End of an Era

[flemmings]

Being my age gives one a distorted frame of reference. The Shouwa emperor was born ten years before my mother, who herself was born before the first world war, and died when I was almost forty ie middle-aged. Queen Elizabeth was born ten years after my mother and is still alive and working as I approach seventy ie old age. And now the Heisei emperor is abdicating after a mere thirty years, which seems far too short. I went to Japan for the first time in his first year; Japan for me was always Heisei. Presidents and prime ministers are short-careered, usually thank god, but I always think royalty should be much longer-lived, since the only royalty I know always has been.

In personal news, I have bought a new vacuum cleaner. This wasn't top priority on my Must Have list, but was the least anxiety provoking ie if it proves a dud, I still have the Dirt Devils and the Behemoth. But I hope it's OK: I need something that will vacuum walls and curtains (and suck up spiders poised in ceiling corners), and clean carpets better than the DD. The Behemoth and its rotary beaters is good for that, but oh! does it weigh a ton and oh does it smell, since the filter probably needs replacing. Also the carpet attachment has rusted in place so it can only be used on carpets which rather limits its usefulness.

(The reason buying new anythings is anxiety provoking is my conviction that anything I choose will turn out to be the wrong thing, and it's pure luck if it doesn't. It's really time I got over that particular manifestation of my mother's ingrained negativity, but the best I can manage is to ignore it.)

Comments

[heliopausa.livejournal.com]

Yes - we are like the late Victorians who had only ever known a Queen on the throne, and were to find it weird to sing "God save the King", or talk about KCs, not QCs.

I admire ER for sticking in there, while all about her, meaning all of the imperial or papal sort, are leaving for summer palaces and long retirements.

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

It *will* be odd to have a king on our currency, I must say, after these decades of E2R in gradually aging avatars. I do think she could have retired ere now, but the constitutional stink when she does probably keeps er where she is. It's just surprising that neither she nor Phillip have come down with the diseases endemic to old age. Everyone else gets cancer or heart disease or strokes, but them- not a whisper.

[mvrdrk.livejournal.com]

Sometimes too many choices is it's own curse!