http://jeanromsey.blogspot.com: Royal Family in the pink

Saturday, 29 June 2013

Royal Family in the pink

My Canadian Rockies at the City Gallery

The last couple of weeks had been full of celebrations, and we especially rejoiced in the brilliant sunshine, as and when the sun felt inclined to grace us with its presence. We did have a couple of cold nights in between, but we are not complaining right now.

Stonehenge on Summer Solstice day

Last Friday was Summer Solstice, 21st of June, the longest day of the year, and hundreds of revellers and Druids flocked to Stonehenge before 6 a.m. to see the sun rise over the ancient ring of stones, but the mists played havoc with all hopes of a celebration, even though the weather stayed dry all day.

The 21st of June was also National Care-Home Day and our local Senior-living Sunrise of Bassett, invited us to join their elderly residents at a hog roast followed by St. Winifred's School choir of young voices, singing many of our old-time favourites. The Mayor of Southampton helped with judging the art and poster competition, and presented prizes to the winners. It was heart-warming to see some of their alzheimer patients responding to songs they could recall.

'The Queen' painted in 2007

The Saturday before, 15th of June, the country officially celebrated the Queen's birthday, who turned 87 on the 21st of April, with the tradition of 'Trooping the Colour', carried out by trained troops, Foot Guards and Household Cavalry, at Horse Guard Parade in Whitehall, watched by hundreds, and the ceremony televised to millions. This custom was introduced by King Edward VII in the 1700s, and the Queen had so far taken 61 salutes, the first being in 1951 as Princess Elizabeth, standing in for her father, who was unable to attend.

The 'Colour' referred to the brocade and embroidered regimental flags, held in high esteem by the soldiers and officers, to symbolise their loyalty to the Crown and devotion to duty. The flags were carried into battle to mark the regiment's location, and their rallying points. Today the Colours are brought out only on regimental occasions and important parades, like the Queen's birthday.

The Changing faces of our Queen - 2012

Last year the Queen celebrated her Diamond Jubilee (60 years on the throne), with a wonderful pageant of flotilla on the River Thames, that culminated in a most fantastic firework display. Throughout June, street parties were held all around the country in her honour, at one of which, my husband Roy and I also took part with a group of friends, and the Mayor of Eastleigh came along to wish us all a good time, which we certainly did.

The Romsey Art Group organised a special Diamond Jubilee exhibition, for which I painted Her Majesty's many faces.

The Duchess of Cambridge

After Trooping the Colour, the Royal family rode back in open-top carriages, cheered by thousands of people lining The Mall in front of Buckingham Palace, the splendour of the pomp and pageantry had to be seen to be appreciated. Led by the Queen, the family, without the Duke of Edinburgh this year, stepped out on to the Palace Balcony, to watch the Air Force fly-past of a Sentry AWACS plane escorted by two Typhoons, A Lancaster, a TriStar and a VC10, followed by a colourful fly-past of nine Red Arrows, trailing red, white and blue right over Buckingham Palace and across central London.

The Queen looked really happy and in the best of health, knowing that the Duke of Edinburgh was recovering in hospital from exploratory surgery, but all eyes were on the happy, glowing face of the Duchess of Cambridge, who was making this her last official appearance in public, before the birth of her baby in July. She has given the Nation so much interest and happiness, that we all wish Kate and William the best of family life and a bright future.

All the best of summer to you. Shall speak to you again in a few weeks.

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A Change for the Better

With so many hospitals closing in the UK, today we have less than 140,000 hospital beds compared to 550,000 beds in 1948 when our National Health Service was founded. But modern technology from America will soon step in to relieve the pressure on our A & E Centres. Take a look at iDoctor here

iDoctor http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=r13uYs7jglg

We can change our life to do some of the things you have always wanted at any time you feel it is time. Take a look at the SLOMO clip below, just click on the link.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/01/opinion/slomo.html?emc=eta1&_r=0

A Lion called Christian

In 1969 Ace Bourke and John Rendall from Australia bought a lion cub from a London department store, Harrods, and named him Christian. He grew too big to keep as a pet in Chelsea and had to be returned to the wild in Kenya.

Years later Christian still remembered his 'parents' and like long lost friends. What a reunion! Click this link to watch the video: http://youtu.be/4enNZqNrwYc

My view on current situations

Could our climate really be changing in this Millenium?

Only a week ago we had snow in Devon, one of the warmest places in the South of England that even boasts a comparison with the Riviera in Europe.

In the USA's Tornado Alley, the most destructive tornado in history travelling at 200 mph, flattened the suburb of Moore in Oklahoma City in just 40 minutes without warning, causing so much grieve and loss of lives. This powerful tornado had been rated four, on a five point Enhanced Fujita Scale, making it the second most dangerous type, with more warnings to place Central Texas on further tornado watch.

