Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Coming out from under the ice..............

Would not be so bad (I think) to have the snow (do not share this phrase with a Bostonian) but we started with a sheet of ice. Some places 3 inches thick. It did not melt but invited snow flakes to the adventure.
I was stuck inside as my biggest worry at this point is to fall again.

With this confinement I learned that I became somewhat of an on line shopper. 2 items I already had to return. Bad decisions when you are in a slump. I ate too much chocolate. Would have gotten drunk if I had more wine in the house. I do not do well in the patience mode. I wanted to walk the dogs but clean up in
Hville is something for Northerners to do, we are the South, damn it, we do not get 9 inches of snow..well rarely...remember March 15 1993? Bobby was guarding a huge complex, all alone that night when a
roof caved in behind him and even the Fire dept could not get to him to get him out of the place.
Days before someone could get to my house to feed the cat. We were lucky we were in Belgium, Bob and I.

So I sat in my reclining chair, did not dress, and had a knitted hat on because I was afraid to get a draft and more pain with the neuralgia. I was a picture to behold, I am sure. Lucky that Bob did not put me on Facebook.

I read and read one book after the other from my KIndle on the bigger screen of my Galaxy gadget.
Last year I had an obssession about the Louis's in French history. Read tons about them.
This year I moved to the British Royals.
My mother would say with a pouty face:"What is wrong with them in England is that most of them are Germans to begin with".
I started with Victoria and rekindled my history learning from school.First of all that lady must have been pregnant most of her first decade into marriage to the handsome love of her life Albert. I mean 9 children!
Leopold was number 8 and unfortunately like others in these circles he had hemophilia.
Victoria watched him like a hawk and hired people to be with him wherever he went.
One fall could be fatal within hours of horrible pain. Any slight bruise and he was under medical care
immediately.
As adult he wanted to live like others and managed that in part as the Queen found for him the perfect wife:
Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont .
They had 2 children a son ,Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
Edward who found himself in Germany and in the army during WW1 was truly in a pickle as he loved England and loved Germany too. 
The book I currently reading is about Princess Alice.
She lived to be in her nineties.
Grand daughter of Queen Victoria she spent a lot of time in the palace with the old monarch and found it strange when she was included in the procession of Queen Victoria 60th jubilee parade. She could not believe that all these people came to see her grandmother.
Her father died in France visiting in Cannes, a slight injury ended his life at age 31,
Her mother Helena was indeed the right wife as these children were always first and foremost on her mind.

Gosh I am rattling.
More connections with Belgium later on...this is a very long story for Gracious Alice.