Rest in peace Queen Elizabeth

This week is in many ways a FULL STOP because everything we had known changed rather suddenly on Thursday afternoon where our Queen, Elizabeth IInd died peacefully following a short period of rest surrounded by her family.

It all started with girl who had a sister Margaret, a mother and a father who in 1936 became the King - George VI - who was educated by private tutors having a fairly ordinary given the circumstances childhood that did allow for play and even some high jinks.

That picture was taken at the age of ten.

Later on she met what was to be her husband, the man we know as Prince Philip who died a couple of years ago.

Her father did not enjoy the best of health but he did his very best to be king not least during WW2 while a young Elizabeth apart from being a Girl Guide also joined in the war effort learning amongst many things mechanics in the T.A.

Sadly her father became ill suddenly in 1952 while she was on a visit to Kenya with Prince Philip and died.

Elizabeth was proclaimed Queen in 1952, coronated in 1953 at Westminster Abbey, London and reigned for some 70 years, having a family of her own including children from her own children's marriages.

The world has changed in so many ways since 1952, at least that's what my parents tell me, but in all that time she kept up with a changing world and served it extremely well even with her health issues in the last eighteen months or so.

She was always there, always there for us and our nation and that is what we are paying our respects out of.

A girl who took her duty seriously at the age of ten, made a solemn vow upon becoming our queen and  never let us down.

There is a formal timetable that we are going through at the moment as of Saturday where most of this was typed King Charles III, her son was proclaimed king in a ceremony at St. James's Place, London.

There are many ways I could end this post I truly wish I never had to make but I'd sooner go back to June, the 70th Anniversary and something that was both touching and hugely funny where The Queen and Paddington Bear starred in comic skit involving young bear taking tea with her, sharing a liking for Marmalade sandwiches before taping out spoon against cup and saucer the beat of the rock group Queen's song We Will Rock You before kicking off a concert in her honour featuring that group.

The Queen who retained her girlish humour, connected to a younger generation that evening and we remember as that person who while having a serious role was rather like a grandmother to us all.

*Apologies for spelling errors etc but I've been crying typing this.