It was when Elizabeth 11 went to Westminster Abbey, Relatively Retiring...I had an aunt in London at the time, and this one was among her photos. When I first went to London -1971? 2? - the Emperor of Japan was visiting, and Japanese flags were a-flutter all down Pall Mall: an equally discombobulating sight.
Is that a slouch hat, Frances? The guard has lost his black mop.
In four days time I'll be in London for all of ten minutes en route to Brighton for a conference but I saw the guards many moons ago in the 1980s. They are a stereotypical sight.
He's an Australian soldier, Elisabeth: one of the rituals re the coronation in 1953. I have a vague idea that each Commonwealth country took turns on guard duty: very symbolic. Yes, like countless other children, I met the busbys first as a child in "When we Were Very Young", which Relatively Retiring refers to. One of the great pleasures in Britain is then to see the poem, the book, the history, the tradition as part of the everyday. Continuity - ah. Elisabeth: I do hope that you sleeep through your flight(s), enjoy a rewarding conference, and don't suffer too much from blog-withdrawal-syndrome.
Like other commenters,I immediately thought of A A Milne as well! DH and I took our girls to London when they were the age of Christopher Robin, to see the things they were reading about. Most of the sights, unfortunately, had no appeal because of long queues, but they spent a very happy half hour or so looking for Paddington Bear at the Railway Station. Oh, and we did see two very naughty teenage (American) girls tying the shoelaces of one of the guards together. His eyes gave a brief flicker downwards but otherwise he didn't move a muscle. Another (antipodean) tourist fixed the laces after.
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Oh, they certainly did. And was this at about the time when Christopher Robin went down with Alice?
It was when Elizabeth 11 went to Westminster Abbey, Relatively Retiring...I had an aunt in London at the time, and this one was among her photos.
When I first went to London -1971? 2? - the Emperor of Japan was visiting, and Japanese flags were a-flutter all down Pall Mall: an equally discombobulating sight.
Is that a slouch hat, Frances? The guard has lost his black mop.
In four days time I'll be in London for all of ten minutes en route to Brighton for a conference but I saw the guards many moons ago in the 1980s. They are a stereotypical sight.
Thanks, Frances.
He's an Australian soldier, Elisabeth: one of the rituals re the coronation in 1953. I have a vague idea that each Commonwealth country took turns on guard duty: very symbolic.
Yes, like countless other children, I met the busbys first as a child in "When we Were Very Young", which Relatively Retiring refers to. One of the great pleasures in Britain is then to see the poem, the book, the history, the tradition as part of the everyday. Continuity - ah.
Elisabeth: I do hope that you sleeep through your flight(s), enjoy a rewarding conference, and don't suffer too much from blog-withdrawal-syndrome.
Like other commenters,I immediately thought of A A Milne as well! DH and I took our girls to London when they were the age of Christopher Robin, to see the things they were reading about. Most of the sights, unfortunately, had no appeal because of long queues, but they spent a very happy half hour or so looking for Paddington Bear at the Railway Station.
Oh, and we did see two very naughty teenage (American) girls tying the shoelaces of one of the guards together. His eyes gave a brief flicker downwards but otherwise he didn't move a muscle. Another (antipodean) tourist fixed the laces after.
Interesting pic... Would like to have seen some of the other guards of the other commonwealth countries. Historic shots.
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