My brush with English royalty

Early in January I told my husband I'd like to go and see The King's Speech. He didn't say 'no', but we didn't actually get there... until last Saturday, more than two months later! After the movie he confessed he hadn't been keen (really?) but was glad I'd dragged him along.

You probably can guess it was worth the wait. Also, I'm glad we caught it on the big screen. While watching I found old memories coming up... like, for instance, the day I heard about the death of King George VI. Being a colonial, and still rather young, the royal family hadn't featured very much in my life. Although we went along to wave as they drove through streets not far from my home, I don't remember their South African visit.

But that day I can recall so clearly. We had expat friends, and their daughter was at school with me. I can see how Ann and I sat together on the brown earth near the tennis courts. She wept. Her tears surprised me, but also woke me up to the reality of the monarchy.

Then there was the London fog... experienced a few times when I lived in England. Yes, that driving scene was very close to what my husband and I went through one night. We'd taken a 10 minute drive through Regent's Park to play bridge with some friends. While we were engrossed in our cards, the mist came down. We set off and soon realized how difficult the driving conditions were. Although it was chilly, my husband had to take off his jacket (so I could see his white shirt) and walk along the edge of the road so that I could drive slowly along behind him.

The drive home took over an hour.

(Okay, the brush with royalty will be here next time! Sorry folks for the teaser.)