Chatting Behind the Lines - Curator's tales and musings

It's sunday evening and I am sitting here reviewing the weekend's event. The first ever Virtual Regimental Weekend. I have been surveying the 'event' all day, checking that everything is running to plan. Yesterday, people were pleased with the sports quiz, a quick tour round the Museum with yours truly and the Regimental speeches at the end of the day. Photographs of friends flooded the event page and comments such as ' The Queen. The Regiment. Respect to all concerned. Thank you' and ' The Queen,Regiment, and all lions and lioness near and far'   made me realise that the idea had worked and people had got engaged with the whole idea. Result. Today would have been the parade. A time when folk would arrive at the Castle, nursing some sore heads from the night before, in blazer and berets bedecked in medals ready to parade to the Cathedral for the annual thanksgiving service, before returning to the Castle for the march past and salute. How to transfer thi...

This weekend would have been the annual Regimental Weekend. Held annually on the second weekend in May, it is a time when former members of the Regiment travel for a weekend full of nostalgia and fun. Oh, and the odd tipple. We open our doors at the Museum and welcome folk in, often the only time we see them throughout the year. It enables us to showcase the displays, get out some of our archives for a bit of reminiscence, and chat to the veterans. Obviously, when the pandemic hit it was obvious that this weekend would be one of the casualties. Although organised by the Carlisle branch of the Regimental Association, we are always busy this weekend with veterans and their wives dropping in to see us, share their stories and have a general catch up. On the Saturday night is the Regimental dinner at the Shepherd's Inn when everyone puts on their best dress and assembles for a sit-down meal before speeches, which continues with an evening of dancing. The Sunday morning is the Regimenta...

Today is the 75th anniversary of VE day. A bit of a cloudy start but plenty to crack on with. It started with an interview on BBC Radio Cumbria. Being careful to stress that I was furloughed, I was asked about my personal connection to VE day and I relayed my lovely Mum's experience outside Buckingham Palace with her mother and aunt on 8 May 1945. I also managed to make a statement about the Forgotten Army and the war in the Far East, which I felt I needed to do. To be honest, I had got quite annoyed about the fact that radio and news presenters on Radio two had said today was the anniversary of the end of the war! Although I heard a great quote later in the day when someone said 'if it was the end of the war, they had forgotten to tell the Japanese!'  This was followed by a morning in the kitchen. I was left in peace to enact an episode of bake off producing scotch eggs, sausage rolls,  cheese straws, scones, bread rolls and cakes - food for a very English afternoon tea bu...

Plenty of social media traffic and discussion around tomorrow's bank holiday. Yes, it's a bank holiday in the UK although whilst in lockdown, it will probably feel like any other day. But it is VE day and the 75th anniversary is gradually gaining speed with folk putting up flags and bunting outside their houses, including over the road. It reminds me a little of the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977. Our Northampton street entered the local 'best decorated street' competition in June organised by the local newspaper. Each house going to town with red, white and blue adorning fences and windows and even bunting hanging between the lamp-posts. Ever creative, my dad decided that we would have a garden sculpture and put together two soldiers standing guard either side of a large silver 'ER'  all of which he made out of wood and decorated (I think the 'ER' was covered in tin foil). Red, white and blue decorations adorned our window and a large union flag and...

Considering I am not currently working, my days seem to just disappear. No sooner have I had my breakfast than it seems it's time for bed. The hours just race by but I'm not quite sure what I have actually been doing...Obviously, alot of eating has taken place. Infact, probably way too much - breakfast, lunch and tea with numerous snacks in-between. Checking my emails, contacting friends, the odd bit of hoovering (steady!), out  in the garden. The days just fly by. Of course, I am sharing the house with the teenager who has her daily routine all organised. Breakfast with her mother, followed by various Netflix programmes and her morning workout. She emerges for lunch then returns to her room.  So it came as a surprise when she said to me that she wanted to have a go at painting by numbers. Of course, my memories of painting by numbers are pictures of horses or cute animals block painted with blotchy garish paint onto board. But no, she was looking more upmarket, with an ornate...

With the sun shining again today, I ventured outside with every intention of a day in the garden. I am slightly distracted by a puzzle at the moment, which the tall one started but then lost interest after five minutes. Determind not to immediately return the pieces to the box, I decided I would undertake the challenge to complete it when I had a spare moment. This decision, of course, has meant that when I do have some spare time (waiting for a zoom meeting, after lunch, whilst watching the nightly Govt coronavirus briefing) I have been there, searching for the relevant piece to complete a section. Back to the garden, which I was late getting outside too because of said puzzle. First port of call was checking up on my girls (we have 4 chickens) as one of them seems to be off colour. They are always round my legs when I am outside, pecking at my shoes or trousers (or bare legs if I am in shorts!) but today there were only three of them following me about as we seem to have one wee girl...

Today I thought I would attempt to go outside into the garden and tackle the seeds that I planted a couple of weeks ago. Now, I know I am no Monty Don or Percy Thrower but once there is quite a lot of greenery in a pot then it's time to move it on. Even I know that. Today, was going to be a garden day. Spurred on by the beautiful sunshine, I had every intention to get out first thing. But inevitably, I kept finding other jobs. You know, those things that you think you'll do tomorrow, such as clean the bathroom, hoover the hall. I even went through a box of ephemera and found photographs and travel documents from over 20 years ago. A coffee and a quick reminisce and time marched on. I now find it is past 3.30pm and I am still inside having not tackled the job I had set myself today. To be fair, I have actually got outside these four walls for a morning cycle ride at 7am, then a quick amble round the garden with the camera to take some photos. I don't think I needed t...