Thursday, May 16, 2013

God Save The Queen!





C & H Fabrics in Eastbourne in England had a very nice window display for the Queen's Jubilee last year.  Let's have a closer look, shall we?
   Fantastic! Those are pieces of cloth that they have put together to make this beautiful portrait! Oh say, can you see *the photo that was the inspiration for this?  I thought this was an amazing work of art and I am very happy that I got Richard to take one of his famous photos! I wonder what they did with this when the window display was taken down? 
We also saw this at the Towner Art Gallery in Eastbourne.  In this mosaic, it isn't pieces of cloth, but actual photographs of British people and it is made up of over 5000 photos! Helen Marshall was the artist behind this creation and you may read more about it on the BBC website which also has a place where you can click on the digital version and you may zoom in and see in great detail each of the photos! The BBC website is here.
 
 
 
 
Here is another English lady with her own special crown!  Okay, Joan, I know I have shown this before, but I hope you don't mind me showing it again...this is my elegant mother-in-law in England who allows her American daughter-in-law to take photos like this one!
 
God Save The Queen!
 
 
 
*Oh say, can you see...ha ha, had to work in some of the American National Anthem too!

41 comments:

  1. Fun post, Kay! As a Canadian~American, I grew up very aware of the Royal Family ~ after all, their portraits hung in the homes of my grandmothers and great aunts. I saw the Queen when she was quite young in Prince Edward Island in 1959. My brother and I had managed to work our way to the front of the crowds lining her route. She was dressed in yellow and riding in an open car with Prince Phillip. She waved and smile right at my brother and I. My whole extended family had great love for the Royal Family because of all they did during World War II ~ and of course I went through my princess phase when I just knew I was going to grow up and marry Prince Charles. I found a prince among men in Terry, so my dreams came true in an even better way! Is that a pheasant in the pretty flowers in your header? Take care!

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    1. Lucky you, to have seen the Queen!
      I am glad for you that you found your REAL prince!

      Oh, believe it or not, that is a partridge that was amongst the bluebells. You know, like a partridge in a pear tree from the 12 days of Christmas? I had never seen one except on a Christmas card!! It was beautiful.

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    2. Umm, Kay, I'm not exactly a biologist, but I think the "partridge" in the bluebells may actually be a ring neck pheasant -- partridges are smaller, and usually speckled brown, both male and female....

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    3. I think Louise is far better off with the EP than if she had married Prince Charlie. :)

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    4. Thanks, Carol! As people say now, "My bad"!
      I heard this bird before I saw it and when I saw it, WOW that bright red combined with that white ring around the neck made for a very startling sight, especially amongst the bluebells!
      It is RELATED to the partridge, in the same family, so close for me, is pretty good! If my computer is working well, I can look things up before I comment, but I am not always able to do so. OLD COMPUTER BLUES!! :-)

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    5. I am just remembering this, I thought of "partridge" when I first saw it, and then after looking it up, saw that it was a pheasant. Fast forward one year and I put this photo on my blog and my mind reverts to the original thought that I had...this is how my mind works and Richard was not around for me to say, "What was that bird that we saw in the bluebells?"
      You should have a bit of pity for my brain, you really should.

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    6. Hey Sue!
      If Louise had married Prince Charles, it would have caused quite a stir since she is Canadian! (Not allowed, I am sure.)
      Yes, she is much better off with her Terry!

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  2. The quilt is amazing and the mosaic even more so. It seems such a long time since the Jubilee now and it was around this time last year that I was able to see the Queen for the first time (well except for a brief glimpse as she swept past in a limo in the 70s) - she visited my workplace as part of her Jubilee tour. I have a photo I'll be posting for the monthly scavenger hunt at the end of this month. x

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    1. Oh, I can't wait to see your photo of the Queen! Lucky YOU!!!

      I am glad you like the mosaics of the Queen too!

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  3. Very creative, to make a mosaic of a country's monarch out of portraits of its people.
    Your mother-in-law is so sweet - I love her sense of humour! A real lady is not afraid of being shown like this, because she is always a lady, no matter what she is wearing at the time.

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    1. I don't know if you saw the photos on the BBC website, but it is interesting to see how this is done.

      Yes, Joan is a very elegant lady but she has a great sense of humour. There, I spelled it with a "u" in her honour and yours!!

