Sometimes just a silly little comment can bring an unexpected joy. This was one of those moments when we were walking in the forest and the children spontaneously skipped with exaggerated moves when we asked them to explore ahead. Of course, we all laughed out loud and everyone enjoyed that little moment of humour.
The national period of mourning ended on Monday with the Queen’s funeral, which was a bank holiday. Its hard to describe the atmosphere of the past ten days, its been a period of reflection but also when we have lived the ceremonies and traditions previously only read of in history books. It has been incredibly British and one of the most interesting aspects was ‘The Queue’ in which people queued to pay respects to the Queen in the lying in state. At times the queue was more than 5 miles, and it appears there was a sense of community and togetherness among the participants.
On Monday, I did watch some of the key moments of the day ( a royal funeral is a long day … )The military procession was impeccably presented and the crown and orb on the coffin with the family flowers was the moment which moved me the most, along with seeing the Queen’s corgis and pony outside Windsor castle. Everything was beautifully presented and a tribute to the Queen. There are many discussions about the monarchy, but the Queen was special and I feel the country gave her the dignity and respect she deserved.
With the long weekend, we had the opportunity to do something a bit different. The boys went to see Grandad in Bristol and my daughter and I travelled for some parkrun tourism. We then pottered around the town before returning en route to a local vaccination centre so I could have my Covid booster. The children I teach are so very medically vulnerable that I need to do everything I can to protect them. I did feel a little rough on Sunday, post vaccination so a perfect excuse for a lazy day at home.
Despite it only being a 4 day working week, it was busy but I feel like I’m getting in to the swing of my new role and everything is slowly falling into place. I even managed to leave early on Friday afternoon and made it home by 4.30. My life is wrapped up in my new job at present, so each evening is curled up on the sofa, normally with an open laptop watching the Bake Off or a similar cosy programme. Life will get into a new rhythm soon but for now, its about being in the moment.
This week was my first teaching my new class at my new school, we got a new Prime Minister, Liz Truss and a new King, Charles III. A remarkable week. It was also the sad goodbye to Queen Elizabeth II, who despite the smiling photo on Tuesday for the kissing of the hands with the new PM, died peacefully on Thursday. It’s true that most weeks are quiet and ordinary and then you have an extraordinary week which is truly historic.
Personally, it’s been a lovely week with my new class and team, but a very steep learning curve, so many new processes, routines and things to learn. I’ve also inherited the messiest, cluttered classroom so am trying to organise this too. I feel quite unsettled in such an environment, I crave order and neatness.
I was at home on Thursday evening when the news about the Queen’s death broke, I had picked up my mobile to phone my mum and saw the breaking news. I never got to make the call, as I was drawn to the tv coverage. I think it’s the news we’ve all been expecting and there was very much the feeling at the platinum jubilee, that it was the public thank you and goodbye to the Queen. However, I did feel a sense of sadness at her death, she has been the constant in our lives and I felt she was a bit of feminist icon and one of the leaders of the 20th century.
Since Thursday evening, its been a period of contemplation and national mourning, sombre music on all the radio stations, sporting and cultural events cancelled and rolling news coverage on television. Parkrun did go ahead but we paused at the start as a mark of respect for the Queen, which did feel correct. It has now been announced that the funeral will be a Bank Holiday on September 19th.
It is a strange time at present, a period of transition on so many levels, leaving us all a little out of sorts. Its a period, when you take each day at a time, and look forward to more familiar and ordinary times.
Seaside Sparkles 