My days of glitter have long gone – as mum would say “mutton dressed up as lamb”, but it is the inside values that count, so they say. The only thing I found at home that had a little bit of glitter, that has worn off in time, was this mask from Venice. I do not even remember who gave it to me, I only know I did not buy it. The glitter was applied with glue and the eyes are empty. Looks more like someting from a horror show, so forget the glitter.
I get my glitter from the world around me. Take a walk along the river and the sun is shining, the glitter is in every ripple on the surface of the water. It is only there for the moment when the sun shines, but on a moonlit night, you still get your moonlight glitter. Perhaps you see the glitter in someone’s eyes, a twinkle, a moment of recognition. My dad became more than a golden oldie, he was more than gold, platinum you could say, but his glitter was still there. When I arrived on my annual visit to London, there was still a glitter in his hug.
I was with him on his 100th birthday. He was never a monarchist. Growing up in a working class environment, he had no interest for the royals, because he realised they had no interest in him. As long as he paid his taxes and kept out of trouble, no-one noticed he was there, until 24th September 2015 when the telegramme arrived.
On that day he had that glitter again. His word were “I don’t want no telegramme from the queen” (cockney english – double negative), but he got one. He was visited by a lady organised from the extra care home where he was living and particulars were noted. The queen does not do it on her own, because she cannot know when each of her subjects reaches the age of 100, but dad receved his birthday card from the queen. For someone that did not want a birthday telegramme from the queen of GB, he was quite chuffed, delighted. The card was resting on his table, but he could not resist taking it in his hands and reading her greetings every five minutes, the glitter was still there. Dad passed away in June last year, but the memory of the glitter in his eyes when he held the card remains.
I am now on the way to my golden oldie glitter like dad. I will not get a card from the queen being an ex pat, but I can always look at dad’s card and remember his glitter. It is not all gold that glitters, but the memories have more value than any gold.
Chronicles of an Anglo Swiss 
I absolutely enjoyed reading every line you wrote here. My mom died at age 98 in May of last year, and her glitter was amazing. Now I am crying, thinking about it, but that is okay. I would take her to the museum in her wheelchair, and I was tired, and wanted to leave, and there was a small gallery with the title “Matisse” that I whisked her by, and she yelled out, “Matisse, Matisse, I want to see Matisse”. How someone at her advanced age would still have the verve and the energy just amazed me. I miss my mom so much.
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Although dad lived in another country, each time I visited once a year, he was always the same. I thought he would live forever, but when it began to go downhill I knew his time was coming. My last visit to london was last year for his funeral. I live in Switzerland and know that I will no longer return to London. My dad had many memories of when he was a young man, and a memory for people and names. I often think of him.
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What a lovely story about your dad. Great memories for you.
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Dad was a character, he never complained, and was always ready for a laugh.
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Beautifully written with Glitter – not more not less, Just right! Also, love the line…Growing up in a working-class environment, he had no interest for the royals, because he realised they had no interest in him.
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He actually told me not to bother about a card from the queen, but was not sorry when it arrived. He was completely fascinated by the fact that the queen took time to write a card to him.
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Very nice.
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See, despite your dad being no royalist he enjoyed that he got his card from the Queen. That is why they still send out those cards, despite cuts everywhere. Of course, HM might not have had it in her own hands, her signature might have been printed in and she might still not have heard about this elderly gentleman – but it seems he really enjoyed the thought behind this!
Soon she’ll be that age – first her husband (and Philip seems to be quite capable of becoming 100) and then her – she comes from a longlived family, after all. She is probably the only British person in the country who won’t get a birthday message from the Head of State. 😉
I think it is the same here, that the Bundespräsident congratulats for the 100th birthday.
“In- und ausländischen Bürgerinnen und Bürgern gratuliert er zur Vollendung des 100., des 105. Lebensjahres und zu jedem folgenden Geburtstag. Ehepaaren gratuliert der Bundespräsident aus Anlass des 65., 70., 75. und 80. Hochzeitstages.”
He also becomes a kind of honourary godfather for the 7th (living) child of a family – if so desired.
“Der Bundespräsident übernimmt auf Antrag der Eltern die Ehrenpatenschaft für das siebente Kind einer Familie. Ist der Antrag für das Kind unterblieben, kann er auch für ein später geborenes Kind der Familie gestellt werden. Die Ehrenpatenschaft wird in einer Familie nur einmal übernommen. Zum Zeitpunkt der Antragstellung müssen einschließlich des Patenkindes mindestens sieben lebende Kinder zur Familie zählen, die von denselben Eltern, derselben Mutter oder demselben Vater abstammen. Adoptivkinder sind den leiblichen Kindern gleichgestellt.” You see, if Mick Jagger lived in Germany, Steinmeier would have to …
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If Mick Jagger lived in Germany, I have a feeling he would not have become as famous as he is. I am not against the queen, but not really for her. Congratulations on her long life, but I often wonder if she and her husband had to have their medical treatment from the British National Health Service, whether they or their family members, would be so well known for living long and healthy lives.
