VE Day

It’s so good to have a day off and to sleep in.

We’ve got a little Friday tradition starting where we have takeaway fish and chips from The Grapes across the road. All social distancing measures are in place, the lone server now seems to know me and I can sense his smile under the mask, and most importantly, the fish and chips are delicious!

Later on, a bit by chance, we watched the Queen’s address on the VE Day anniversary. By political persuasion I don’t believe in the need for a monarchy. I studied the history of the aristocracy through the House of Lords at Ph.D. level and wasn’t convinced. Despite that, I have come to admire the Queen as monarch, as an individual apart from her family. I sense that she knows her place in history and takes it very seriously. Further, I sense she knows just how far she can and can not go. On this day, I found her message encouraging. “Never give up. Never despair.” She is not nationalistic in a way that I often dislike about the way Britain marks these occasions. There’s no triumphalism, but rather steady perseverance and resolve.

I may be wrong, but I’m certainly surprised at how comforting I have found her to be in this crisis.