A Touch of Royalty

Fifteen thousand people packed into York city centre for a hugely successful Maundy Thursday visit by the Queen last Thursday 5th April. Accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh and Princess Beatrice of York on her first official engagement in the city, she was cheered by huge crowds at Micklegate Bar, the Minster, Mansion House and the Museum Gardens.

After arriving at York railway station, the royal party was taken to Micklegate and then travelled further to the Minster, where thousands of people (me among them), many waving Union Flags and carrying flowers for the Queen, gathered in the sunshine to see the royal party.

A massive cheer greeted their arrival before the Queen went on to present Maundy money to 172 elderly people - pensioners nominated for the honour for their service to the church and community.

A massive cheer greeted their arrival before the Queen went on to present Maundy money to 172 elderly people - pensioners nominated for the honour for their service to the church and community.

The Royals then posed on the steps of the Great West Door alongside the Queen’s Yeoman, the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, the Dean of York and flower children.
Following a reception in the Deanery, the party went on to the Mansion House for a civic lunch. The visit ended at the Yorkshire Museum where a new exhibition marks the 800th anniversary of York being granted a Royal Charter by King John.

(From York Press)

Altogether Her Majesty was in York no longer than 5 hours (she arrived by train and took off by helicopter!) and a few people complained that all of this was a waste of money and effort, especially because allegedly she did not devote enough time to parade (and talk) in front of the public. But I’m glad she came, she brought much happiness to the city, which makes a change from seeing loads of misery around in this very difficult climate. Also this much awaited event will have brought much needed cash to the city, as I presume most of the 15,000 visitors will have had lunch or tea and spent some cash in the shops while here.

The Woman In Black

Yesterday night I attended a special preview of The Woman In Black followed by a Q & A session with the film's director, James Watkins. The Woman in Black is a tale based on the classic ghost story written by Susan Hill and starring Daniel Radcliffe as Arthur Kipps, a lawyer who is forced to leave his young son and travel to a remote village to attend to the affairs of the deceased owner of Eel Marsh House. The house stands at the end of a causeway, wrapped in fog and mystery, but it is not until Arthur glimpse a woman dressed all in black that a creeping sense of unease begins to take hold of him, a feeling deepened by the reluctance of the locals to speak of the woman in black and her terrible purpose. I cannot reveal more about the plot without spoiling the view.

I had a great night watching a very good film that I recommend to anyone. I have always wanted to see the play which has been running on stage in London for over 23 years, but I have never found the time (and the tickets!) to go. Now the film, adapted for the big screen by Jane Goldman, scares the mind without the gore. You are constantly waiting for the next jump out of your seat moment, but you cannot predict when it's coming. Daniel Radcliff is excellent as the lead and proves that there still acting life for him after Harry Potter. I think it is a great British film, made with a limited budget but still beautifully produced with an unsettling atmosphere and exquisite period details.

This preview was part of the VW See Film Differently campaign to sponsor independent cinemas across the UK. We were also treated to free drinks and popcorn and we also found a free copy of Susan Hill's book on every seat. York was chosen as The Woman In Black’s preview venue not only because of its reputation of the most haunted city in England - if not in Europe - but also because Susan Hill was born in Scarborough, Yorkshire and where the play was shown for the first time.

The film opens nationwide in the UK next Friday 10th February.

Haunted York

York is said to be the most haunted city in the world with a total of 504 recorded hauntings according to the Ghost Research Foundation International. I have lived 17 years in this historical wonderful city and I have never seen a ghost myself. So Last Monday I decided to go on a ghost guided tour for the first. To be honest, I wanted to know more about the ghosts of
York but I also wanted to escape the never-ending knocks at the door for the usual Halloween "trick or treat"!

Unfortunately I was not the only one to have this idea on Halloween night as the many ghost tours, walks and trails of York seemed to be fully booked! York has around four million visitors a year, and there are plenty of people competing to show them the ghosts of the city. One of the best and oldest is the Original Ghost Walk, where you will hear some of the most famous tales of ancient betrayal and persecution. Here are just a few…

York is apparently still haunted by 2,000 year-old ghosts: the lost Roman Legion. An apprentice plumber installing a heating system in the cellars of the Treasurer's House, spotted the ghosts in 1953. He heard a horn in the distance, and then a disheveled Roman soldier on a horse emerged from the brick wall. This soldier was followed by others, all looking dejected, carrying swords and spears. They appeared to be walking on their knees, but really an old Roman road is located fifteen inches below the cellar, so the ghosts could have been walking on their own familiar road, on their way to the Minster.

Near Treasurer’s House and in a building attached to St William’s College, a ghostly child, who starved to death after her parents died from the plague, appears to haunt the upper parts of the house and is said to scream and bang against this small windows in search of help.

The story goes that several orphans died in the nearby Industrial Ragged School during the 1800's, due to the negligence of the alcoholic schoolmaster; now, on cold nights, people have reported walking by the arch only to feel a small child take them by the hand... Childish giggling and terrible screaming has also been reported.

Thomas Percy, Earl of Northumberland, was executed for treason in York: as a staunch Catholic he had plotted against the Protestant Elizabeth I. He was beheaded in 1572, and his head stuck on a large spike on Micklegate Bar as a warning to anyone else with similar ideas. There it remained for many years until eventually recovered and buried in the churchyard of Holy Trinity church in Goodramgate. The body of the Earl has been seen on many a night staggering through The Shambles, where his body was buried, searching for his mislaid head.

