Oh to be in England

Presenting one little slice of a view of the back of the. finished. quilt. I need to throw it in the wash today, make and apply a label, make and apply a sleeve, and hang it up -- once it's installed I'll take a picture (and then get the film developed) and post it (that alone seems like a good goal for the month!). Gosh, it feels good to be done. So many other WIPs to choose from for my next feat of finishing....

Ken surprised me yesterday by taking me out to see The Queen. Dean was off on a movie date of his own, gone to see The Last Mimzy with Uncle Bob and Sue. I'd wanted to see The Queen as soon as I heard about it, but had given up and only hoped to perhaps rent it one day -- I just couldn't find a time it was playing when I could see it and pick Dean up after school on time. Ken and I have gone out alone to see, I believe, 3 movies (4, counting this one) since Dean was born (um, 9 years ago Wednesday!). We don't (or choose not to) have babysitters, nor family near enough to be able to make arrangements to go out -- all this just by way of saying what a big deal it was to get out yesterday to do this. It was a glorious, sunny day, and when I realized what Ken's surprise was, I almost insisted we not go in (I figured it was a girl movie, and that we shouldn't waste a sunny day inside a dark theater) but I didn't want to ruin the effort Ken had put into making this happen. Well. Thank goodness we did go.

This was one of the best movies I have seen. And it was NOT a girl movie -- Ken was equally blown away. The acting is unbelievably good, the story is masterfully crafted, and it gave us insights we'd never had on the monarchy (I think this is *probably* more true for American audiences that UK, but perhaps someone can correct me if I'm wrong). I don't just mean about how Diana's death was handled (the tragedy of her death still brings me to tears, and I'm not the sort who cries much at all, let alone during movies) -- I mean more broadly, about their isolation and view of the world that comes from a world that has long since passed. I don't want to say too much more about the movie because I so hope that if you haven't seen it, you will. Utterly amazing. (OK, one more thing -- I hope that Prince Charles truly was broken up by her death and that it wasn't just a decision the movie-makers made. I lost all respect for him years ago, after the mess he'd made of her life knowing full well that he didn't love her and that he didn't intend to give up HIS good time while totally destroying her changes at happiness and love.)

Read Kahne's April Fool's story before thinking about any foolishness at your house today!