16 December 2024

This photo has been on our desktop for over a month. We saw it and it brought back SO many memories and lessons.

Yes, Queen walked with a book on her head MANY times. Head held high. Shoulders back. Stomach in. Feet pointing forward, and one foot in front of the other. You walked gracefully. NO slouching. When walking in heels, the ball of your foot touches the ground first, NOT the heel.

To sit...turn with your back to the seat/chair, and then allow the back of your legs to touch the chair or seat, then gently sit. Legs crossed at the ankles, NEVER the knees. Hands crossed in your lap.

Queen has thought of ALL of the table manners, and all of the certain behaviors one did to be "Ladylike" in life. Do's and Don'ts. The "yes/no ma'am/sir" and please and thank you or no thank you. She was VERY familiar with Emily Post's Book of Etiquette. Children were seen, but not heard. You were polite. You did not talk back. You used proper language. NEVER did you swear. There were certain words you did not use, and they weren't even swear words, BUT highly improper. There were subjects you DID NOT discuss. EVER! What happened behind closed doors, ANYONE'S closed doors, was none of our business. People lived their lives and YOU didn't know about their private lives. It was no one's business. Mind your own business.

Tomboy was NEVER very impressed with all of this, and had very little use for any of it. She was basically out of control. The Queen Mum was NEVER very impressed with the antics of Tom Boy. She was always muddy and dirty from playing in the garden mud puddles or dirt, or greasy from working on cars. The latter infuriated The Queen Mum. Tomboy loves cars. What can she say?!

Model used most of it often. Especially the NO wild nail colors. That was a no-no when doing hand photography.

Now and then some of us in The Hermitage STILL remember, and still do these things. Table manners are ALWAYS used. We wonder IF those who experience hip issues weren't taught to walk a certain way, and that is why they may have these hip problems? Just something we have wondered. We have to work hard and not look at how others do these things, especially when they are NOT in compliance with what The Queen Mum expected. SHE was very critical. Life was not easy, that's for sure. Queen always seemed to be a disappointment to The Queen Mum. The Queen Mum wore hats that matched her outfit, and gloves, with matching shoes and purses. She was always dressed to the nines! She wore "slacks" but they always matched the jacket. Queen STILL remembers when The Queen Mum first wore a pair of jeans! OH MY GOSH! You would have thought the world ended. That was in the early 70's. Right around the time when Scholar was allowed to wear pants to school. Before that, she and the other girls always had to wear dresses or skirts. She would be absolutely horrified to see what Shopper sees when she goes to Walmart. OR anywhere else. Times have changed. Life is different. We are sure there are some places where these things are still the norm. The Hermitage still has "rules" but some are bent. We are over it. IF our Prince arrives, he will have to take us as we are.