Royal Snippet

I hope everyone had a lovely holiday.  I know I did. It's always fun when there are kids opening presents.  And since I still have the cast on my wrist I really didn't have to do too much work. I always have to make mince pies and sausage rolls the Christmas-- it is a family tradition from my grandparents and beyond, but this year it was my granddaughters who made them under my direction and made them very well.  My daughters Anne and Jane were very good in the kitchen and John has dismembered the Turkey remains and made them into a curry. 

I'm waiting impatiently for next Monday when I hope my cast can come off. It really has been very frustrating. I gave my granddaughters are real sewing machine Christmas and yesterday I gave them their first sewing lesson.  Lizzie managed to complete almost a whole dress yesterday but I couldn't help as much as I wanted to.  I couldn't thread the machine or the bobbin with one hand , or show her how to sew on the snaps.

Having promised a week please snippet of royal gossip I do have a couple:
it turned out that William and Kate met each other at the age of 11. They were prep schools nearby and his hockey team came over to play at her school. Everybody wanted to talk to the young prince and have him sit at their table for tea,so I don't suppose he particularly noticed Kate although she was a pretty little girl. 

The other piece of gossip has to do with Kate Middleton's family- we've all been told that her father has made millions from the family business but that doesn't seem to be so-since a similar company who is his biggest competitor actually only made £130,000 last year. So we suspect that the bulk of the money comes from those mysterious family trusts which enabled Kate to go to Marlborough College. At least she's used to money and won't be overawed by the good things in the Palace,but I don't suppose they have that many antiques at home.  They don't have corgis either! 

More next week.    

Merry Christmas from Rhys

Since I properly won't get to check my e-mail for the next couple of days I wanted to wish all my friendsa very Merry Christmas and best wishes for the New Year.

If you are fans of the Jungle Red Writers you will already have seen this poem. If you haven't seen it yet enjoy.

A modern Christmas Carol

dashing through the web
googling sites like mad
cyber Monday's here again

bargains to be had

click click here, click click there,
by it all online
Overstock and Amazon 

Christmas will be fine

click click here, click click there,

bought it all online
Christmas done and wrapped and shipped

have a glass of wine.

Mayyour Christmases be stressfree
Rhys

King William?

New royal definition: abdicate-- to step down from the throne in favour of William and Catherine.

Just in time for Royal gossip Monday, a rumour has surfaced that the Queen is considering abdicating so that William will have a chance to be king before he's too old -- that if his father doesn't live to 100.  Of course many people would like Charles to step aside and let William become the next king, but I can't see that happening.  After all, the poor man has spent his whole life in waiting for a certain job, and it would be cruel to deny it to him when his mother dies or abdicates.

Personally, I'm not sure that the Queen would consider abdicating.  Duty has always been a primary motivating factor and I think she will consider it her duty to remain on the throne until her death.  But she is now approaching 90 and the poor woman does deserve some free time from a very hectic schedule.  I never appreciated how hectic their schedule was until I did my first book tour.  Events all day new city each day, it's exhausting.  I did it for two weeks but she does it every day of her life.  Anyone who doesn't think the Royals earned their money ought to try this -- always on always cheerful, always having to eat someone else's food and appear interested in the most boring things. It's not an easy life.
Oh and the other piece of news is that the Royal China has been unveiled-- you can have a teacup.  Or rather what they call a tankard for $55. But it does have cute little doves on it.

Rhys, still typing with voice recognition software and a broken wrist, and now battling a cold as well.

Will William be different?

Its royal gossip Monday and the first thing I saw on the news this morning was the engagement pictures of William and Kate Middleton. They look so happy that I'm hoping things will turn out differently for them than for Williams parents, and that William won't follow the age-old tradition of the heir to the throne keeping a mistress. Apparently that's one of the things that Charles said to Diana -- I refuse to be the first Prince of Wales, who doesn't have a mistress.  Not the sort of thing or wife wants to hear.
 Of course, in the old days, Royal marriages were business propositions, linking two nations , two economies.  Love did not come into it, although some royal couples became fond of each other.  So it was considered normal, but once the wife had done her duty and produced an heir, the husband could play elsewhere. Charles obviously followed that tradition, as did his great, great grandfather , King Edward VII and his great uncle, King Edward VIII.  Although not his great grandfather, George V, who was devoted to Queen Mary. This in a way was amazing as Mary was originally engaged to George's older brother, the Duke of Clarence, who died at the age of 28. Mary was then passed along to the next in line, who was George and they lived happily ever after.

I'm sure she was much happier married to George, who was a stable and simple chap, rather than his wicked and wayward older brother. In fact the whole country heaved a sigh of relief when he died, supposedly of influenza. Rumours flew for many years about whether he had died of natural causes or whether he had been helped to his death, leaving the way to the throne open for the more sensible George. I play with this scandal in my book  Royal Flush.

Let us hope that William and Kate can live without any scandals, although scandals do provide such good material for books, don't they?

Best laid plans

I'm sorry I've been so silent recently I fell and broke my wrist a week ago, and I have been unable to use the computer properly until now.  But yesterday I managed to install my newly acquired Dragon software, and after several hours of frustration, it finally works brilliantly.  I have to remember to say full stop instead of period at the end of the sentence as I selected the British English pronunciation, but I think we're learning to understand each other.  I find it so-cool when I look at the computer and say wake up in the microphone immediately switches itself on.

I now sport a festive red cast with white lining and my hand looks like a mini Santa Claus.  I'm thinking of adding a little glitter and maybe even a tinsel wreath.
So now I'm back in business, and luckily, I don't have to start my next Molly book until the New Year.  So I'm going to enjoy being a lady of leisure and inviting over a friend to wrap my presents for me.  But I promise to update on my royal gossip on Monday, so check back then.