her!!

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Wishing Her Majesty a wonderful 9oth year, and Long May She Reign!!

20160421_132536 - HB QEII 21.04.2016 God save our gracious Queen!
Long live our noble Queen!
God save the Queen!
Send her victorious,
Happy and glorious,
Long to reign over us,
God save the Queen.

Other people I got to see on the day

After the event I went walkabout myself and had the luck of seeing the band returning to base

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Then it was a quick trip back to Broadstairs (3.5 hours!!) to watch one of 1,000 beacons lit in the U.K. and around the world in honour of her birthday.

The Queen lit hers at Windsor Castle at 7p.m.

The first beacon to be lit by The Queen at Windsor Castle

In all a fantastic day……I guess I am a confirmed Monarchist…and a Royalist. Fact: I love The Queen. She has been the one constant in an ever changing world. She is a great example of a good Monarch. I just read this terrific article you may enjoy. 20160421_133700 - HB QEII 21.04.2016

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Hibernating

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged book reviews, ian rankin, jenny colgan, not just a granny on March 1, 2016| Leave a Comment »

After all the excitement of my citizenship ceremony and all the stress of the months leading up to this final step, I was quite worn out….I had also been working the last two weeks and that alone leaves me quite ready for a break. So to that end, I spent the first 3 days of my new found citizenship hibernating…..I didn’t step outdoors at all except once to throw out the trash. Instead I switched off all my social media, left my computer in it’s case and curling up on the couch I read and read and read accompanied by copious amounts of tea everything stops for tea ….I’m British now, it’s my obligation to drink tea!!

books i have read (1) The first book I read on Friday was by a hitherto unread author: Jenny Colgan – ‘Little Beach Street Bakery’. A delightful romp in a Cornish village on a Cornish island off the mainland near Plymouth (which is in Devon). A comedic light read, I found the story enchanting and found myself yearning to pack my bags and move to Cornwall and open a bakery! The sense of community, albeit with it’s fair share of villains and crackpots, gave me a warm fuzzy feeling that ran from the tips of my toes to the top of my head. I can highly recommend this book for a Sunday afternoon when you can just sit and relax and let the cares of the world fade into oblivion while you slip between the covers and enjoy a delightful journey to Cornwall. Be warned though, there are some tears to be shed!

books i have read (2) The 2nd book that I read, on Saturday (I’m a quick reader and usually manage to finish a book in one day), was an old favourite: Ian Rankin – ‘Standing in another man’s grave’, featuring Inspector John Rebus, that curmudgeonly Police Inspector from Scotland. I love Ian Rankin’s books, tight, tense and fast paced but so highly descriptive you feel like you’re almost travelling in the same car as yer man Rebus. I thoroughly enjoyed this story; with enough twists and turns to make you dizzy it raced through the Scottish Highlands at an alarming rate. It always gives me a thrill to read about places I have visited since living in the UK, and this book didn’t disappoint….with a visit to Chanonry Point of particular delight as I spent many an afternoon or early morning at that very place during an assignment nearby a few years ago.

However, I didn’t get to see any dolphins….perhaps a return visit is on the cards. IMAG8540

After reading the two books and returning briefly to instagram, I posted a photo of the books and commented on how much I had enjoyed them. One of my instagram friends then said she had ordered Jenny Colgan’s book for a friend and someone else mentioned a book that had been released by a friend of her that she thought I might enjoy: Clare Harvey ‘The Gunner Girl’. I ordered the book and look forward to sharing my thoughts once I have read it.

I’m heading up to London for the day on Thursday, one to finalise my passport application and please god it gets back to me before my SA trip and to visit the dentist….that I am not looking forward to, but it’s now rather urgent. Other than that I’m heading to Ramsgate on Saturday for the Spitfire 80th anniversary events. Well excited for that. On Sunday of course here in the UK it’s Mother’s Day and apparently my daughter has planned a super surprise which I’m really looking forward to.

