Sunday Evening Art Gallery — Queen Elizabeth II

Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, 1926 –2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death in 2022.

She had been queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during her lifetime, and was the monarch of 15 realms at her death. Her reign of 70 years and 214 days is the longest of any British monarch, the second-longest of any sovereign state, and the longest of any queen regnant in history.

Born in Mayfair, London during the reign of her paternal grandfather, King George V, Elizabeth was the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York (later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother).Her father acceded to the throne in 1936 upon the abdication of his brother Edward VIII, making the ten-year-old Princess Elizabeth the heir presumptive.In November 1947, she married Philip Mountbatten, a former prince of Greece and Denmark. Their marriage lasted 73 years until his death in 2021.They had four children: Charles, Anne, Andrew, and Edward.From Elizabeth’s birth onwards, the British Empire continued its transformation into the Commonwealth of Nations. By the time of her accession in 1952, her role as head of multiple independent states was already established.Elizabeth was known to favor simplicity in court life and was also known to take a serious and informed interest in government business, aside from the traditional and ceremonial duties.Privately, she became a keen horsewoman; she kept racehorses, frequently attended races, and periodically visited the Kentucky stud farms in the United States.

More about Queen Elizabeth II can be found at https://www.royal.uk/queen-elizabeth.

 

 

 

Sunday Evening Art Gallery Blog — Crowns

 

russian crown jewels

The Crown Jewels of Russia

The sparkle of diamonds and pearls and rubies and sapphires tease us mere mortals of a life none of us will ever experience.

imperial crown of india

Crown of India

With one stone we could buy a car. A house. With a handful of precious stones we could buy the world.

Crrown of Iran

Crown of Iran

The power behind the symbol is also something us mere mortals will never fathom.  How many lives were lost in the name of the crown? In the name of the monarchy?

the minor imperial crown of russia

The Minor Imperial Crown of Russia

The dreams of tomorrow sparkle like diamonds in the crown. Every sparkle a new facet of life.

Henry VIII crown

Crown of King Henry VIII

But have heart, princesses of the world. Our wealth is not in rubies and emeralds and solid gold trim. Our wealth is in our heart. Our princess heart.

Imperial crown of holy roman empire

Imperial Crown of the Holy Roman Empire

Our wealth is in the love we feel, the words we share. Our determination to not give in. Not give up. Even in the face of adversity.

france Crown of Louis XV, France

We are all princesses, queens, and kings, all children of royalty. Daughters of farmers and tool and die men and accountants, sons of waitresses and postal carriers and fishermen.

I must admit, though, I wouldn’t mind wearing one of those crowns — being Queen for a Day.

What a day that would be…

You Didn’t Read Which One??

With the Madness of Summer burning the bottoms of our feet, there is not often much time to do any deep reading. A news headline here, a gossip column there, is about all one can squeeze in between State Fairs and Renaissance Faires and Italian Fairs.  So I thought I’d make it short and sweet this time around…come along and check out some of my oldies-but-goodies and see for yourself how fun managing the madness and magic and middle age can be!

Sharpening the Tool  — https://humoringthegoddess.wordpress.com/2012/03/10/sharpening-the-tool/

I hate it when people say that many middle-aged people “aren’t the sharpest tools in the shed.” It’s condescending, insulting, naive and just plain wrong. What I hate even more, though, is being one of those dull tools. Alas, there are times when I feel I’m struggling to stay in the shed, period.

Dancing in a Too Tight Tutu — https://humoringthegoddess.wordpress.com/2011/10/15/522/

I was sitting around the other day with my gal friends, sharing tales about the weekend. We all seemed to have gone through the same delightful experience, albeit in different ways. We all were relaxed, having a good time, and probably drank a little too much, for we all said, “I’m too old for this.”  One sat with friends and sipped with friends all day, one went to an outdoor concert, and I party hopped.  I’m sure the situations were on the same astral plane as many others “my age.”  Time flows, excitement and comfort wraps around us, the atmosphere make us feel good, and before you know it we are waking up the next morning with a headache, saying, “I’m too old for this.

Dinner With the Queen https://humoringthegoddess.wordpress.com/2011/06/22/dinner-with-the-queen/

In the mundane throng of your very predictable life, don’t you now and then want to just break out of the box and do something different? Now that you have the experience of all those years behind you, don’t you want to make that experience mean something? Don’t you ever want to be bigger than life? Just for a day?

The Importance of Unicorns and Bratwursthttps://humoringthegoddess.wordpress.com/2011/06/01/the-importance-of-unicorns-and-bratwurst/

The Importance of Unicorns and Bratwurst. This is one of those ethereal, out-of-body titles that try to connect the cosmic to the ordinary, the magical to the mundane.  I was hit by this title some time ago, not having a clue as to what it meant or what I would eventually write about.  Even now, as my fingers hit the keys, I have no idea where this storyline is going.  But isn’t that so much like our everyday lives?

Merlot at the Lake House — https://humoringthegoddess.wordpress.com/2011/11/15/merlot-at-the-lake-house/

Quick.  Name a handful of your favorite movies. Not the “great” ones that are in your library ― the ones that define you. The ones you don’t admit entertain you time and time gain.  Are you what you watch? Are you big enough to admit that you are what you watch?