Its Sunday, 11 September 2022. Today it would have been William’s 60th birthday – my cousin’s husband who tragically lost his valiant battle with cancer at the end of July 2022. A tough and sad day for my Aunt, my cousin and her 2 daughters as they observe the first birthday without the man whose milestone birthday they should have been celebrating.
11 September 2022 – 21 years since the dreadful events of 9/11. I will never forget being at work at my very brand new job, my first job in Johannesburg and one of my colleagues running past my desk saying “A plane has flown into the World Trade Centre Towers “What, no way!!” I said to him but it was sadly true and as the enormity of the tragedy hit home, I was shaken to the very core. Having lived in the USA, graduating from high school in the USA and with my parents living in Upstate New York, and a brother living in the USA, it was surreal that these attacks had occurred, but tragically they had. Still at my desk, barely able to work as the world seemed to stand still, I finally got a call from my Dad at work reassuring me that they were both all right, safe and sound as too was my brother, Christopher. Such heinous terrorist attacks and has anything been learnt from this dreadfully tragic day? Sadly no …. And while the 21st anniversary of 9/11 is observed, hundreds of thousands of Britons and Scots line the streets and malls to pay their last respects to the cortege bearing the late Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin or wanting to catch a glimpse of King Charles III.
Queen Elizabeth II, dead at 96 after a legacy of 70 years ruling Great Britain. A role she was thrust into at such a tender age. We will never know whether she wanted to even be the Queen; she was so young, innocent, naïve and in a male dominated world. Her reign, her role, her marriage and her family life were not easy. Her husband had to sacrifice his military career which he was devoted to and was known to a womanizer and a real “man about town” in London in the early 1950’s when my Aunt Bala lived and worked in London. The Queen likely felt she was obliged to ‘turn a blind eye’ to his philandering, maybe seeing it as his “right” since he had been emasculated due to his being forced to forsake his career. As a Mother she had challenges and it must have been exceptionally heartbreaking for the reality of Andrew and his association with the despicable low-lives Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, and the news of his abuse and assaults on young women, to be exposed, raked over and all his stinky laundry aired. Like any normal human being I am sure she was burdened by many regrets and “if only” moments where she wished she may have made different choices and decisions. Love her or hate her, she is a Mother, Aunt, Grandmother and Great-Grandmother whose family will mourn and grieve. King Charles III now the monarch of a country beset with problems and a looming energy crisis, all the while adjusting to his new role and mourning the loss of his beloved “Mama”.
My Mom’s Great Aunt, who many many years ago also died at the age of 96, was a fierce woman and a staunch royalist. She had a flagpole in the garden of her bungalow in Norton, a village outside Worcester in England, and every royal celebration the Union Jack was flown. Aunt Win was a character – she had driven ambulances during the second world war, was short, stocky and undaunted. Unfortunately she drove her car well into her 90’s – a very scary experience for anyone who had the misfortune to be in the passenger seat; by her 90’s she had lost some hearing so would drive her car in 3rd gear which make a screeching sound which she could not hear but her passengers clearly could! She had no fridge and used an old-fashioned “ice box” to keep milk etc cool; I loved playing solitaire clock golf in her garden -it kept me occupied for hours. I do not think she was a trained podiatrist but she would “go and do the feet of the poor old dears” who were mostly in their 70’s and 80’s when she was 90+.She flew the Union Jack on the day my brother Nick married Pat – they met because of Aunt Win as Pat, her sister and parents lived a few houses down from Aunt Win. I think she fancied herself as their “matchmaker!” She received the Maundy Money from the Queen one year in Worcester Cathedral and I think it must have been one of her proudest moments. When the late Princess Margaret got divorced Aunt Win ceased hoisting the Union Jack for her birthday and when I addressed an aerogram to her with her name spelt out on the front I was scolded because she did not want the postman to know her first name!! She had some very strong opinions and I learnt not to brook any trouble with her. When she passed away and my Mom was packing up her home, a brace of pistols were discovered in a secret drawer of a bureau bookcase. I must ask my Mom if she remembers what happened to the pistols she unearthed?
Anniversaries, deaths, a new King, loadshedding again and joyful signs of spring – in our garden our pale yellow rambling rose makes a joyous display, our coral tree is starting to flower and the fragrance of the flowering yesterday, today and tomorrow permeates the air. Just love this season and the days have been very warm, a portend of the summer to come?
Highlights of My Funny Old Week
Carole’s birthday on Friday, an exceptionally special friend and angelic presence in my life; seeing Bronwyn for a long-overdue and much needed catch up and quality time together; my embarking on another side hustle venture selling Annique skin care and other products which are part of the Annique range (this is to hopefully boost our savings for our travel funds).
The imminent launching of Tristan’s new side hustle business Exploited! is exciting for all the family. Tristan, Skye, Morgan and Alyssa had a photo shoot on Friday night for photos for the website which Johan has basically completed.
There is a page on Facebook for Exploited! and an IG account set up so if you feel so inclined, please give both a like and follow (Exploited on Facebook and exploited_clothing on IG).
The weekend consisted of
a Co-Anon meeting where Andrew without warning thrust me into doing a reading and then sharing on it. I prefer preparing for leading a meeting, doing research and reading but yesterday I had to wing it and my thoughts and insights were well received with positive feedback which boosted my spirits. Under all my bluster and self-deprecating, I lack self-confidence and always suffer from imposter syndrome – all my own nonsense and internal battles which I am busy fighting; continue to always be a work in progress;
Collecting our fired and glazed pottery pieces from Koekerasie and Johan and I spending time with my Mom taking her for ice-cream and to do some shopping;
A great Sunday morning having brunch and a catch up with Zen who is back very briefly for her very pressurised work in Kenya; I was gifted with a beautiful Maasai Shuka from Kenya as an early birthday present as Zen will be in Kenya when its my birthday (which is only next month)
Coffee with Ian this afternoon at Woolies Cafe - he is helping me with another project (very hush-hush right now) so we had a conflab about that and as usual set the world to rights. We got the giggles watching a grown man walking past the cake display and waving at the cakes! Were the cakes silently communicating to him beseeching buy me, eat me? If so, we did not receive any silent communications and still bought and ate the cakes! What on earth was the waving at the cakes? Biding them farewell for the afternoon? The mind boggles and we could not solve the mystery but agreed it would be perfect fodder for my blog!
What I have been listening to on podcasts:
Teacher's Pet - finished this horrific true story; justice has been done
Brian Tyler Cohen
The Daily
The Dear Gabby Podcast
Nancy Grace Crime Stories
In the Land of Lies
Pressure Cooker
What I am reading:
The House in Amalfi by Elizabeth Adler
What I am listening to on Audible:
Beautiful Things by Hunter Biden
What have I been watching on the small screen:
Netflix
A Kidnapping Scandal - The Florence Cassez Affair (still watching)
My usual bubblegum series including the finale of Making the Cut
Ridley (brilliant British crime drama)
People Magazine Investigates
Dateline