My dad seems to have had a built in preservation. He smoked until he was 70 and only gave up because he could no longer afford the price of a packet of cigarettes. His only problem was his knee, and with age, his legs no longer would carry him so well. He never had a so-called serious illness. He was given a pacemaker at the age of 95 because he was getting giddy now and again, but afterwards things improved. Three days before he passed away the national health service discovered he should have the pacemaker checked – at the age of 100 and 7 months in palliative care. I phoned immeadiately the home to tell them to forget it (so stupid – replace the pacemaker if it was not working well??) but he was already on his way to the hospital for a 2 hour journey in an ambulance. They said his doctor found it would be OK, but the doctor was only following the orders on the letter. Did he realise who my dad was? I do not think the queen would be subjected to such treatment, but she pays private of course. Tempo passati and things happen what happen, but I am not an admirer of the royal family – if they would send me a telegramme, OK, my kids would also have something to be proud of.
As far as Germany is concened, I dearly remember Helmut Schmid. He once attended a conference of the British Labour party and his english was perfect. I loved that guy, and very much admired him.
Interesting fact about the German way of doing things – I did not know that.
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This is beautiful! It’s true — yesterday I went on Ancestry to get some dates straightened out for the Schneebelungenlied and there was an email from a girl who’d taken the DNA test. She is the great-granddaughter of one of my aunts. She wanted to know about that side of her family. I put her in touch with one of my two aunts who’s alive and has a working brain, told her where her great aunt and great uncle live and told her how amazing the family was. Not much I could do beyond that as I didn’t know her great-grandmother well as she and my mom didn’t get along. But it was “glittery” to know that she was interested in the stories because the stories are good all by themselves and now she might learn some. It’s a long way from a birthday card from the queen, but it made my day.
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I stopped my genealogy some time ago. I seemed to have found everything I needed. Now and again I was contacted by various people, and discovered a few relatives on the way, but the only thing we really shared was the name. I would have loved to have known some great grand people in my family, but they passed on a long time ago. If only I have asked my grandmother more when she was alive.
Perhaps you might get a birthday card from your president one day, who knows.
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:O
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No one in my family has lived that long. Amazing to have a life that has seen so very much of the world.
I’m sure the queen and her kind don’t use anything even remotely like the rest of us. But then again, the rich don’t, do they. Not there, not here. if you have so much money, everything is a specialty, entirely for you.
We are not like that, but we are so far doing reasonably well. We hope. We truly hope.
Lovely story. And I like that mask, even without eyes. Maybe you should make some eyes on paper and glue them into the picture?
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The mask is not meant to have eyes. It is based on the venetian style mask.
My great grandmother died in 1911 at the age of 91, which was an achievement in those days, and that was not dad’s side of the family, but mum’s and that granmother was the last direct descendent of our Camroux/Huguenot connection..
My dad survived his brother (died from an accident at the age of 20) and a sister who died with TB at the age of about 30. His older sister I remember and she passed away many years ago. My dad just seemed to keep going, but last year we all realised that he had begun to get weaker. Apart from a few holidays abroad, my dad saw most of the world through his wartime experiences.
English nobility has a different method of survival with their medical care as the rest, and in England it is otherwise the survival of the fittest. We are lucky in Switzerland to have such a good health system, but our population of the country is just topping eight million, which is less than many towns today.
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I know the mask isn’t supposed to have eyes. I just thought it might look funny and make a good picture.
All of the big countries have too many people in them. Switzerland is still pretty small and that makes it much easier to “fix” things. In this giant megalopolis, I sometimes wonder. Often wonder.
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Switzerland is unique with our direct democracy and not real parliment majority. The ministers have to represent certain parties, and the “president” is voted every year in a tournus. although the voting sysetem can become a stress when you have to make certain decisions every 2 or 3 months according to what decisions are to be made.
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I am also wondering if ever I reach that glittering age where will I be? like you being an expat (still don’t know where to stay permanently) I may not get a card too if ever haha! Good on your dad to have one.
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I just take things are they come. Time goes fast enough as you get older.
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You are still full of “sparkle.” ❤
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I do what I can, although the glitter is getting a little rusty at the edges. 🙂
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