Yesterday's diary account as I was too discombobulated to do it yesterday - what a day. A shot of my lunch in a local café - where I was when I saw the first alert about the Queen's health.
What with going away soon and needing to finish packing and with the roofers coming to hopefully fix the leak - I was fretful enough the first half of the day anyway. Roofers were prompt at 8 and gone by 10.30. One of our airbnbs called to say the shower had a problem and he was trying to get it fixed. And so the morning passed.
Had to get one or two things from a chemist and return a library book, so hopped on the bike and promptly got soaked in a rain shower. Having done my errands, was just treating myself to a café lunch when I got a Guardian news alert that the doctors were concerned for the Queen's health. It felt odd and unusual and I felt slightly uneasy.
Home to an afternoon of meetings, the unease growing as no reassuring further announcements came, the BBC started to clear its channels of normal programming and the newsreaders started appearing in black. Late afternoon, we were starting to make contingency preparations for what a lot of you now know as Operation Bridges - still hoping that that's all we were doing, preparing just in case.
By 5, I have to confess we all knew the worst must have happened - there'd have been some kind of update, people would have been reassured not to start gathering at the palace, but the surreality of everything was just increasing. And at 6.30, the official announcement came - still a shock and I shed a tear.
The rest of the evening was a blur. Couldn't finish off anything and just went and got us fish and chips.
Interesting to read your account of waiting to hear the news. It happened overnight here. I was just starting to read the news about the health concerns, when her death popped up on my screen. Was shocked..
Breakfast looks lovely
Yes reading the account of your day I think it wold match us all although we were at the show so was not in contact with the ‘outside’ world so to speak. A massive shock but she died the way she would have wanted on the job! We will remember where we were when we heard.
As a nurse I saw a lot of worrying signs when she met with your new prime minister so I started to prepare myself for what I thought I knew was coming and hearing the announcement that there were concerns over her health, as I went to bed, really didn't surprise me. Despite all that I was still shocked and upset when I woke the next day to the news of her passing. Such a sad day.
Fabulous looking meal! Photo worthy! Even as an American, my heart aches at the passing of the Queen. God blessed her and her country with a long reign. She will be remembered.
Breakfast looks lovely