A load of horror tales or do phantoms and ghouls really lurk in the city of York? Just come and visit York to find out for yourself...

Behind the Scenes at The Museum

As most of you who ‘read’ my ramblings here already know, Kate Atkinson is my favourite contemporary English novelist. From the moment I started reading the first pages of one of her books, I felt she had something profound to say about life and people’s views. I read Behind The Scenes At The Museum a few years ago but I decided to read it again in the last couple of weeks, as I thought that now after a few more years spent in this beautiful city of York, I could get a deeper meaning of the story. And I was right as I have enjoyed this second time more than the first. In this novel, Kate Atkinson has created one of the most original first person narrators of recent years. Her character, Ruby Lennox, is at once witty, fragile, sad, and sassy. Ruby's sharp eye for detail, and the way in which she brings alive the interior and exterior fabric of her life through her voice, engages us with its immediacy.

The novel begins with Ruby's conception in 1951, charts her exit from the warmth and safety of her mother's body, and her arrival into a very strange and alienating world. Her family is eccentric but engaging, living above the pet shop in York that they own and run. Her parents, Bunty and George, are well meaning, but have cracks in their psyches that play themselves out through interactions with their children. Ruby is not an only child: her older sisters Patricia and Gillian are her constant companions, as bizarre as their parents. The novel takes us through the early part of Ruby's life, constructing a magical world where the strangest events seem inevitable and manageable. Increasingly Ruby becomes aware that there is something about her family that she is not being told and, in a brilliantly realized moment of revelation, Kate Atkinson allows Ruby to discover what that secret is, then we watch her come to terms with it.

The past is a strong presence here. Kate Atkinson tells much of the quirky family history through separate chapters called "Footnotes", which take us back to pre-Ruby days, and they do much to explain why her family is as it is, and why Ruby develops as she does.

This novel is never predictable, constantly delighting by the way that Ruby's world-weary sardonic view of adults is wittily expressed. The independence of the voice here is powerful and new. Kate has found a way to express the young Ruby's viewpoint without sacrificing the older Ruby's knowledge. This achievement means that even within the grimmest passages of the novel there lurks a longing for the past, and an irrepressible need to find the humor and humanity in every situation. In the narrative, for example, Ruby's parents let her down in many ways, but they are never less than loved, and the older Ruby never lets us forget that fact.

The vigor and passion of this book comes from the language and the forcefulness of its life-affirming voice. At no time do we think that Ruby's life is easy, yet her resilience and refusal to be miserable carries us on with her. The novel begins with Ruby declaring "I exist!" and ends with the words "I am Ruby Lennox." The pages in between the two statements justify the second completely. By the time we reach it, we know exactly who Ruby Lennox is, and we feel reluctant to leave her. This is a mark of Kate Atkinson's success: she has made us love her character.

Silent Sunday ...and art

Bigger Trees Near Warter, DAVID HOCKNEY

York City Gallery

Silent Sunday ...with the Angels

I shot the Sheriff ...

The other day in York, in front of the Guildhall, there was a fundraising event in aid of the Lord Mayor's and Sheriff's Charities. For 50p or £1 you could throw wet sponges at the Mayor and Sheriff of York in turn.

My daughter took advantage of the chance of “shooting” a politician (or two) and here she is at work. She was so good at throwing that the Mayor’s servants offered her extra sponges for free.

During the year of office, the Lord Mayor also supports two local charities. This year the charities that will benefit from the fundraising activities are York Against Cancer and the Brunswick Organic Nursery.

York's Lord Mayor is second only to the Lord Mayor of London in precedence and its Sheriff holds the oldest office of Sheriff in England and Wales.

I wouldn't be tempted to "shoot" York's Lord Mayor not even with wet sponges as he's quite a nice guy! If it were Gordon Brown on the other end .....

Anniversary

I can hardly believe it. 15 years! I apologize to everyone who thought this would be my wedding anniversary. It’s not. Or rather it is, not with my husband, but with York. It’s been 15 years since I moved to York, to England actually. Where has all the time gone? It seems impossible to me. It seems like yesterday. How quickly the years have gone but at the same time how much has happened in those years!

We moved house three times, my son, who came here as a baby, is now a gorgeous and slightly naughty teenager. My daughter was born here and has become a true Yorkshire girl. I manage to establish my business and I’m working for myself as I have always wanted. I met some lovely people and in spite of the very changeable and often disagreeable weather, I’ve had some great time here. Although I will always be a foreigner here, I can say with pride that York has become my home. And what a beautiful home! Maybe not forever (whatever it means, anyway), but surely for a bit longer, who know? Thank you, York, for all what you've given us!

(some pictures of "my" beautiful York)

Snow is here!

Here we go yet again! A few inches of snow and the end result is chaos. Roads are gridlocked, gritter lorries cannot get to treat the icy roads, there are numerous road accidents because few drivers can adapt to these “new and strange conditions”. This is the situation in York and North Yorkshire after yesterday's snowfall.

I love the snow and it is nice to see it around but not if it takes you hours to get out of your village to get to work, when you slip on a pavement that nobody has thought of gritting because it is not a "priority number one" area or when the schools are closed and you have to arrange children care. Other European countries can face better these "extreme weather" conditions, why cannot we in Britain cope?

(Photos from The Press)