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I am a British Citizen

Posted in around the UK, family and relationships, It's my life, tagged archbishops palace maidstone, british citizenship, not just a granny, palaces of england, travel in the UK on February 29, 2016| 6 Comments »

Yes! It’s done. I am now a fully-fledged British Citizen. Last week Thursday I met up with my daughter at Ashford International and from there we made out way to Maidstone and the Archbishop’s Palace….wow, I had no idea the venue was so amazing! and the history. I was like a tourist going from room to room and photographing everything….almost, but not quite forgetting the reason we were there. IMAG1660 - maidstone

We arrived about 4 hours before the time of the ceremony so had a bit of an explore first and then looked for somewhere to eat….we found the superb D’Lishious – a new Milkshake & Dessert Parlour in the historic Corn Exchange.

By then we were fairly famished so decided to go for something substantial. Well, what can I say…..D’Lishious really lived up to it’s name. My daughter ordered a pancake with nutella and strawberries with ice-cream and cream while I ordered a waffle with banana, nutella, bits of toffee with ice-cream and cream. The portions were truly substantial and absolutely delicious, freshly made and more than met our expectations.

After satiating our bellies we headed back into the town centre and from there to the palace. Along the way we passed the fabulous Maidstone Carriage Museum…located in the 14th century palace stables. Although it was closed; it’s seasonal, I for one am going back when it’s open. The building itself is amazing and of course we took loads of photos. IMAG1652 - maidstone

The Archbishop’s Palace was just across the road, so that’s where we headed. The palace is a stunning building with a fantastic history dating back to the 7th & 8th century, thankfully saved from demolition in 1887, it is now a Grade I listed building. IMAG1662 - maidstone Needless to say we had to explore the area, so since we still had about an hour and a half before the ceremony we walked along the riverside of the palace and onto a nearby footbridge for a better view…oh my gosh it’s gorgeous. IMAG1680 - maidstone And what a location!! We stopped briefly at the College of All Saint’s founded in 1395 by Archbishop Courtenay and admired the nearby Church of All Saints; chock a block with history.

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Finally it was time for us to register our presence and so we entered the building. I literally bounced up the steps with excitement and met at the top by one of the staff my name was ticked off the list and a red carnation pinned to my lapel. The reason for the carnation is to easily identify the soon to be new citizens from their guests.

Then it was into the Solar Room ….wow, the history. The Solar – The 14th century Great Chamber of the Archbishop’s Palace, the main timbers dating from 1325 making this the oldest part of the original palace still standing. Much of the rafters have been repaired or replaced.

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We settled down as much as possible and were greeted by various members of staff and moderators. A lovely lady by the name of Amanda spent a few minutes with us explaining the process and procedures and then suddenly it was time for our rehearsal and off we went. The room where the ceremony was held was lined with chairs, new citizens one side and guests the other.

We entered the room to applause from the guests and with a buzz of excitement took our seats, and so the ceremony began. IMAG1699 - maidstone In no time at all we had stood to declare our names and swear allegiance to Queen and Country. IMAG1700 - maidstone I felt totally bemused and as my daughter said, I looked a bit shell-shocked….I was in a state of disbelief. After all these years, finally I had applied and before I even had time to think about it, it was all done and dusted!! IMG-20160225-WA0026 I got my certificate, posed for photos with a representative of The Queen as well as a representative of Kent County Council and then we all, in good old British tradition, retired for tea and cake 🙂

So yes, I am now a bona fide British Citizen…..it’s been 4 days and I still wake up in the morning and go “omg I’m a British Citizen”. It feels quite surreal and although I don’t feel differently, my head is still trying to wrap itself around the fact that in the space of no time at all, I went from being a South African citizen to a British Citizen. IMAG1721 Who would have known when I bounced through Johannesburg International Airport on the 8th October 2001 for a 4 month holiday in Ireland, that I would less than 15 years later be the citizen of a different country…..but so it is. And I am thrilled beyond words. I am a British Citizen!!

a gift from my daughter when we got home that evening 🙂

More about the history of the Archbishop’s Palace.

