Marking a moment in history...

Rest in Peace thou good and faithful servant, Queen Elizabeth.

I'm sure we will all remember where we were, who we were with if not alone, and how we learnt our dear Queen had died. I was at a wedding, which held its own sadness, and during the speeches my phone pinged - a short message from a friend telling me the news. It was hard then to concentrate on the occasion I was attending. A double dose of emotion had to be held in. 

The following day I went wild swimming, previously booked. It was the first time I visited the quarry for a solo swim as my family swimmers were not available. The sun was shining and the place looked beautiful. There was just one other lady swimming so we had the great outdoors to ourselves. We exchanged a few words but recognised we wanted to be alone and she left the water as I completed my second circuit. 

Also for the first time, I attempted a third lap. This lap was for the Queen; for my thoughts and sadness; for her determination to complete her role and duty; for her finishing well. I swam and cried adding my tears to the mineral water that was so peaceful, so fresh and beautiful as QE always was. A few leaves floated on the surface heralding a change of season, a change of monarch and so much more. Birds called, a magpie and pigeon watched me gliding by. 

On Sunday, I lit a candle and wrote in a book of condolence at my local church. The loss to so many of the only Monarch we have ever known has been much talked about in interviews on television. Pictures of the Queen's life, her achievements, her love of Scotland, horses, dogs, family times and visits to many countries have been well documented. Things we have never known, seen or heard about before have been broadcast and has deepened our awareness of history and British traditions. 

We certainly know how to make a 'show' out of the saddest or even the dullest of royal duties - soldiers in red coats, shiny shoes and bearskin hats; trumpeters; funeral cars; lying in state in Cathedral and Abbey - the general public showing their affection with silent tributes, flowers and gifts. 

What I found hard to comprehend, as a retired counsellor, was the immediacy of transition from Queen to King. No time for the Royals to grieve, to take in the loss of their mother, grandmother etc. And it was all so very public, absolute no privacy. Keeping a 'stiff upper lip' as so often the British do, but at what cost to their mental wellbeing. How much more 'normal' it would have been to see a tear rolling down a cheek. They were certainly rolling down mine and I'd never even met her! 

As the days roll on with television coverage of every movement of both the coffin and the royals being here, there and everywhere, my heart goes out to them all. Surely the time between the death of the Queen and her funeral could have been a time for LESS up-close and personal tv coverage, even though history is being made by the fact of her death after such a fantastic life, everyone, new King and his siblings and family especially, need to take stock mentally of the humongous change that our country is undergoing right now. God Bless them all.

Ladies, your help is needed ...

It's a bit delicate. It's a subject not normally talked about. But we females CAN make a big difference to our waterways. 

We are causing fish to die, sewers to be blocked, seas to be polluted. We have, for so many years, just put all sorts of things we have assumed were disposable in this way, down our toilets. We flush and forget. But we must change our ways. Ewww, I hear you say, but its simple, ideas to below.

If you haven't seen the programmes on tv about our rivers and sewers being polluted and blocked you wont have seen the stuff, other than what we have to do in the toilet, floating in water. It is a disgusting sight to see blood stained sanitary wear floating past the mouths of fish, turtles, river and sea creatures.

It is yes, the fault of overloaded sewers. It is yes, the fault of water authorities illegally dumping sewage into unauthorised places. It is yes, the fault of retailers selling non-biodegradable wet wipes, cotton buds, nappies, sanitary wear. But, we can take some of the blame of not changing our habits. 

Please, please, please think before putting anything other than toilet paper into the pan. Here's some suggestions to ease this situation.

• Sanitary pads, panty liners/Tena pads and tampons: wrap in toilet paper and dispose of into a bathroom bin, then into the general household waste dustbin. If out in public, hotel or shop toilets do use the paper bags and bins provided. 
• Wet wipes, disinfection wipes, baby wipes etc. Before these were invented we used household cloths. A flannel for intimate areas, an old towel or other material for disinfecting surfaces. These can be washed and reused often.
• Nappies and incontinence pads/sheets (I should hope no-one tries to flush these away but sewage workers may say different) can be folded up and taken out to the household dustbin. A plastic bag is not required. You could use paper bags or wrap in newspapers. (Brown paper bags can be bought cheaply, in bulk, via amazon)
• Cotton buds. Wrap these in a tissue or toilet paper and place in the household bin. 

Some of the above appertain to men too - we can be good examples to our men/boys/partners etc. Please wash your hands thoroughly after handling personal waste items.

Items that say they are disposable does not mean they are bio-degradable. If you want to go a step further in helping the environment, do read labels on how to dispose of things you buy and match to your council's recycling requirements.

When I lived in the mountains of Cyprus, not so very long ago, they acknowledged their sewage pipes were not built for coping with anything other than bodily waste. For three years I was required to put even toilet paper into a bin at the side of the toilet and then into the household waste dustbin. It was a very strange practice at first, and, being British, I often forgot. But as I got used to the idea I saw the sense of it and diligently respected the country's rules of sanitation. However, there were refuge problems too but that was another matter.

I was surprised to see there are images on-line and YouTube films of how to be responsible for our own waste products. Not something I would normally be searching for! Here are just a few:

If each person made simple steps to change a habit of a lifetime, one more creature wouldn't ingest unhealthy matter, one more fish could swim without bumping into a sanitary towel, one more sewage outlet wouldn't get blocked, one more river would be cleaner etc etc etc.

 

 Thank you for taking the time to read this blog. I know it seems like an issue too big to make a difference but for future generations, NO, FOR THIS GENERATION, now and for the future, it needs to be improved. If I change one person's mind about this issue I will be happy. Thank you in anticipation of some comments too.