What Americans Really Think Of The Monarchy

Posted by Happy Homemaker UK<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Americans are misunderstood when it comes to the Royal Family</div><div style="text-align: center;">and I'm feeling the need to write about it :)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD84HexWtLGV4-7UIgXajmhD0-agXdbOIyfQ5RoeYWAlXU51xG3hAMA9T_Yosf-yE28q1KLfQc7zfKM9MpQ_7vjjgkB1hgpArYAPpAy1t08b83IawS2kgxFTJmU_15OhN-QFCJiqViono/s1600/Jubilee+8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD84HexWtLGV4-7UIgXajmhD0-agXdbOIyfQ5RoeYWAlXU51xG3hAMA9T_Yosf-yE28q1KLfQc7zfKM9MpQ_7vjjgkB1hgpArYAPpAy1t08b83IawS2kgxFTJmU_15OhN-QFCJiqViono/s400/Jubilee+8.JPG" width="247" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lovely Duchess of Cambridge<br /><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(<a href="http://uk.eonline.com/photos/gallery.jsp?galleryUUID=2674#187278">Getty Images</a>)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Strangely, I often get the sense from the English</div><div style="text-align: center;">they think Americans on some repressed level </div><div style="text-align: center;">regret gaining independence from Great Britain</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">In a recent <a href="http://www.sheengate.co.uk/guildford-farnham-and-woking/2012/04/30/the-queens-reach-interview-with-lord-watson-of-richmond/">interview</a>, Lord Alan Watson,<br />author of <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Queen-USA-Sandra-Day-OConnor/dp/098383489X/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1337084634&sr=8-4">'The Queen and the USA'</a>, stated</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>'Americans retain a wistful fascination for the monarchy their forefathers ditched' </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>'On the face of it, it's a paradox that the Great Republic [USA] </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>should want to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee. </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>But the sense of continuity afforded by the Queen </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>makes Americans feel more comfortable in their skins.' </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Huh?! Huh?! and Huh?!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Most Americans aren't celebrating the Diamond Jubilee,</div><div style="text-align: center;">or watching it, </div><div style="text-align: center;">and haven't heard of it</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The Queen doesn't make us feel more comfortable in our skins,</div><div style="text-align: center;">as she definitely doesn't belong to our country any more than the Queen of Sweden</div><div style="text-align: center;">And it is the Britons who feel her continuity, not the Americans</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Here's my take of the 'royal fascination' by Americans...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Like Audrey Hepburn, Liz Taylor, Jackie Kennedy, and Grace Kelly,</div><div style="text-align: center;">the Queen is a classic icon </div><div style="text-align: center;">and symbol of an older generation that lives on<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk2BT5-M5_CCZK5fWaGuYdis6Joytv_4OhRxvry7oYnNF_S9vAQ3cLRlYcC_l9wJ6qLsnPegYIOM9dfXwp2e2fFwSZGDqy0KQ8cpS0kr1mrMZk_A_TdTuPbWR6FfS4O9F27yNA0fSBVXo/s1600/Jubilee+photo+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk2BT5-M5_CCZK5fWaGuYdis6Joytv_4OhRxvry7oYnNF_S9vAQ3cLRlYcC_l9wJ6qLsnPegYIOM9dfXwp2e2fFwSZGDqy0KQ8cpS0kr1mrMZk_A_TdTuPbWR6FfS4O9F27yNA0fSBVXo/s400/Jubilee+photo+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">image via <a href="http://www.thediamondjubilee.org/">The Diamond Jubilee</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Last year's Royal Wedding was immensely popular among Americans</div><div style="text-align: center;">because it exemplified a real fairy tale and nodded to 'living the dream'</div><div style="text-align: center;">which we Americans are <b>very</b> into<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYcOmWGRMgI7YIFKVWlS6KacGWjkeqBb6Wl1LrFL7XX3vKPjv8ZBg-fCn8E1nAj2pGcYEGc2ojMtlfJlbT3_FqEBgxqZHv9Z8qKbVe9kNLUanxGspRQl5J575s0oSf4NQymE49sO3xkuM/s1600/Jubilee+10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYcOmWGRMgI7YIFKVWlS6KacGWjkeqBb6Wl1LrFL7XX3vKPjv8ZBg-fCn8E1nAj2pGcYEGc2ojMtlfJlbT3_FqEBgxqZHv9Z8qKbVe9kNLUanxGspRQl5J575s0oSf4NQymE49sO3xkuM/s640/Jubilee+10.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">image via <a href="http://www.thediamondjubilee.org/timeline">The Diamond Jubilee</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Similarly<br />Princess Diana hooked Americans with her storybook wedding</div><div style="text-align: center;">and remained popular with her sense of style and likable persona</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Remember my post of how our historic <a href="http://happyhomemakeruk.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/living-on-different-timeline.html">time lines</a> are so different?</div><div style="text-align: center;">The era of England ruling America feels like it was back in the day of the cavemen,</div><div style="text-align: center;">so there is no connection between history and American's current interest in the monarchy</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Americans do feel connected to the UK as a <i>current </i>ally with similar views,</div><div style="text-align: center;">but we live very much in the moment<br />We are just way too busy to look backward</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Although Americans will continue to follow the handsome, classy royal couple like movie stars,</div><div style="text-align: center;">I can guarantee few Americans</div><div style="text-align: center;">could list the names of Queen Elizabeth's four children</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">With the absence of the crazy, almost ravenous, American media </div><div style="text-align: center;">seen here during the Royal Wedding</div><div style="text-align: center;">I must say the upcoming Diamond Jubilee</div><div style="text-align: center;">feels more intimate and personal between Queen and country<br /><br />which I'm really looking forward to</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">As an American :)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Related posts:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://happyhomemakeruk.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/royal-wedding-from-my-throne-part-3.html">The Royal Wedding</a></span><br /><a href="http://happyhomemakeruk.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/diamond-jubilee-flotilla.html"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Diamond Jubilee</span></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/35/2FD701A88E1AB920883327F28E3E4BF9.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>