Located on the River Medway, the site was given to Archbishop Langton in 1207 as a resting place for Archbishops on their way from London to Canterbury. work on the current building was ordered by Archbishop Ufford in 1348 and by the end of the 14th century it was expanded by Archbishop Courtenay, and again enlarged and improved by Archbishop Morton in 1486. Ultimately it was given to Henry VIII who granted the palace to Sir Thomas Wyatt. Subsequently forfeited to the Crown in 1554 following the rebellion led by his son Thomas Wyatt the younger against Mary I and then given to Sir John Astley by Elizabeth I.

The Archbishop’s Palace on the River Medway in Maidstone

It was subsequently bequeathed to various members of the Astley family and finally sold to the Marsham family who finally sold the palace. It has also been used as a Territorial Army medical school.

Here’s a link for the carriage museum in Maidstone if you would like to visit

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Bexhill-on-Sea & British Citizenship

Posted in around the UK, family and relationships, Fun Stuff, It's my life, Travel, tagged bexhill on sea, british citizenship, not just a granny, travel in the UK on February 18, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Just a day before I left for my current assignment a letter was being processed by the home office that was to change the course of my life.
I arrived in Bexhill-on-Sea on Thursday last week,

mural at the station

a place I had not yet been to and discovered to my surprise, that after saying there wasn’t much to write home about, in fact Bexhill-on-Sea has links to the Battle of Waterloo and in fact in 1804 it was chosen as an infantry depot, as well as which it is the ‘Birthplace of British Motor Racing’, and it’s now the place where, to my utter joy and massive relief, I received the news contained in that letter from the home office….my application to be become a British Citizen had been approved. Hoooorayyy!! and I have no doubt… bexhill on sea
I literally screamed when my daughter sent me the news. My only disappointment is that I wasn’t at home when the news arrived, it would have been so much fun to share the moment and excitement with her, but I’m not complaining…the news came 4 months sooner than I had anticipated and that alone is a massive thrill.
So next week I shall be swearing my allegiance to Queen and Country…I can’t wait! Once I have my certificate to say I am a bona-vide British Citizen (I get it on the same day) then I’ll be able to apply for my little red book….my passport – to freedom!! IMG-20160213-WA0014 That aspect is so exciting I cannot even begin to express what it means, except to say that being able to just jump on a ferry and cross to France is beyond amazing. No more stress of having to book appointments and apply for a Schengen visa, to pay for a lawyer to give me a letter to say I am who I am (£85!!) for 25 minutes of his time…I should have an income like that!! And then to make another appointment to collect the visa and meanwhile unable to work or having to cut short an assignment in order to collect it. Being self-employed is great and I love the freedom of it, however it’s very difficult to organise things where you have no control over the schedules/dates made by officialdom.
But all of that will come to an end shortly and I will have to freedom to visit all those places I so very much want to go to. I know there are some countries where as a British Citizen you have to apply for a visa, however, I’m not planning on going there, so it’s a moot point.
Meanwhile, I’m really enjoying my stay in Bexhill. Although there really isn’t much to do, I’ve been able to slip out early in the mornings to watch the occasional sunrise or just enjoy it from the balcony, I’ve taken a few walks along the promenade and spent some time just gazing out to sea. PhotoGrid_1455559692555

