Remembering Prince Philip

 

This is the official document from Buckingham Palace.  I read on the BBC website, it will be televised.  I'm hoping CBC will pick it up and broadcast live.  

I was pleased to hear the title of Duke of Edinburgh will be passed to Prince Edward.  Prince Andrew is Duke of York so Prince Edward is next in line for a title.  He may not receive it until Charles is King.

Prince Harry will travel to the funeral alone.  There is speculation the baby is due shortly.  I hope Harry mends the rift between him and his family while he is in the UK.   Prince Harry and Meghan should have the private life they want and keep out of the media. 

ITV produced a wonderful one hour special on Prince Philip's life.  It aired Friday afternoon on CBC and is being rebroadcast today at 3PM.  Prince Philip:  For Queen and Country

We've toured Windsor Castle and it's unique.  The grounds are massive and the adjoining town is lovely.  At least the family will get the privacy they deserve.  

I had lunch with Prince Philip

 

I was very sorry to hear of the passing of Prince Philip.  He visited Canada 45 times.  During the late 80's, I entered a contest on a local radio station.  The Prince was coming to Vancouver and the Vancouver Board of Trade was honouring him at a lunch at the Hotel Vancouver.

The contest was "write us a letter and tell us why we should chose you to have lunch with Prince Philip".  I knew I needed to be different so I wrote a short one page letter:

"I often get invited out to business lunches.  For once, I'd like to have lunch with a true gentlemen that looked at my face, not my breasts (I may have put boobs, I can't remember)."

The radio station called me and I was one of three people picked!   It was during the week and I asked my sister Louise to join me.  We got all dressed up, and took Skytrain downtown.  It was her first and I believe only time on Skytrain.  

The lunch was held in the Hotel Vancouver ballroom.  The tables were beautifully set and a lot of people attended the lunch.  I skipped out to the ladies 25 minutes before the Prince was expected to arrive.  I saw a bunch of men in suits talking to their watches.  Then up the stairs walked the Prince!  I was surprised at how short he was.  He's was 6'0" but beside Queen Elizabeth who is 5'2" he appeared much taller in photos.  They kept him hidden until his grand entrance.  

There were eight people seated at each of the tables.  At our table, there were two people from the radio station and three winners with their guests.  Meeting the other contestants that won was interesting.  I sat beside a lovely lady about 80 who came from Victoria.  She was with her daughter who submitted a beautiful six page hand written letter.  Her mom was born in the UK, and immigrated to Canada.  She was the president of the Victoria chapter of the Monarchist League of Canada!  They had time before lunch to read one more letter.  They read mine.  Every one had a good laugh.  My sister just rolled her eyes.   

Prince Philip made a wonderful speech.  He talked about the Duke of Edinburgh Awards.  I'd never heard of the awards but he explained how they chose the recipients.  The Prince came to Vancouver to present the awards to the winners.  I had a great respect for his commitment to so many good causes.  He did a lot for the environment and had many royal duties he performed to perfection.  I'm sure they will honor him in the next few days.  

What a wonderful memory.  It was before smart phones so I have no pictures.  I have the memories and those will never go away.  Rest in peace, Prince Philip.   You were the longest living consort and served your country with dignity and grace.

https://www.dukeofed.org/

Dr. Bonnie - please rethink your priorities

I have always agreed with Dr. Bonnie Henry, our Provincial Health Officer.  In the middle of spring break she allowed 9,000 teachers and school employees to be vaccinated.  I was happy for the teachers.  I didn't realize our first responders, police and firefighters had not received the vaccine.  

They are the people who protect us!  Why weren't they first in line?  Now with Astra Zeneca having blood clot concerns, the essential worker vaccines are halted!  The village workers of Whistler, the entire City of Prince Rupert and other entire remote communities are being immunized.  All indigenous people 18 and over are eligible!  

There are 805 RCMP officers and 409 Fire Fighters in Surrey.  I'm not sure how many ambulance personnel, but this is not a large number of people.

Dr. Bonnie, please put the age based group on hold and get these people, who put their lives on the line every day, vaccinated!  If I wasn't already vaccinated, I would give one of them my spot.

https://globalnews.ca/news/7745886/surrey-firefighters-covid-19-vaccinations/

Dubai

I've never been to Dubai but I know a few people that have visited.  When I worked for Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, in 1996 they opened an office and auction site in Dubai.  A couple of our staff took a transfer.  One had a wife and school age children.  The other was an accountant a bit younger than me and married with no children at home.  

