CHRISTMAS 2019 NO. 6 - THE QUEEN'S SPEECH

As is my habit I asked if I could possibly hear the Queen's Christmas Message which comes on the TV at 3 pm Christmas Day.  

As a child growing up in Canada in the 1950s I have memories of everything stopping at 3 pm because we all sat down and listened on the radio to the Queen's Speech.  Like so many habits and practices you just did it.  It never entered my head to object (just like it never entered my head to talk back to the teacher, for example!)

My mother's parents came from England; my father's from England and Scotland (but he was never interested in 'The Old Country' as it was called).  Not so my mother and basically, Christmastime was whatever she did for it (which is basically the way things work in our household too).

The Canadian Flag pre-1965.

In an immigrant culture; there were no long established traditions; everyone  came from somewhere else and if they choose to do so, they practiced what they brought with them.  (And, of course, as the years go on, new traditions emerged.)

This Christmas here in Scotland we all gathered at Mairi and John's for presents and, later, dinner. The day was planned so that Margaret and I could sit down in peace and quiet at 3 pm in front of the TV.  Margaret told me she was in the habit of doing this also so I gave the children a pep-talk saying that the 2 of us (note: no one else) wanted to have 'Quiet Time' for 8 minutes to hear the Queen's Christmas Message.

And we did ... all 8 minutes of it ... in full ... and uninterrupted.  Harriet joined us and was as good as gold.

It was a wish fulfilled; a record established!  Really? What's the Big Deal? Well... as banal as it sounds I can categorically state that after 52 years of marriage anytime I put forward any request to do with listening to or watching a royal event it simply never happened. 

  

I live with someone who can't be bothered with the Royal family in all its various forms.  Fine.  I live in Scotland where many... most?... people feel the same.  That's fine too.  I happen to be a transplanted Colonial and come carrying all that baggage from one far outpost in the days when Britain had an Empire.  Over the years have I taken a (fairly casual) interest in who's doing what in the Queen's activities. The problem is that it invariably means that folk around me feel the need to bull-doze their way through the 'moment' because they think it is all so much bloody rubbish!

For example: recently when I was looking at some old photos (below) I recalled the time when I wanted to listen on a radio set to the Investiture of Prince Charles.  It was July 1st, 1969.

We were in the Mealy Mountains in Labrador on a mountaineering expedition.  Our friend Jim Messer organised the trip where we flew in on a (much loved) Beaver sea-plane (known affectionately as 'JAT' after its call-sign) with his pal Eric Henry who was based at the Goose Bay RCAF base.

We set up camp with our tents and spent about a week there exploring the unnamed mountains.  Below is [L-R] Jim and Barb in front with Iain and Eric behind.

I recall standing in the door of a tent with a headphone to my ear. The signal was good and I was able to hear the programme. 

At this point my companions who really thought this was the stupidest thing imaginable simply decided this was time for great hilarity and larked around me the whole time making sure that I couldn't hear.

And I didn't.