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Messages - Catananche

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General Discussion / Re: The British Monarchy
« on: July 28, 2018, 06:01:51 pm »
Quote from: gramma dishes on July 28, 2018, 10:30:41 am
I don't think Charles ever loved Diana or really wanted to marry her.  She met the necessary criteria for his "wife" -- young, healthy, virginal.  Someone who probably could reproduce and there would be presumably no question as to parentage. 

He was already 'dating' Camilla Parker Bowles, but she was still actually married to her first husband at the time.  It was so sad for Diana who I think really did love him.  Or at least thought she did.  She was so young and so naive.  And so unprepared for the strange marriage she found herself in.

They were totally unsuited for each other. Diana was only 19, naive and in love. She had to grow up pretty quick and she quickly realized she was there for one job: produce an heir and a spare. She loved her boys very much, but she was stuck in a loveless marriage with a husband who was in love with someone else. They both used the press to battle with each other and sway public opinion. Diana was a better player of that little game, but Charles had the clout of the Crown behind him. I think the Windsors hoped she would go quietly after the divorce, but why would she? She was young, world-famous and good-looking. I suspect she would have settled down at one point or another, but not until she was ready to do so.

Charles is a lot happier with Camilla, they are very well-suited together. He should have married her from the start.

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General Discussion / Re: The British Monarchy
« on: July 28, 2018, 09:55:26 am »
Quote from: Lynn2000 on July 28, 2018, 12:40:44 am
Yeah, I really don't see Charles abdicating, unless maybe he had a stroke or something. I think he was still part of the generation that had it really drummed in how horrible his great-uncle's abdication was (though ironically, a lot of people were actually relieved at it, because they thought David would be a terrible king--I think his father even said how he hoped David never had kids, so the throne could go next to his younger brother and then Elizabeth).

But, a few years ago one of the Scandinavian monarchs abdicated, basically just to retire, which I thought was wonderful. I guess they do that sometimes now. It's such a weird position to be in, just waiting for your parent to die so you can move up a rank into a more defined role. Well, maybe I could see Charles getting to be 85 or 90 and deciding he'd rather retire (they'd probably come up with a different word than abdicate)--he was raised with a huge stigma against divorce but ended up getting one anyway and then later marrying a divorced woman, so he's seen social taboos broken that were unthinkable earlier in his lifetime.

But definitely not a "skip Charles entirely" sort of situation. He's gonna get his taste of being King and savor it for a good long while, if he can. But you know, the problem with being raised to just wait for something is that sometimes you don't know what to do with it, once you've really got it. I feel like William and Harry have been a lot more proactive about having lives and purpose so they're not just in limbo this whole time.

I don't think it was in any of the Scandinavian countries. Harald, Carl Gustav and Margrethe are still going strong. Beatrix of the Netherlands abdicated, Albert II of Belgium abdicated and Juan Carlos of Spain abdicated. All of them for different reasons.

Unless Charles dies before Elizabeth he will become king. William will have to wait, I hope he can finds something worthwhile to keep him busy until that time.

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Holidays / Re: Your Holiday Hill to Die On
« on: July 26, 2018, 03:26:23 pm »
I decided that I wouldn't be *that mother-in-law* that demands that her children + partners visit for the holidays. In the Netherlands we have two days Easter and two days Christmas. Now that both my kids have partners I realize that it could turn into a logistical nightmare where my kids have to travel by public transport on a holiday to get from A to B and that it's not going to be relaxing for them in any way shape or form. So, my philosophy now is "If we can get together with all the kids + partners during the season, that's fine!"  If they want a Christmas dinner with all the trimmings the date doesn't really matter, being together is what matters. If that means that my husband and I are alone on December 25 or 26 <shrug> so be it.

I also decided that I won't stress over cooking during the holidays. Not everything needs to be made from scratch. I can if I want to, but I don't have to. And the kitchen is mine, people can help, but no one is taking over and making something that isn't on the list. The oven is in use for the turkey and when the turkey is resting I'm making the side dishes, so no, you can't bake cookies 10 minutes before the turkey needs to be in the oven!

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Crafting / Re: Crochet wtf?
« on: June 13, 2018, 05:59:04 pm »
I used to crochet a lot as a teenager, I *loved* it. Life took over and I never touched a crochet hook until a few years ago. Things have changed a lot in those 30+ years. There used to be One True Way to do things and now there are several ways to get the same result. I love that! It means that if one way doesn't work for you for whatever reason, you can try something else to see if that way is a better fit. I understand that that can be confusing for those just starting out.

What I always do when I first start on a pattern is read the whole thing through and write things out if I don't understand it. It helps my visualise what the pattern maker is trying to achieve.

Add me to the list of people who didn't realise that there is a difference between US and UK crochet terms. The end result was ... interesting.

At the moment I love making amigurumi's and shawls/wraps. I've wasted many hours on Ravelry looking at all the pretty things other people have made.

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Entertainment / Re: Doctor Who (SPOILERS, sweetie)
« on: June 03, 2018, 06:03:18 pm »
We watched the first episodes of Doctor Who. It was wonderful to see the stories (the first time the Daleks were seen etc) it was also very slow at times.  We stopped watching just after we saw the regeneration of John Pertwee. Real life took over and we never went back to watching.

Tom Baker was 'my' doctor. I remember sitting on the couch and holding a pillow to put in front of my face the moment I thought it would be too scary to watch! I could still hear everything that was going on and I suspect that my fantasy made things a lot worse than they actually were.

Last year we were in Wales for our vacation and one of the things we did was visit the Dr. Who Experience in Cardiff. It was so much fun to do the experience, but it was even better to wander around the exhibit and see a lot of the monsters, props and costumes. They even had the interior of the first Tardis!

We introduced our girls to the Doctor with the reboot and they loved it! They were 11 and 14 at the time, just the right age, I guess.  Watching the Christmas Special is part of our Christmas traditions.

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International Knowledge Exchange / Re: Tiptoeing through tipping/non-tipping cultures
« on: May 27, 2018, 08:47:53 am »
You don't have to tip in restaurants in the Netherlands but most people round up to the nearest round number and leave that as a tip. If that's just a few cents we usually put €2-€5 on the table.

If there is a tip jar out it's entirely up to you if you put something in or not. 

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General Discussion / Re: This sentence no verb. Also spellin'g
« on: May 26, 2018, 07:35:14 am »
My favourite one is Star Craving Mad.

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Introductions and Hellos / Re: Howdy
« on: May 23, 2018, 01:02:28 pm »
Hi I'm Catananche. I love blue flowers.

After what happened at both other fora, I'm kind of wary to jump in right away.

I like cats, crochet, cookies and things starting with other letters as well.

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Suggestions / Re: Need Mods
« on: May 22, 2018, 04:59:23 am »
Quote from: ydpubs on May 21, 2018, 11:53:00 pm
Quote from: Angry Canada Goose on May 21, 2018, 11:49:18 pm
Quote from: ydpubs on May 21, 2018, 11:44:25 pm
I'll help you out if you want. I need a breather.

I second this nomination!

Aww thanks. Yah, I tried my best not to be an **** over there. XD

You really weren't.

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