An Update to My January 13, 2012 blog post

We all know what happened to the Hogs after that post, and Dad and Jean are doing fine.  My clock is ticking along, and Nathan enjoys winding it when he’s here (as I did when I was at Granny and Gramp’s).

>>o<<

The update:

In that post, I referenced “St. Stephen’s Tower”, the famous bell tower in London at the Palace of Westminster which houses Big Ben (the bell, and the clock which went with it).

The tower was named for St. Stephen upon its construction following the devastating fire that destroyed the original Palace in 1834.  It remained so until 2012 (after my blog post).

For only the second time in the history of the Palace of Westminster (the seat of Parliament, Britain’s democratically elected government), a part of the building has been named for a monarch.

The tower is now the Elizabeth Tower, named for Her Majesty the Queen, Elizabeth II.  (The first time, the much larger tower on the other end was named the Victoria Tower after Her Majesty Queen Victoria).  It’s the only public monument Elizabeth has allowed them to rename for her, and it was an historic move on the part of Parliament.

Elizabeth Alexandra Mary,  Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas Queen, Defender of the Faith

In my opinion, well-deserved.  I’ve always loved the Royals, and the Queen is my favourite.  She has made very few mis-steps since coming to the throne at a very early age, following the death of her father.  She is roughly the same age as my mother, and I have always been a fan.

During her reign, the Queen has logged countless miles and hours visiting all parts of the world; she sponsors over 600 charities; at age 86 she keeps an appointment calendar of over 430 engagements per year; she presided over the breakup of the British Empire and the formation of the Commonwealth; she is one of the most popular monarchs in history.

In two years, she will surpass Queen Victoria and become the longest-reigning monarch in the History of Britain.

Her actual birthday is April 21, so Your Majesty, just in case you happen to be reading this, Happy Birthday!  and many more! 

Three cheers for Her Majesty the Queen!

Hip Hip, Hoorah!
Hip Hip, Hoorah!
Hip Hip, Hoorah!



God save our gracious Queen
Long live our noble Queen
God save the Queen
Send her victorious
Happy and glorious
Long to reign over us
God save the Queen

O Lord our God arise
Scatter her enemies
And make them fall
Confound their politics
Frustrate their knavish tricks
On Thee our hopes we fix
God save us all

Thy choicest gifts in store
On her be pleased to pour
Long may she reign
May she defend our laws
And ever give us cause
To sing with heart and voice
God save the Queen!