What Americans Really Think Of The Monarchy

Posted by Happy Homemaker UK Americans are misunderstood when it comes to the Royal Family and I'm feeling the need to write about it :)...

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British Pride & The British Library

<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIwKQhXLFF6i1E6ID2x75TFTD1yoBtQrz07gnGWgNS3WjFy5yAEW52zQ3G9hY32YMZw5WbncW9FdvEiZ4NCEiQjCcLLoq_P7cNlvJM_gj6Xk_1dkUJu50Nfxcq0902xr2_t7wuIdZoCGU/s1600/shakespeare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIwKQhXLFF6i1E6ID2x75TFTD1yoBtQrz07gnGWgNS3WjFy5yAEW52zQ3G9hY32YMZw5WbncW9FdvEiZ4NCEiQjCcLLoq_P7cNlvJM_gj6Xk_1dkUJu50Nfxcq0902xr2_t7wuIdZoCGU/s640/shakespeare.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Print for sale via <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/metroline6?page=1">Metro Line 6</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">A recent <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15811246">poll</a> in the BBC News revealed which British symbols made participants most proud. The results listed in order:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><ol><li>Shakespeare</li><li>National Trust (conservation charity)</li><li>Armed Forces</li><li>Union Jack</li><li>The Pound (currency)</li><li>NHS (health system)</li><li>The Monarchy</li><li>BBC (media)</li><li>Sporting Achievements</li><li>The Beatles</li><li>The Legal System</li><li>Parliament</li></ol><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCT4bMyV4pshLXhM0ojctUlMBkoc2hvgRyg4iCmce63y7dVCkBMHurrW-7heDGDIFrkUfuLP9zGIOxZba6I2UdQIOFQebgn9NOMRnoqggxvWij3KZHc9QzDZwQdNA_3PLsCRJfaOFLEYQ/s1600/union+jack+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCT4bMyV4pshLXhM0ojctUlMBkoc2hvgRyg4iCmce63y7dVCkBMHurrW-7heDGDIFrkUfuLP9zGIOxZba6I2UdQIOFQebgn9NOMRnoqggxvWij3KZHc9QzDZwQdNA_3PLsCRJfaOFLEYQ/s320/union+jack+2.jpg" width="226" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Available via <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/KeepCalmArtPrints?ref=seller_info">Keep Calm Art Prints</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">You can view an early printing of Shakespeare's work </div><div style="text-align: center;">and original handwritten lyrics by The Beatles</div><div style="text-align: center;">in the 'Treasures Room' at the <a href="http://www.bl.uk/">British Library's</a><br />St Pancras location (London)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The world's largest library in terms of items,</div><div style="text-align: center;">this library is primarily used for research<br /><br />Famous documents such as the Magna Carta (on view)<br />as well as original writings by Da Vinci (on view), Darwin,<br />and countless others are housed there</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">With most books out of view,</div><div style="text-align: center;">you can register for a 'reader pass' to enter a reading room and request a book</div><div style="text-align: center;">but it will take an hour to two days for your item to be retrieved</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">When I asked if my kids could see any children's books</div><div style="text-align: center;">the nice man laughed</div><div style="text-align: center;">and said 'ironically, they need to be 18 years old to see them here'<br /><br />I'm curious what you think is 'the best of Britain'?</div><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/35/2FD701A88E1AB920883327F28E3E4BF9.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>

British Pride & The British Library

Print for sale via Metro Line 6 A recent poll  in the BBC News revealed which British symbols made participants most proud. The results list...

