Congratulations to Kirsty and Mike on the birth of Lily Eve on Saturday evening, weighing in at 9lb 11oz
Monday, 25 July 2011
Wednesday, 20 July 2011
Visit of HRH the Princess Royal
We were delighted to welcome HRH the Princess Royal and Admiral Sir Tim Laurence to the Museum on Monday 18 July for a relatively informal visit to see the Lighthouses exhibition. This was the third time that she has visited and, as always, she showed her interest and love of sailing.
The royal party started by meeting the Volunteers of the day under the watchful eye of Captain George and was then shown around the Lighthouses exhibition by Ben Lumby and Sarah Riddle. They met former lighthouse keeper Gordon Partirdge and Colin Wortley, swapping anecdotes and stories for HRH is Patron of the Northern Lighthouse Board (aka 'Scotland's Trinity House') and has visited most of these. From the Quarterdeck, they made their way through SOUTH and down to their waiting boat for the trip to Mylor Yacht Harbour.
The atmosphere was informal all the way through with the public allowed to be in the same gallery as the royal party and occasionally chatting to them.
As Lady Mary Holborow said in her thank you letter 'It was obvious that Her Royal Highness and Sir Tim enjoyed it enormously and I would be grateful if you would pass on my thanks to all concerned.' Hear, hear.
The royal party started by meeting the Volunteers of the day under the watchful eye of Captain George and was then shown around the Lighthouses exhibition by Ben Lumby and Sarah Riddle. They met former lighthouse keeper Gordon Partirdge and Colin Wortley, swapping anecdotes and stories for HRH is Patron of the Northern Lighthouse Board (aka 'Scotland's Trinity House') and has visited most of these. From the Quarterdeck, they made their way through SOUTH and down to their waiting boat for the trip to Mylor Yacht Harbour.
The atmosphere was informal all the way through with the public allowed to be in the same gallery as the royal party and occasionally chatting to them.
As Lady Mary Holborow said in her thank you letter 'It was obvious that Her Royal Highness and Sir Tim enjoyed it enormously and I would be grateful if you would pass on my thanks to all concerned.' Hear, hear.
Trivia:
- HRH was present when the last Scottish lighthouse keeper left the last manned lighthouse
- HRH never sailed in Coweslip or Bluebottle: she was regarded as 'too young'
- When they rebuilt the roof of St George's Hall, Windsor they cut the timbers to length. What they did not know was that the hall was not the same width at both ends and so the timbers were about a foot too short . Red faces all around.
Wednesday, 6 July 2011
Tuesday, 5 July 2011
Grumpy Volunteer's Corner
By Keith Evans
School holidays are imminent. No more anxious glances at the board in 1912 by the 'thin blue line' about to go on duty. There were 90 kids crocodiling through the Main Hall one morning last week, most of them hopping along the polar bear foot-prints. Later that morning I was up in Look Out when a dozen of them came stampeding up the stairs. An elderly couple beat a hasty retreat via the lift.
A teacher, a woman of very slight build and, without being unkind, past her prime, brought up the rear and stood in the doorway. "QUIET!" she roared. The windows rattled, the crabs on the pontoon dived for cover, all the seagulls within half a mile took to the air and I lost a few more auditory nerve cells. Within a couple of seconds you could hear a pin drop. Well, that's rather novel in this day and age, I thought.
Reminds me of one of my old Masters who used to roar across the classroom. He had uncanny accuracy with any missile to hand, usually a piece of chalk. In contrast to another Master, Mr Bell, affectionally known as 'Ding Dong', who could control a class by raising his eyebrow. I'm sure the teacher in the Look Out last week was Bossy Mosses', as he was called, great grand-daughter.
School holidays are imminent. No more anxious glances at the board in 1912 by the 'thin blue line' about to go on duty. There were 90 kids crocodiling through the Main Hall one morning last week, most of them hopping along the polar bear foot-prints. Later that morning I was up in Look Out when a dozen of them came stampeding up the stairs. An elderly couple beat a hasty retreat via the lift.
A teacher, a woman of very slight build and, without being unkind, past her prime, brought up the rear and stood in the doorway. "QUIET!" she roared. The windows rattled, the crabs on the pontoon dived for cover, all the seagulls within half a mile took to the air and I lost a few more auditory nerve cells. Within a couple of seconds you could hear a pin drop. Well, that's rather novel in this day and age, I thought.
Reminds me of one of my old Masters who used to roar across the classroom. He had uncanny accuracy with any missile to hand, usually a piece of chalk. In contrast to another Master, Mr Bell, affectionally known as 'Ding Dong', who could control a class by raising his eyebrow. I'm sure the teacher in the Look Out last week was Bossy Mosses', as he was called, great grand-daughter.
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