THE DOWER HOUSE
NEWSLETTER
JULY 2015
Welcome to The Dower House’s July edition of our monthly Newsletter.
This month we have ….
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CEREMONIAL IN SCOTLAND
Now that Scotland is increasingly talking about ‘nationalism’, it may be of
interest to take a look at ‘Ceremonial in Scotland’, compared to the rest of
the United Kingdom.
Since the Act of Union in 1707, Scotland has maintained its own
Ceremonial, centred round the Sovereign, the Church and the State. This
includes State Visits by The Queen (as opposed to unofficial visits) and
also by foreign Heads of State, as well as the Opening of the General
Assembly of the Church of Scotland, similar to our State Opening of
Parliament in London.
State Visits
The first State Visit to Scotland after the Act of Union was made by King
George IV in 1822, and it led to two significant precedents. First, Royal
approval was given for the wearing of Highland dress again, which had
been banned following the Jacobite Rising of 1748. The second landmark
was that the Scottish Royal Company of Archers was granted the privilege
of being the Royal Body Guard to the Sovereign in Scotland - an honour
equivalent to that given to the Gentlemen at Arms in England.
The Opening of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
Much importance is given by Scotland to this primarily religious
ceremony, which takes place every year in May and lasts a week. It is the
Scottish equivalent to our State Opening of Parliament, but without the
political implications.
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A Lord High Commissioner is appointed specially for the Assembly, and
is based for the week in the Palace of Holyroodhouse as the representative
of the Sovereign. *
There are other ways in which the Scots ‘do their own thing’ as regards
Ceremonial. They have their own Heralds, headed by the Lord Lyon, King
of Arms, with under him three Scottish Heralds - Rothesay (The Prince of
Wales is, of course, known as the Duke of Rothesay in Scotland), Albany
and Marchmont - with duties very similar to those of the Earl Marshal and
his Heralds in England.
This includes making Proclamations on occasions such as Accessions and
Royal Deaths. Intriguingly, Proclamations are held in Scotland one week
later than in London, because that was the time it used to take for a
messenger on horseback to reach Edinburgh from London.
Editor’s Note: *While the General Assembly is meeting, the Lord High
Commissioner is treated as if a Regent. By custom, he or she is addressed
as "Your Grace", and is greeted with a bow or curtsey. When The Princess
Royal was appointed in 1996, she was styled as "Her Grace" for the
duration rather than her normal dynastic style "Her Royal Highness"
because the Lord High Commissioner is ranked higher in the order of
Precedence.
A Christmastide Home Truth
As we enter the month of July I am reminded that my upside down families
‘down under’ are in the depths of winter. Next month our August will be
their February and they will all be on holiday. Our son has been out to join
them and reckoned he was the only person at Heathrow to be seen carrying
skis!
Inevitably, one year the girls asked us to join them to sample a New
Zealand BBQ Christmas. My husband decided we should go 1st Class for
the extra comfort and room for me. When we boarded the plane we had
been allocated seats right at the front of the nose cone, so we had masses
of floor space. I was aware of a young American woman and her children
parading around eyeing our space during the night.
When we boarded the plane after our pit stop in Los Angeles this young
woman was standing by our seats arguing with the stewardess, who met
me in the aisle requesting we should give up our seats.
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The American lady started to beg me saying, “You do not want my son to
be running around here and making a noise all night but in your seats he
will have a lot of floor room on which to play; but I will never keep him
quiet back there at the side, so will you swap? I was itching to chastise her
for admitting she could not control her ‘stroppy brat’ and so, pressurised, I
gave in and we moved further back to two seats half way. I did it more to
save the embarrassment of the Kiwi stewardess, who was clearly stressed
by the whole performance.
We settled down and took off. Some while later the dad arrived from the
back of the plane, who was surprised to see his wife and off-spring so
comfortably placed. “How did you get here?”, he said. “Oh”, said his
Yankee wife, “I swapped with that old couple over there!”. It quite spoilt
my Christmas!
p.s. “Smile, and when you smile another smiles, and soon there will be
miles and miles of smiles because you smile”.
JULY ACTIVITIES
Tuesday, 7 July - Keep Fit at 11am in the Drawing Room
Thursday, 9 July - Holy Communion at 11am in the Drawing Room
Friday, 10 July - Wimbledon Tea: This will be served either in your own
room or, if you prefer, as a gathered community in the Drawing Room to
discuss the tennis
Monday, 13 July - Tea at The Good Life, leaving The Dower House at
2.30pm for tea in the café (or outside if sunny) and some shopping
Tuesday, 14 July - Keep Fit at 11am in the Drawing Room
Thursday, 16 July - Anytime Club at 2.45pm in the Dining Room
Monday, 20 July – The Singing Accordionist – is back for a second time
to entertain you in the Drawing Room at 2.45pm
Tuesday, 21 July – Keep Fit at 11am in the Drawing Room
Monday, 27 July - Tea at The Good Life
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Tuesday, 28 July - Keep Fit at 11 am in the Drawing Room
Wednesday, 29 July - Outing to Lavender Farm at Plaitford
Looking Ahead
The date for the Summer Garden Party is set for Friday, 21 August 2015.
THE GARDENS IN JULY
The Shrubbery looks its best this month with its mix of herbaceous and
shrub plants. We can take delight in the Cotinus (Smoke Bush),
Caryopteris, Weigela, Hydrangea Annabelle, Deutzia, Syringa (white
Lilac), Spiraea and mixed Alstroemerias, Polygonium, Geraniums, Nepeta
(Catmint), as well as a Tree Lupin, Hypericum (St John’s Wort) and a
‘Deep Black’ Iris. Look out for the hardy Fuchsia and the lovely blue
Perovskia.
The Physio Garden is looking lovely. Do take time to have a wander over
and smell the beautiful peach coloured standard rose Lady Emma
Hamilton. There is a particularly pretty pink and cream Astrantia abutting
a deeper pink Digitalis and cutting through this a splash of orange from the
Geum. The Delphiniums are currently at their very best and if you would
like a bunch of Sweetpeas in your room do ask, there are plenty!
MAINTENANCE
There will be continuing work in the laundry, with an expected completion
date of 15th July.
MISCELLANEOUS
We are delighted to announce that the amount raised on opening the
gardens to visitors in aid of the National Garden Scheme was £380. We
had many lovely comments on how glorious the gardens looked and how
delicious the cakes were; how lucky we are to be able to enjoy the gardens
every day and not just once a year! Thank you all for supporting this annual
event.
On Wednesday 10th June residents enjoyed a trip to Winchester Cathedral
Refectory and Shop. It was lovely to have the sun shining whilst taking
tea and cake. Do look out for future visit dates.
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A THOUGHT FOR THE MONTH
Sometimes, our greatest joys come wrapped in small packages...a touch, a
smile, the laughter of those we love.
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