My client is lovely, so very sweet and has an interesting history linked to travel so she regales me with stories of places she has been; Middle East and Africa in particular. In some places they were some of the first European’s to go there and that was in the 40’s & 50’s – not that long ago! They were in construction…in case you wondered 😉
I mentioned in my latest video (see below) that she has the beginnings of dementia and this of course is quite a challenge. Her short-term memory is non-existent and she has great difficulty retaining information heard even a minute before. I’ll tell her something and in her very next sentence she’ll say ‘wait a minute….’ And the information I have just given her is asked about in a slightly different way, or she’ll say ‘what about this or that’. There’s no point at all in saying ‘but I just told you’ or ‘don’t you remember’ or anything similar, because no, she doesn’t. Try picture a bucket with holes in the bottom…pour water in and it runs straight through…well that’s how words are for someone with dementia…they just seep straight through. You can of course remind her of things like an appointment or a visit or outing….but be prepared to remind her over and over again…yet she can remember with clarity her days as a nanny for a titled family….even down to the child’s age and the colour of the uniform she wore…nearly 65 years ago!! But 10 minutes ago….nope it’s gone. Dementia is such a disturbing disease, for all concerned. At least she’s enjoyed my meals!!! After the resounding ‘most unsatisfactory’ judgement by the previous lady I cared for, it’s been a welcome reprisal of my cooking skills. LOL. IMAG1117 To be fair I’d say at least 96% of my clients like my cooking…..but now and then we get someone who considers they have a discerning palate and find my meals unsatisfactory. Thank goodness this doesn’t bother me, I know I cook nice meals. 😉
Bexhill-on-Sea is a lovely seaside town, quite large…certainly larger than I thought it would be with lots of Victorian and Edwardian architecture. The promenade is one of the longest I’ve ever seen. PhotoGrid_1455472278047 The views out to sea are far and flat. Perfect for a sunrise and sunset. What does surprise me though is that they haven’t built any wind-farms out to sea!! It seems the perfect place really…no shipping to speak of and it doesn’t seem to be on a migratory route for birds.

amazing sunrises

To the left and up the coast is Dover and to the right and down the coast is Beachy Head…in fact many of my sunset photos features this distinctive outcrop……of course Beachy Head has quite a notorious history; sadly it’s a magnet for people who wish to commit suicide and many have been only too successful.

Beachy Head in the distance

I managed to persuade my lady to go out for a walk today…this has been quite a challenge as she doesn’t like the cold. But it was such a lovely afternoon that I insisted we make the most of it…and no surprise, she enjoyed it. We walked along the promenade to the café and stopped there for a cup of coffee. The sun’s rays were delicious. We’ve had some brilliant conversations and she thinks I’m a lovely companion….this is quite important really as I do try to make sure that my client’s experience are good and one of my daily challenges is to make them laugh….silly jokes, quirky comments, compliments, daft observations…anything to raise a laugh. But like the cooking, some people just do not take to it….however that’s more about them than me.
Later this afternoon I went down to the seafront to take photos of the sunset – just spectacular.

a beautiful sunset

The day started out very grey and misty, but oh my word, what a splendid end. The beaches are mostly covered with pebbles, not my favourite type of beach, but it is ever so colourful and interesting and I always enjoy uncovering some of the more unusual of these and discovering those fossils hidden within. The tides are fascinating to watch, and as with the river in London; The Thames, I find watching the incoming and outgoing tides quite amazing to see. PhotoGrid_1455539834205 I saw a motor-home similar to the model I want to buy for myself in 4 years’ time… I quizzed the owner about how comfortable it is to live in for an extended period, how spacious it may be within, how easy to drive, packing space, sleeping space, if light on fuel? It seems to be good from his account. I’m thinking something a wee bit bigger would be good for me. I shall keep looking. Most importantly I have to be able to stand up in it and have space for my computer and a stereo!! Oh and my helicopter camera.
Well that’s it for this catch up….within the next 7 days I shall finally after 14.5 years be a bona-vide British Citizen….Long Live The Queen. Hip hip hooray!!

the Archbishop’s Palace where I shall swear allegiance to Queen & Country 🙂

Keep your eye on this blog….I am going places; why not come along with me 😉 IMG-20160213-WA0019

and in case you missed today’s video

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A day trip to London

Posted in Fun Stuff, interesting things that happen in London, It's my life, things to do in London, Travel, tagged 3 days in london, a day trip to london, baby boomers travel, daffodils in st james's park, fashion rules restyled, kensington palace, not just a granny, pancake day races more london, spring in london, travel vlogging, women over 60 on February 10, 2016| Leave a Comment »