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  4. Wow, that is one amazing mosaic! It must have taken a heck of a long time to put together!

    You mother-in-law seems to have a wonderful sense of humour!

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    1. I know, Martha, the portraits at the art gallery were the size of a double decker bus!

      My mother-in-law would have to, to put up with me!

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  5. Love getting the stories behind the artwork!

    Your MIL looks like a good sport and wonderful woman.

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  6. I love that window display too, all this artwork is fabulous! Minerva x

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    1. I am glad you like it!

      Don't know if you know, but we lost our black cat that we had had since 1997. It's still a bit strange without her.

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  7. That mosaic is amazing. It must have taken a lot of creativity to think of something like that. What a sweet mother in law you have.

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    1. Yes, and I love the one that was just in a shop window and so many going by and not even glancing at it!!
      I hope that Joan will read this post!!

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  8. That mosaic is very clever and impressive. Who would have guessed? Lol. Love the pic of your MIL, too.

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    1. I have seen photo mosaics before but none as large as the one at the art gallery.
      You know someone is a good sport when they allow you take a photo with this large hair dryer AND with such a big smile!!

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  9. Oh my goodness what interesting pictures of the Queen and what they were made of. She was really pretty. Your MIL seems wonderful.

    Thank you for the beautiful post cards and lovely blue doily.

    Sandie

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    1. Oh, good, Sandie, I am so glad you liked your little gift. I have been crocheting since I was a teenager,you would think I would be an expert by now! LOL!!!

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  10. The photo mosaic portraits of the Queen are fabulous! And I like the cloth one too -- very much.

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    1. I know, I do too!!
      If you read one of my replies above, there were so many that were going right by this shop window not realizing what they were missing!

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  11. She was stunningly beautiful when she first took the crown. It is such a shame that she believes she must maintain such a rigid public demeanor for the good of the United Kingdom. For there have been some reports of her having a rather delightful sense of humor.

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    1. I know! I love the photos of the Queen when she was so young! I wonder if Queen Mary influenced her to be a bit stern as to her public demeanor. One can be very serious and earnest but still have a wonderful sense of humor. There, I think the Queen and I are just alike! :-)

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  12. These are wonderful pictures! Everyone is special in its own way. And your mother in law has a delightful sense of humor and dignity together.....

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    1. OH, thanks, I am pleased that you like these too!
      Dignity and humor together, an unbeatable combination!

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  13. Lovely bluebells in your header! Really nice to meet you Kay, thanks for dropping by my blog! :)
    Vivienne x

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    1. I loved YOUR photos of the bluebells!
      I am one of your followers and you have a lovely blog.
      Please stop by and visit with me again.
      Follow me if you can! :-)

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  14. Love that art made out of portraits. I can't imagine how much work that must have been.

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    1. It was amazing to see it "face to face" so to speak!

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  15. Thank you for explaining this photo - I've been wondering for a while where you took it!

    H.M. has aged so well, hasn't she? And she still has a delightful sparkle in her eye. She looks as though she has a good sense of humour.

    There's a very touching anecdote of George VI and his Queen in Angela Thirkell's "Jutland Cottage" (the first few chapters of which deal with the King's death and the accession of the current Queen); the book is a novel but somehow the anecdote rings true.

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    1. Yes, I think the Queen has aged very well, just like my mother-in-law and both have that delightful sparkle!

      I will try to find that book and read the anecdote you have mentioned. I know that the Queen Mother always blamed her husband's death on the stress of having to take over from his feckless brother who gave up the throne for his floozy wife. Wallis Simpson was profiled recently on PBS and I am wondering why this was so.
      (Feckless and Floozy...those are good names for them.)

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  16. Enjoyed seeing these portraits, Kay, and reading about the creativity that went into making them - very original and striking, especially the photo mosaic. Fun photo of your MIL who obviously has a great sense of the absurd, Kay.

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    1. Oh good, I am glad you liked them too!
      And you are right, my MIL is a very funny woman!

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  17. A beautiful tribute to a lovely Queen!

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    1. Thank you! And thanks so much for your comment!

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  18. Those collages are quite extraordinarily good.

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    1. They ARE, aren't they?
      Oh, you Brits are so talented!

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