More importantly the US government must ensure that any new buildings constructed in the Tornado Alley should include shelters, basement or safe rooms, specially built to protect from such tornadoes. This Great Plain experiences more tornadoes than any where else, at the height of the season in May and June, there may be two to four each day.

There are fears that tornadoes may become more common as global temperatures change, and such devastation as Moore must be avoided at all costs.

Having visited Shanghai thrice, I am still astonished at the constant changes to this great city's skyline and the speed of its industrial revolution, from 1949 when Chairman Mao's Communism took power, to 1992 when the People's Republic of China opened its doors again to foreign trade, and to today's superpower it has become, as discovered by Piers Morgan.

This video was recorded over 5 years ago, but if you have never been there, or even if you have but don't know much about the place from your tour guide, then you will be amazed to see how Shanghai has progressed - especially with regards to women CEOs. Click on the link to see modern, glamorous Shanghai today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wbGFeDR7Gg&feature=endscreen&NR=1

FOR OUR ECONOMY TO GROW

We need to get Britain manufacturing again; for goods to utilise our rail freight, road haulage and container ports; to expand our market worldwide and to be self-reliant.

With so much intelligence and creativity in our young and educated population, I am amazed to find that our UK Business Sector has not developed a strong, effective Export and Marketing Department to help develop products created by our inventive industrialists, nor facilitate co-operation between Universities and businesses to research new ideas and promote British Manufactures for export. All over the world, entrepreneurs are learning English to be able to trade with us, we do have the advantage of doing business anywhere.

For the Conservatives to win in 2015, David Cameron cannot rely simply on rhetoric about turning the tide on years of decline here or in the EU, in the battle for Britain’s future.

The government is likely to double the national debt inherited from the Labour government, if we continue to lose high street shops, vital businesses, century-old corporations and franchises, leading to empty premises and redundancies, which serve only to reduce the much needed Corporation and income tax, whilst swelling the ranks of the unemployed queuing for benefits, job-seeker and housing allowances.

The government must put a stop to the culture of rewarding failure with disproportionate pension packages, and gross bonuses unrelated to services rendered, for bankers, health service managers and local authority leaders alike, especially those who failed in their jobs. When an executive is recruited for a job in the public sector, the salary determines the job’s worth, there is no reason why bonuses or pensions should exceed the total pay, particularly in the present economic climate.

Any government that cannot legislate against this extortionate ransom culture, practised by leaders of public services, then they don’t deserve to be re-elected.

Take the news of Sir David Nicholson stepping down next year, retiring with his full pension of £2 million. Not more than a few decades ago he would have recognised his failure in running NHS England and resigned. Should he be allowed to take his full pay and pension package? It's an astronomical sum by any standard, and that same sum spent on improved nursing care at Stafford Hospital would probably have saved all those who died, from living under those unbearable conditions as described in various reports.

How does one man who could never do the job of supervising the whole of the NHS all by himself, deserve so much? We also must remember that in the costly reorganisation of the NHS, hundreds of managers were made redundant, obviously because they have not achieved success in their particular sector. After receiving huge severance pay and pension, why are some of them re-employed with new contracts, and probably on even higher pay packages, to carry on doing what they did before? Are we spending tax-payers' money wisely?

It is indeed time for the Chancellor to look into how much the re-vamping of the NHS is going to cost the nation and really cut down on management expenses, but increase training for good nursing care to properly run each hospital, to make them fit for purpose. Cut out the middleman, trim the fat and get Britain back to basic good value, responsible and trustworthy.

Only then will the Conservative government be returned to power. Austerity alone will not suffice. The voters need to see real changes, and good value for their taxes instead of wastage.

Congratulations to Nigel Farage for leading the UKIP to win almost a quarter of the votes cast at our local elections, thus forming the fourth major political party of Britain.

This is not just a protest vote from the public, but a vote of confidence in Mr. Farage as an honest man of integrity, not greedy for power for himself, but for the nation in trouble, and in debt to the tune of £billion, which no successive governments since WW2, had been able to eradicate.

UKIP's common sense approach to easing our national debt by opting out of EU membership will save us £billions in subsidies, huge MEP pay and expenses, and massive prison expenditure for un-deported foreign criminals. If we also temporarily withhold foreign aids until our own debt situation is no longer as bad as those we sought to assist, we should come out of debt sooner.

Chancellor Osborne should continue with our austerity policy, and also bring civil servants' pay and pension in line with the rest of the private sector remuneration to encourage growth in our economy with youth employment and private enterprises.

Saturday, 29 June 2013

Royal Family in the pink

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