I love London, of that there is no doubt….I can seriously just spend each day, the whole day, just wandering around looking at everything, taking photos and sharing them on social media and just enjoying the buzz of the city.

one of my favourite views

The reason I went to London was for a Press Preview at Kensington Palace to preview the Fashion Rules exhibition…..’Fashion Rules Restyled’ for 3daysinlondon.info. I’ve seen the exhibition in it’s previous life and loved the dresses and the story behind each one. When I first heard of Fashion Rules, I thought it meant…yeah baby, fashion rules yeah…it rocks!!! But no, it was about the rules governing the design and the making of dresses worn by The Queen and other members of the Royal Family; Princess Margaret in her day and Princess Diana. 20160209_112401 - london 20160209_112348 - london 20160209_112333 - london The focus of the exhibition has been these 3 ladies and some of their significant dresses; dresses that were seen at major functions, for state occasions, glittering balls, overseas visits and so on. Every dress had to be carefully considered, made to measure and to suit the event, as well as keeping up with ‘fashion’ trends.

I really enjoyed the new format, in the previous exhibition each cabinet focussed on one of the 3 women and the dresses they wore and the rules that governed the making of it. In the new format, the dresses have been grouped into particular compositions and focus rather on the reason behind the making of the dress rather than the women who wore them.

The dresses are gorgeous. Diana’s dresses in particular were stunning especially once she gained more confidence and maturity…she really had a most amazing eye for style.

Diana, effortlessly cool and stylish…forever beautiful

The Queen’s dresses are outstanding, although she went through a very mumsy style at one stage, when she was a younger woman…omg, she was beautiful, and could easily have graced the covers of Vogue just for her looks….never mind her status.

After the preview I had a hot drink (chocolate) and a slice of carrot cake, very kindly provided by HRP. I was well impressed that the HRP are using wooden forks and not plastic….not a comfortable feel in the mouth, it’s quite rough, but a worthy sacrifice to avoid adding more plastic to the environment. I popped past the Round Pond at the front of the palace and then headed over to More London Riverside to watch the Flipping Marvellous Pancake Races. Oh my gosh, what fun – crazy people. There was a huge group of school kids roped in to watch and cheer loudly and did they cheer loudly LOL. You could hear them well before reaching the races.

By then; 13:00 the day was beautiful, the grey overcast skies from the morning had been dispelled and we were treated to that colour blue only found in the northern hemisphere…perfect for photos 😉

Once I had my fill of the pancake races I walked along the embankment to London Bridge, popped past the Glaziers Hall and then onto the Guildhall Library to see the latest exhibition; The Worshipful Company of Glaziers. I love these little exhibitions, they are so interesting and give a glimpse into a world we don’t normally have access to. The history of the ancient livery companies is fascinating and some of them have roots that go back centuries, never mind decades.

exhibition at Guildhall Library till 14/02/2016

I was in luck…there was a talk about the history of London’s cemeteries of London at the library – I managed to get a seat. So very interesting. It’s astounding how long it took for the powers that be to realise they really couldn’t have dead and rotting corpses stacked in piles beneath the church floors. Urgh, the smell must have been awful.

After the talk I walked past St Paul’s Cathedral and took the #15 bus to Trafalgar Square from whence I walked to St James’s Park on my way to The Queen’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace to see their latest exhibition; ‘Masters of the Everyday – Dutch artists in the age of Vermeer’. My gosh those chaps could paint. Sometimes you think you’re looking at a photograph the detail is so fine. Exhibition ends 14 February 2016.

St James’s Park is looking splendid in the spring sunshine with hosts of golden daffodils. My favourite place for daffodils each spring is without doubt Kew Gardens, but since I haven’t been able to get there this year, what a treat it was to see swathes of daffodils as far as the eye could see. It was such a lovely afternoon and the sun was sinking towards the horizon and the rays of sun lit up the pretty little flowers making them shine like a blanket of gold. 20160209_155608 - london
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After viewing the exhibition I walked to Victoria Station and past one of my favourite churches; Westminster Cathedral. This is such a gorgeous building and the mosaics decorating the interior are breath-taking.

