Most Friday mornings I wake up with an overwhelming sense of dread. Friday’s are writing days and I know that within about 4 hours of that precise moment I would’ve written about 1000 words and sent it out into the world. I’ve managed to do this consistently for 140 weeks in a row now but this proof doesn't bring me any confidence or comfort at 6am on a Friday morning.
This morning I felt more worked up than normal - I’m still recovering from whatever god awful bug has ravaged my family which doesn’t help. I haven't been able to hear out of my right ear for a week now, or breathe through my nose which is driving me crazy! It’s amazing how blocked sinuses can make everything in life feel heavier.
Being unwell this week has put me in a foul mood which makes finding fun stuff to write about impossible. As I drove to work this morning I tried to think of something that was interesting, uplifting and relevant and all I came up with was how yesterday I managed to turn a toilet paper roll into a box of tissues by removing the cardboard tube and pulling out the paper from the inside out. This works quite well and really solved an immediate problem I had but unfortunately is not very inspiring.
I only saw Matt briefly this morning as I rushed out the door and he whispered (because he had a sleeping kid next to him) that the Queen had passed away. At the age of 96 Queen Elizabeth II had passed away peacefully at Balmoral. What a blow! I’m not a particularly huge fan of the monarchy but the Queen, well, she’s the Queen. I appreciate that this news will be really upsetting to lots of people I care about.
There is one family in particular that uses the Queen as a measurement of good behaviour as a parenting strategy. ‘Would the Queen do that at the table?’ ‘Would the Queen leave her knife and fork like that?’ The answer of course is always ‘NO’. The Queen would never do that so the kids would right their wrongs because the Queen is someone you’d want to impress, right?. I doubt this strategy will have the same effect when the Queen is replaced by the King. Would that King do that at the table - probably.
I wonder what the passing of the Queen will mean for Commonwealth countries over the following years. In 1999 the Australian Republic Referendum was held which asked if Australia should become a republic. 45% of people said yes and 55% of people said no. That was fairly close and 23 years ago. I Imagine if a referendum was held today the result might be flipped - especially now the Queen is no longer the Head of State. King Charles III certainly doesn’t have the same je ne sai qua.
Back in 2015/16 New Zealand had a referendum to change the design of the national flag, removing the Union Jack but the outcome was to keep the original - I think the general consensus was that people didn’t like the alternatives, rather than really wanting to keep the Union Jack. Again I wonder if the case would be different now the Queen is no longer head of the monarchy.
I also wonder what will happen to the Queen's Birthday long weekend in June. Will that remain in its current form or become the King’s Birthday weekend? Interestingly the Queen’s actual birthdate is 21 April 1926. The British monarch has always celebrated their birthday publicly in June ever since the Queen's Great Grandfather, Edward VII (who was a November baby) wanted to have a big party for his birthday but didn’t want to do it in the dark English winter. He combined it with the annual military parade in Summer hence we celebrate the Queen's birthday in June.
Come to think of it, I wonder what will happen to our money? The Queen is pictured on all of the Australian and New Zealand coins as well as being featured on the New Zealand $20 bill and the Australian $5 bill. Will King Charles III be making an appearance on our cash any time soon? An interesting thought perhaps but I’m not sure he’ll bring the same vibe. As I mentioned earlier, the Queen was well, the Queen. She has a certain look and sophistication about her.
I have a feeling Matt will take the passing of Queen more heavily than I will. He is quite a traditionalist in his own weird way. It's strange when mega celebrities die - and it doesn’t get much bigger than the Queen. You tend to remember where you were at the time when you found out. Like when Lady Diana died, I was on a ski trip in High School and we’d stopped at a petrol station somewhere outside of Mount Ruapehu. We’d just spent all our cash on junk food and were loading back in the bus when someone mentioned that Lady Di had died in a car crash. We were shocked - learning that confronting news in a bus load of 15 year old girls is a vivid memory for me.
It just dawned on me that perhaps, you reading this blog is how you found out about the Queen passing. Gosh, I’m so sorry. I would’ve been more tactful if I’d known. I hope you manage to process the news in your own way. Turns out this blog is how I’ve unconsciously but rather publicly chosen to process the changing of the monarchy. Try and enjoy the rest of your day and just remember it's now ‘Long live the King!’.