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New Photo Trick Up My Sleeve

Posted by Happy Homemaker UK<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Searching for a Picnik replacement, </div><div style="text-align: center;">I have been experimenting with free online photo editors such as</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.befunky.com/">BeFunky</a>, <a href="http://pixlr.com/">Pixlr</a>, <a href="http://ipiccy.com/">iPiccy</a>, <a href="http://fotoflexer.com/">Fotoflexer</a>, and <a href="http://www.aviary.com/">Aviary</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">So far I found <a href="http://www.picmonkey.com/">PicMonkey</a> to be the most user-friendly editor,</div><div style="text-align: center;">coupled with <a href="http://picasa.google.com/">Picasa</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I stumbled upon PicMonkey's 'Highlights' feature</div><div style="text-align: center;">which is intended for highlighting <b>hair</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">But I found when I want to pinpoint color adjustment, this does the trick</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_0cUZux7ln-SbJWdoIUcHQgfi0shZVl-tHd8Qv2M95GePRU0IOxObvyYLcZMWzRZ9T09tVBNmQDNanNwEztC0_Yz7raNnVFq4Ip7-AIukqZxJqNDHESWXhV2YUdBnEjB0g-vx28nOOqw/s1600/Capture111-002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_0cUZux7ln-SbJWdoIUcHQgfi0shZVl-tHd8Qv2M95GePRU0IOxObvyYLcZMWzRZ9T09tVBNmQDNanNwEztC0_Yz7raNnVFq4Ip7-AIukqZxJqNDHESWXhV2YUdBnEjB0g-vx28nOOqw/s640/Capture111-002.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">A recent Stockholm photo is my newest canvas</div><div style="text-align: center;">You can see I am starting to put red on the closest building</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I don't feel it is cheating;</div><div style="text-align: center;">it is adjusting the image to emulate the way it looked (or felt) in person</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Besides, photography can be artistic expression</div><div style="text-align: center;">So get your edit on, girl</div><div style="text-align: center;">Guilt free :)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Below is a raw photo of Sissinghurst Garden in Kent</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The photo has potential, but the person needs to be cropped out,</div><div style="text-align: center;">the browns are the same, and the blue window pane has no pop</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNDZ2WV4BDpdG9fHU3OVqkiSc6Os24kmcZdzYXbLcnGDsrDAjMMBTVhyphenhyphen2p_bB6XtmFUwXg9qzkywgc9qrmiMuDzS386xdiBZzynctcAq0T1X6h1K-NiRa2bQmEZQ-IsXjMRE29HkwEeRw/s1600/DSC_0029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNDZ2WV4BDpdG9fHU3OVqkiSc6Os24kmcZdzYXbLcnGDsrDAjMMBTVhyphenhyphen2p_bB6XtmFUwXg9qzkywgc9qrmiMuDzS386xdiBZzynctcAq0T1X6h1K-NiRa2bQmEZQ-IsXjMRE29HkwEeRw/s640/DSC_0029.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">As with most photos, I adjusted the lighting to increase contrast</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">but this was my first attempt to 'paint' with the Highlights feature</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Unlike Saturate/Burst,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I was able to <i>change</i> the undertones of <i>each</i> brown item</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">to provide subtle contrast</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">{ green-brown door, red-brown patio }</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I used 'Burn' to accentuate the cracks in the door</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">and 'Dark Edges' to finish the photo</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It was so fun!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Quite a transformation, eh?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_d49j_zOoI9i5N_07rmTaQL0G4MdCJkodwRv3vDOS9BiGYu1grN5jHLb7FW4RaSrNBUCN6c7Qv69TKrG7-ewf8sRX0NT4YG8S57EOYPNkyzdtmxMG1uJIuGo44b5ZXTyQb8CiZ86AkjE/s1600/DSC_0029-013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_d49j_zOoI9i5N_07rmTaQL0G4MdCJkodwRv3vDOS9BiGYu1grN5jHLb7FW4RaSrNBUCN6c7Qv69TKrG7-ewf8sRX0NT4YG8S57EOYPNkyzdtmxMG1uJIuGo44b5ZXTyQb8CiZ86AkjE/s640/DSC_0029-013.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">I admit I'm a fan of the 'Weight Loss' feature too :)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>- all photos by me -</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">More: <a href="http://www.picmonkey.com/">PicMonkey</a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/35/2FD701A88E1AB920883327F28E3E4BF9.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>

New Photo Trick Up My Sleeve

Posted by Happy Homemaker UK Searching for a Picnik replacement,  I have been experimenting with free online photo editors such as BeFunky ,...

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