On my way to the station I picked up an Evening Standard; the headlines took my breath away: Fireball horror at the palace. Seems some chap had set fire to himself at 3am in the morning near to the Orangery at the palace. How terribly sad, what an awful way to die. I always feel so sad when I hear about things like that, to think how mentally tormented they must have been at that time, to end their life especially in such a horrific way. May he now RIP, poor man.

So there it is, my day trip to London. What a terrific city. If you ever hear of a job that requires someone to walk about all day taking photos and sharing them on social media etc, please let me know 😉

Cheers folks, hope you enjoy the video

and the sneak peek at the Fashion Rules exhibition and the daffodils. The Pancake race was noisy, crazy and fun. Here’s to 2017 when I’m planning on watching the races at Borough Market. Within the next 4 years I will have attended all the pancake race venues in London.

one of my favourite views

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Benefits Britain??

Posted in It's my life, lifestyle, Uncategorized, tagged benefits britain, lifestyle in britain, not just a granny, the wright stuff on February 8, 2016| 1 Comment »

Today’s blog was intended to be a light-hearted look at the Chinese New Year and a little bit about one of my photos appearing in a book by Alison Weir ‘The Lost Tudor Princess’, but then I got to watching The Wright Stuff….urgh….

How ludicrous that sounds; Benefits Britain. If there is one subject that is bound to increase my ire by levels unbounded it’s the question of ‘Benefits’. As a South African I had never experienced the idea of ‘benefits’ from the government of the country. We grew up being taught the value of working hard in school, getting good marks, looking for a good job when you graduated, then working hard at our chosen career, paying taxes and paying monthly into an unemployment insurance fund…a fund that gave you 6 months of income should you fall ill, have a baby or become incapacitated by an accident. Only 6 months!! Not for the rest of your life! You had to have proof of why you needed the money (even though you had paid it in yourself for however many years) – like a letter from your Doctor to say you had, had a baby, or were too ill to work. For the first 2 months you got a payout commensurate with your last income, over the next few months the level of payment went down to 50%, 40%, 30% and then the final stipend ended with however much you had left in the pot……the point here is that each individual who worked HAD to pay into this, it wasn’t optional, it was mandatory, and you only got out WHAT YOU HAD PAID IN!!!! You didn’t get a lifetime of handouts from the government. You had to have medical insurance that you paid for and savings for those rainy days.

And yes, lets call these so called ‘benefits’ by what they really are…handouts!

Now I know for sure that the chests of many British people will heave with indignation when I say this, but hello??? Why are people who have never done a day’s work in their lives getting ‘benefits’ anyway? What right do they have to receive a monthly payout from the government when they have done nothing to earn it?

And before you go getting all puffed up, lets stop for a second….I understand perfectly the reasoning behind the government supporting people who are disabled from birth, or someone who is incapacitated by an unavoidable disease or illness or the elderly, or someone injured protecting the country, but I do not and cannot, even after living here for 15 years, quite get my head around how it is that people who have never held a job in their lives and have no plans to, who have multiple babies get a monthly handout for each kid, and not only that, but they also get to demand a council house…and when there are too many kids to fit into that house they then demand a bigger one. Stop breeding for goodness sake. Contraception is readily available on your FREE National Health Service, it’s the 21st century, we all know where babies come from!!

And as for getting money for being out or work??? Seriously?? In all my 30 years of working in South Africa whenever I was retrenched or lost my job for whatever reason, I had to fall back on my savings to support myself and pay the rent…I didn’t get money from the government. I had to get out and look for another job or the rent/mortgage didn’t get paid. The number of ‘benefits’ levels is astounding. I won’t even go into those because the number of reasons you can claim benefits is unbelievable.