The guy with children loved it there.  They lived in an "American" compound and his children went to American school.  His wife had a maid and cook!  They stayed for quite a few years and then came back to Canada as they missed family.  The office had a "tea boy" who brought tea to your desk!

The married guy stayed until he had to return because of Canada Pension!  He was an accountant so he knew all the rules.  They didn't want to leave but for financial reasons they had to.  

We are hoping to add a Dubai add on to our South Africa trip next March.  It depends on air fare and whether the group wants to do it.   I saw this video and thought I would share it:

Malware, maybe??

I went on a government website on my phone.  I've never opened that website on my computer and I got a message on my phone home screen.  It was something about malware!   I thought, oh no!  I went into the apps store and searched anti virus/malware apps.  I went on a couple and one that looked pretty good with lots of users and stars, I started to order.  It wanted my credit card.  It was only $1.99 a month but I was worried about giving my credit card to a company I wasn't familiar with.  

They had my email address but that was all I gave them.  Then the emails started.  The second email said I could download the app for free.  Now I was really sceptical.   I've received about six emails!   There are many articles on how many of these apps attach malware to your phone and/or computer to get your data and passwords!  I'm not saying this app does that, but I do wonder.  Glad I listened to my inner voice.

This may be a legitimate company, but why all the emails?  If my phone becomes infected, I'll back it up and do a factory reset!

Here is my last email:

Hi I’m sorry to contact you again, but I can’t help feeling concerned knowing that you haven’t yet installed Android protection, despite being aware of the risks. As I’m sure you can tell, at TotalAV we take protection & security very seriously! I have persuaded our Sales team to allocate you with a special on our industry leading protection plan – Our biggest discount, ever! That’s the equivalent of just $0.05 per day to keep your smartphone safe from personal data hackers, malware, and harmful viruses. Our all-in-one protection package includes industry leading antivirus protection, system optimization and so much more. Make the right decision today and let us protect your digital world on the go! Use the link below to claim your now, Click Here to claim your Discount now Best Wishes, Dean Account Manager TotalAV

Goodbye Aunt Jemima

The branding of the syrup was a tribute to this woman’s gifting and talents.  Now future generations will not even know this beautiful woman existed.  What a shame.  

The world knew her as "Aunt Jemima," but her given name was Nancy Green and she was a true American success story. She was born a slave in 1834 Montgomery County, KY... and became a wealthy superstar in the advertising world, as its first living trademark.

Green was 56-yrs old when she was selected as spokesperson for a new ready-mixed, self-rising pancake flour and made her debut in 1893 at a fair and exposition in Chicago. She demonstrated the pancake mix and served thousands of pancakes... and became an immediate star. She was a good storyteller, her personality was warm and appealing, and her showmanship was exceptional. Her exhibition booth drew so many people that special security personnel were assigned to keep the crowds moving.

Nancy Green was signed to a lifetime contract, traveled on promotional tours all over the country, and was extremely well paid. Her financial freedom and stature as a national spokesperson enabled her to become a leading advocate against poverty and in favor of equal rights for folks in Chicago. She maintained her job until her death in 1923, at age 89.

This was a remarkable woman... and she has just been ERASED by politically correct liberals.

I'm sad Aunt Jemima has come to an end.  I loved the products and while they continue, the branding changes.  It's a sign of the times.  As I watch US TV, I really wonder how much things have changed.

I watched a wonderful movie on Netflix.  The Green Book is a true story about the relationship of a black pianist and his white driver in the early 60's.  It won three Oscars including Best Picture.  We don't go to movies often so I wasn't familiar with it.  A wonderful heartwarming story of a shameful part of US history.

Easter Dinner

I ordered take out from White Spot.  I heard from two different friends they had a wonderful take out dinner at Christmas and I was pleased to hear they were offering it at Easter.  It was cold when I picked it up and I reheated it per the instructions.  It didn't disappoint, it was delicious!

They offered pie as an add on.   It was $6.99 but I said no.  Not because I was cheap, but we don't need the added calories.   They gave it to me for free!   

I heated the pie and served it with whip cream. 

Easter Flowers!

BEING TWENTY IN THE SEVENTIES WAS EASIER THAN

BEING SEVENTY IN THE TWENTIES