I was feeling in sombre mood when I visited the Rose Garden at the Chicago Botanic Garden yesterday. I’d been watching, via the BBC website, the Queen’s procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall and wishing that I could have been there to say a final farewell. I had already planned this visit to the Garden so I thought I’d see it through and I must admit, the sight of so many lovely roses still in bloom, lifted my spirits.
I clearly remember seeing the Queen’s coronation on a TV newly acquired by my Aunt for the occasion, my first introduction to the ‘goggle box.’ Even then, at six-years-old, I was aware of the pomp and ceremony that surrounded Her Majesty. I’d been given a coronation mug at school and my parents had bought me a miniature coronation carriage so I knew something big was happening. After that, I got to see the Queen twice in person during the years that I lived in the UK. Only brief glimpses admittedly, but none the less awe-inspiring. Since then, I have admired her from afar.
In loving memory of Queen Elizabeth II. What a remarkable woman she was!
The Nature of Things 