This morning on The Wright Stuff, the main topic of discussion was people who earned £30k per month, and who had subsidised rent in council houses….subsidised by my taxes!!! I truly object. I work extremely hard doing a job that many British people would consider beneath them (and I know this to be true because my job description has been met with expressions of horror in the past with an ‘I would never do that!!’ and to be fair, for balance, I have also been met with ‘that’s an amazing thing to do’), I earn below the minimum wage and put up with a lot of shit in many instances from people who think that because I’m from one of the old ‘colonies’ I’m uneducated and unable to find a proper job, who are disparaging, condescending, and rude and treat me (and other Carers) with disdain. And I pay my taxes….I pay more than bloody Google, Amazon or Starbucks amongst many others who pay 4% taxes on profit, or the super wealthy who move their money to offshore accounts to avoid paying tax. I pay 20% tax on my ‘profits’…..why? because I’m self-employed my whole salary except for the threshold are considered to be profits, and I work for my living AND more importantly I pay my own rent…I don’t get a handout from the government

My accommodation consists of a mattress on the floor of my daughter’s spare room. A room filled with boxes because I have nowhere to put the stuff in them…ergo, I can’t afford my own home! I can’t afford the rental on a place of my own. How else can I say that? and yet, there are people in the UK who are earning a good £10k+ more than me who get their rent subsidised by MY taxes! How is that fair? It’s bloody ludicrous.

Frankly I think the whole idea of the benefits system needs a major overhaul, and yes I agree that the large corporations like those mentioned above should pay wayyyyy more tax than they do in the UK. But that is another issue altogether that seriously needs to be addressed. Tax avoidance.

However, back to the subsidised rents of council house tenants who earn £30k+, why is this happening? Why are they not, like thousands of others, paying market price rentals? I would much rather my taxes are spent on increasing the salaries of Junior Doctors, increasing the wages of Nurses (who I might add do a dreadfully stressful job), or paying our Police a better wage and employing more instead of retrenching more and more, or spent on training more teachers, mental health service practitioners, or spend it on the infrastructure of the country, like better flood defences, or the RNLI – services that each year are stretched to the limit. It’s bad enough that ‘benefits’ are paid out to families who through decades of getting handouts on the dole believe it’s now their right to get money from the government without any prior contribution, but to subsidise council house rents for people who are earning not only more than I do and I warrant many others, but get their rent paid off the back of my hard work.

I object!! It’s not only day-light robbery, it’s downright disgraceful.

As for tax-avoidance….don’t even get me started on that subject!!!

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A visit to Dover Castle

Posted in around the UK, Castles of UK and Ireland, It's my life, Travel, tagged Dover Castle, English Heritage, exploring castles of england, history of england, not just a granny on February 6, 2016| 4 Comments »

After living in the UK for nigh on 15 years and Broadstairs for 18 months, I have finally visited Dover Castle. I acquired a membership card for English Heritage last year and making the most of the many venues I can visit. IMAG0753 - dover castle

I made a recording of the trip, however, due to it being an extremely windy day and especially right on the top of the hill, it was too windy to do much exterior recording, but I managed a little bit and also some of the interior…although for some reason I found myself whispering LOL. I’m really not sure why, but the interior just leant itself to talking quietly. Scroll down to see the video…. 20160206_143454 - dover castle

Dover Castle – the Great Tower at Dover Castle was
built to entertain Europe’s most powerful pilgrims on
their was to Thomas Becket’s shrine at Canterbury
Cathedral. 20160206_140417 - dover castle

The keep was built between 1181-1188 by Henry II.
The building of the great medieval stone castle atop
the White Cliffs started in the 1160’s. At the castle’s
heart stands the Great Tower, a place designed for
royal ceremony and a symbol of kingly power guarding
the gateway to the realm.

Dover Castle was garrisoned uninterruptedly until 1958.

English Heritage have done a fantastic job of restoring and recreating the Great Tower as it may have been in Henry’s day. The Great Hall and the bedroom are astounding. It must have been super cool to live there in medieval times, albeit very dark and cold.

