A busy and sociable weekend
May. 22nd, 2006 07:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shewhomustThere was a party, and visitors, and gardening, and going out to dinner, and even a little work. But what sticks in my mind is a pair of conversations.
Saturday night's conversation came at the very end of an excellent party, at the point where the stragglers have been reduced to a number that will actually fit in one room, and people are thinking of going, but there's coffee, and it's all very mellow: talk is general, and people who haven't previously met start to converse. And one lady (yes, I think I'll stick with that term) asked "Do you know what kind of paper you use when you write to the Queen?". And "What colour ink would you use to write to the Queen?".
She went on to explain that she had long wanted to write to the Queen, and tell her what a good egg she is, but she'd never quite got it together, what with one thing and another, and not knowing what kind of paper to use. She'd thought of writing for the Queen's Silver Jubilee, but not done it, and again for her Golden Jubilee. And then the Queen's 70th birthday had gone past, and she'd decided that it really was about time. So she'd asked someone (clearly someone known to other people there) whether it was in order to write to the Queen on blue Basildon Bond, and he'd said no, you use cream 'parchment' marbled paper. And you use blue ink. He'd also known the correct form of address, and how to sign the letter, and where to send it. So there was no reason not to go ahead, and she'd written to the Queen and told her that she was a good egg. And she'd added a PS: "Tony Blair is a complete shite for cancelling the Royal Yacht."
After she'd left, we asked our host whether this story was for real. She said it was.
Sunday night's conversation was at Gail's: we were consulting the Chinese astrology book, trying once again to identify our totem animals. I don't think a single one of us believes in this at all, but (with the exception of![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
durham_rambler, who may well have been asleep by now), we all knew which animal we are, but not necessarily which element. I am the animal which is sometimes identified as a cat, and sometimes as a rabbit, and it turns out I am a metal one. Gavin asked what he was, and Peg told him he was a metal dog - "You're K9," she said. Gavin wasn't too keen on this, took the book and, after consulting it, announced that he was an earth rooster (I picture it as one of these) which he was much happier with. This was too good to be true: further consultation establishes that he is, in fact, an earth rooster trapped in the body of a metal dog.
That's an image which makes me very happy.
Saturday night's conversation came at the very end of an excellent party, at the point where the stragglers have been reduced to a number that will actually fit in one room, and people are thinking of going, but there's coffee, and it's all very mellow: talk is general, and people who haven't previously met start to converse. And one lady (yes, I think I'll stick with that term) asked "Do you know what kind of paper you use when you write to the Queen?". And "What colour ink would you use to write to the Queen?".
She went on to explain that she had long wanted to write to the Queen, and tell her what a good egg she is, but she'd never quite got it together, what with one thing and another, and not knowing what kind of paper to use. She'd thought of writing for the Queen's Silver Jubilee, but not done it, and again for her Golden Jubilee. And then the Queen's 70th birthday had gone past, and she'd decided that it really was about time. So she'd asked someone (clearly someone known to other people there) whether it was in order to write to the Queen on blue Basildon Bond, and he'd said no, you use cream 'parchment' marbled paper. And you use blue ink. He'd also known the correct form of address, and how to sign the letter, and where to send it. So there was no reason not to go ahead, and she'd written to the Queen and told her that she was a good egg. And she'd added a PS: "Tony Blair is a complete shite for cancelling the Royal Yacht."
After she'd left, we asked our host whether this story was for real. She said it was.
Sunday night's conversation was at Gail's: we were consulting the Chinese astrology book, trying once again to identify our totem animals. I don't think a single one of us believes in this at all, but (with the exception of
durham_rambler, who may well have been asleep by now), we all knew which animal we are, but not necessarily which element. I am the animal which is sometimes identified as a cat, and sometimes as a rabbit, and it turns out I am a metal one. Gavin asked what he was, and Peg told him he was a metal dog - "You're K9," she said. Gavin wasn't too keen on this, took the book and, after consulting it, announced that he was an earth rooster (I picture it as one of these) which he was much happier with. This was too good to be true: further consultation establishes that he is, in fact, an earth rooster trapped in the body of a metal dog.That's an image which makes me very happy.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-05-22 07:40 pm (UTC)I always try to avoid discussions of Chinese astrology, as someone inevitably brings in mention of Western astrology and I have to explain that I am both a Virgo and the year of the, ahem, rooster.
no subject
Date: 2006-05-22 08:07 pm (UTC)I love the story of the Queen's letter. Reminds me of another brush with etiquette: once in a stationer's I was choosing a very particular paper for a manuscript; and having made some nice considerations of its colour, weight, and watermark, I made my way to the register, looked again, and blurted, "Oh dear. I seem to have gotten laid by mistake."
Nine
no subject
Date: 2006-05-23 08:25 am (UTC)