Things that Matter

Sunday and the forty-first Covd blog.

It has been an eventful week here in Blighty and full of sadness, for one of the oldest families in England. Much has been written about the death of Prince Philip however, several things have stood out for me. One being the fact that the Prince was the longest serving consort to The Queen.

’Consort’ the name given to the spouse of a reigning monarch. This title has been constantly quoted on all forms of social media. There has been so much kindness and unkindness written this week and the Twitter social media platform in particular, seems to be very divided on this subject.

I posted my own poetical retort in regards that whatever your leaning towards the monarchy, a wife has lost her husband; a man with whom she had shared her life for over seventy-three years, a figure which is both incredible and heartbreaking.

A life of privilege and one lived mainly in the public eye aside, it is a love story that has endured decades and this for me, this is what matters and why it prompted my thoughts.

As young children we read fairytales and some of us (myself included) secretly believe that life could one day be that way for us all. The harsh reality is that fairy tales seldom come true but Queen Elizabeth and The Duke of Edinburgh were our happy ending and perhaps why it feels so sad, that this spell has now been broken.

My mum was a keen royalist, I think the fact that the royal family loved Scotland so very much may also have played a part in her affections. I remember pleading with my dad along with my mum to ‘rent’ a colour television (we only had black and white at the time) so we would be able to watch The Royal Wedding of Princess Anne to Captain Mark Phillips in all its technicolour glory. I was ten years old and watching a real life princess marry her prince was dream like and much highlighted with all schools closed for the day to enjoy the celebrations.

My dad eventually conceded and we were absolutely overjoyed, I still remember watching it quite clearly. So thanks Anne, if it wasn’t for you, I feared my life would have forever been in monochrome.

We now as a nation begin a short time of mourning and I hope that those who oppose the institution of sovereignty will remember that irrespective of any entitlements, a wife and family are grieving for the loss of someone they loved.

This time in our history means that this event is not immune to restrictions, it will not be the service of remembrance that it would have been and I was starkly reminded of this when my I drove my dad to receive his second vaccination dose this week.

While waiting, I overheard the doctor in the post-vaccination room discussing with a patient that his mother who lived in India, was being treated for Covid and had only been taken off a ventilator machine that morning.

With the good news of vaccinations in England at an all time high and easing of restrictions it is still foolish to think that we are through this yet.

There has also been another matter which has made me feel quite strongly. That of the discovery that one of the vaccines poses a ‘rare’ but very real threat of blood clotting particularly in the younger age group. This has affected both younger men and women and has been emblazoned again, across all social media.

This is of course is abhorrent in that it has resulted in loss of life. It is important to remember that it is thankfully, a ‘rarity’ and has again raised an issue that as women it is something we are subjected to throughout our lives. I am hoping along with many I am sure, that this does not lead to many refusing the vaccine and their safety.

This was a poetry prompt as April is National Poetry Month and the above statistics was the last photo on my phone at this time.

I think we are all guilty of forgetting the things that really matter unless they affect us directly at times. I think it is important to challenge ourselves and look beyond. I know I for one, have opened my eyes a little wider during this pandemic and that can only be a good thing.

Things matter, we matter, life matters.

Stay Safe,

Joy xxx