Besides the great tower I also visited the ramparts, the medieval tunnels…amazing, the Princess of Wales Museum and the Saxon Church and Roman lighthouse.

Dover Castle is wayyyyyy bigger than I thought and it’s a brilliant place to explore. I am definitely going to visit again….hopefully on a less windy day. The views are astounding and the moat is awesome. 20160206_150632 - dover castle There is no way anyone would have been able to attack very easily. 20160206_151043 - dover castle

I superb day out. I can highly recommend a visit and do set aside at least 5-6 hours to explore the various tunnels and within the great tower. 20160206_150031 - dover castle

Dover Castle, the key to England for over mine centuries, this mighty fortress of Dover Castle displays at it’s core a dazzling evocation of a medieval royal palace. There are also secret wartime tunnels to explore.

I made a bit of a video of my visit…please excuse the whispering at some points LOL I’m really not sure why I felt the need to whisper, but the environment leant itself to speaking softly. There’s also quite a bit of wind noise…sorry 😉

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What is Personal Development

Posted in Personal Development, tagged baby boomers, Cindy Eve, http://www.notjustagranny.com, not just a granny, notjustagranny, Personal Development, Ralph Waldo Emerson, social media baby boomers on January 5, 2010| Leave a Comment »

What is Personal Development and what does it mean to you?
Personal Development takes many forms and is not necessarily just about attending a course or seminar. It can be learning to drive a car or raising funds for charity.

How do you know if and when you need Personal Development and why?
What would be the point of engaging in a given course of action?
What would be the steps you need to take?
And why would you even want to start?
When you engage in a given course of ‘Personal Development’, what are the components needed?

Say for example on the 1st of January as one of your New Year’s resolutions you decide to run in a marathon, where do you start?

First of all think about why you want to do the marathon and what is the result you want to achieve.
Are you competing or participating? Do you see yourself actually completing the course?

Are you doing the marathon to raise funds for charity, and what is your objective?
If you are raising money for charity, is it a cause you feel passionate about and how much would you want to raise? Will you advertise to raise funds, depend on your friends and family or seek corporate sponsorship? Will you raise a lump sum or a set a goal per kilometre?

Are you doing the marathon as part of a group or on your own?

Or are you running in the marathon because you think you need to get fit and lose weight?
Are you already fairly fit or are you an ex-couch potato?
Did your Doctor suggest the programme or is this something you just want to do for yourself and why?
Will you have a buddy to keep you motivated? Who will you buddy with and what is their objective? Is it someone you know will stay the course?

Identifying your motive, where you are now and your end result will help you to clarify your objectives, and set the parameters of action steps to take.
What date is the marathon? If it is 6months away and you are really unfit, how much time do you need to invest per day, and how many days per week?
Do you need to give up anything in order to start the programme?
What level of fitness do you have to achieve in order to last the course?
Do you have to make changes to your routine and or home life in order to participate? What equipment do you need? Do you have to change your eating habits and give anything up?

Before you start on any programme relating to your own Personal Development it helps to identify your reasons, what will motivate you and keep you going, what will you need in order to overcome the challenges that lie ahead? Do you have the time to participate and what do you have to give up in order to set that time aside?

Lets assume you want to learn to drive a car and get a Driver’s Licence.
Why do you need to learn to drive? Is it just because you want to, or because you have to?
How will learning to drive make your life different once you have gained your license?
Will you hire a Driving Instructor or arrange for a friend to teach you?
Do you have a deadline for achieving the license?
How will this help the people around you and what are the benefits to you?

In order to achieve any objective as part of a Personal Development plan, it helps to identify your motivations, your desires, your objections, the challenges, your final goal, and how will it affect the people around you? Are you prepared to make the commitment needed, and most importantly, when times get tough, as they do, what is it that will get you to continue?
As with any course of action, having a solid reason and a plan for doing it will help you to achieve what you set out to do.

quote: “Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising, which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage.’’ Ralph Waldo Emerson – Poet and Essayist

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