The King’s Procession, accompanied by The Sovereign’s Escort of the Household Cavalry, will depart Buckingham Palace through the Centre Gate, and proceed down The Mall, passing through Admiralty Arch and south of King Charles I Island, down Whitehall toward Westminster and along Parliament Street.
The Mall
The King’s Procession will continue travel around the east and south sides of Parliament Square to Broad Sanctuary to arrive at the Sanctuary of Westminster Abbey, where the Coronation Service will begin at 11 o’clock British Standard Time.
The total distance of travel from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey is 1.3 miles.
King Charles III and The Queen Consort – photo taken at Clarence House in London on Thursday February 23, 2023 by Chris Jackson.
King Charles III coronation is scheduled to take place at Westminster Abbey, London on Saturday 6 May, 2023. Over the next 30 days, I will share my experiences throughout London as King Charles III coronation approaches.
The first documented coronation at Westminster Abbey was on Christmas day in the year 1066. On that day, William was crowned King. King William was also later known as William the Conqueror.
The official coronation emblem is below along with information explaining the significance of the emblem’s design.
“The emblem pays tribute to The King’s love of the natural world, unifying the flora of the four nations of the United Kingdom; the rose of England, the thistle of Scotland, the daffodil of Wales and the shamrock of Northern Ireland. Together, the flowers create the shape of St Edward’s Crown, with which His Majesty The King will be crowned during the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey […]. The emblem has been designed using the red, white and blue of the union flag. “
If you have any questions or requests then please let me know.
I drew on information shared with me by my mother and grand uncles, now deceased, and my siblings and cousins. In addition, I found a few gems through targeted internet searches – yes the internet.
My initial research has lead me to the following conclusions:
my maternal great great grand mother’s name was Dianna; and
my safari will take me through Crooked Island, The Bahamas and Liverpool, England.
I located a story that involved Crooked Island, the then Governor of The Bahama Islands and 10 Downing Street, London. Fascinating right? It appears that the story in question took place when Dianna’s daughter was alive. While this may not be connected with Dianna, I am relying on my instincts which are “telling me” to research the Governor/10 Downing Street path. As far as instincts go, I am inspired by the Monarch Butterfly.
These butterflies 4,000+ miles migration span three countries (Mexico, The United States and Canada) and unfolds as follows:
In the spring, monarchs fly north from Mexico, and breed in the southern United States;
the next generation flies father north up through southern Canada and breeds again; and
Then in the fall the next generation flies all the way back to Mexico for the winter.
So I will follow my instincts. I intend to conduct additional desk research at the National Archives at Kew, Richmond, England. I am very hopeful that this will take me closer to my maternal home.
As always, I will keep you posted about my journey. If you have done this already then please feel free to share your story or any recommendations in the comment space below.
I have been inspired by many people over the years but most recently I was reminded about this intended safari after viewing a video clip from a movie I saw some years ago.
The blog was focused on words that were spoken by Actor Djimon Hounsou, while playing the character Cinque, in the 1997 movie, Amistad. Those words and the context in which they were spoken resonated with me once again.
So now I am up and moving, seeking the answer to the following question:
“Where is home of my maternal ancestors?”
I will keep you posted about my journey. If you have done this already then please feel free to share your story in the comment space below.
A permanent national Monument to the Windrush Generation was commissioned by the Ministry of Housing, Community and Local Government in the UK (now called Department of Levelling up, Housing and Communities) is expected to be unveiled at Waterloo Station, London today on Windrush Day, 22 June. The Windrush Generation originated from some of the then British West Indian Territories.
I take this opportunity to thank and honour those pioneers from that generation who made significant contribution to rebuilding the UK after the Second World War. My understanding is that they were humane, ambitious, intelligent, skilled, community mined and loved their country.
Well done to the Windrush campaigners and supporters who successfully secured this day and to the UK for honouring the Windrush Generation in this way.
Last week I had the pleasure of listening to Dr. Wanye Thompson’s weekly advice posted on Facebook.
In short he charged listeners to get up of their seats of complaint and do 7 acts of kindness to strangers. The idea is to start countering our environment from becoming more contentious as it is heavily polluted with derogatory words.
Friday 1 April, 2022 – was introduced to a new hire at work. At the end of the work day while leaving the office, I shared my experiences with the induction training and told him if he has any questions that I would be happy to help
Saturday 2 April, 2022 – left home with about 70p with the intention of giving it to someone. These were coins that I had accumulated for several months. Later in the day I saw a man sitting in front of a Marks & Spenser Store on Ealing Broadway while he was asking people passing for spare change. I placed the 70p in his cup and gave him a thumbs up. He gave me a “Thank you”
Monday 4 April, 2022 – On a few occasions over the past weeks I noticed a cleaner in the office building who works quietly and efficiently on small projects. So today, when I walked pass her I made eye contact and greeted her with a “Good afternoon”.She returned the greeting.
Tuesday 5 April, 2022 – While at the counter in a restaurant waiting to make a take away order, a young girl (I estimate to be about 12 years old) asked one the staff for a box cover. After several attempts, the server did not understand. When the server’s back was turned to the counter I suggested to the girl to ask for a cover for the bucket. The girl followed my suggestion and got the cover/lid she wanted. As she turned to walk away, she said “Thank you”
Wednesday 6 April, 2022 – While in a grocery store, a woman pretended that she did not see me in front of the queue. When it was time for the next shopper she looked at me as if she was confused. I smiled and gestured that she should proceed before me.
Thursday 7 April, 2022 – Wanted to buy a magazine to support a homeless vendor but I did not have enough money … so I contributed the money I had to her.
Above is my list. Join me and share one of your experiences in the comment section below.
During his speech at the Opening of the Legal Year on 12 January, 2022, the Chief Justice Sir Brian Moree, KT, QC shared details and plans of upcoming court reforms. One of those reforms that is likely to affect you as a litigants was raised in the following extract from his speech:
“A new system of court connected mediation will be introduced into the Family and Commercial Divisions during the first quarter. I have circulated a draft of the Practice Direction and Schedules to the key stakeholders and will be proceeding with this project during the first quarter. I have no diffidence in stating that a modern court system must have a mediation component as an alternative method of resolving disputes to reduce the number of cases which proceed to trial.”(emphasis mine)
In my blog dated 3 November, 2020, I shared some of the the benefits of Mediation with you. If you are a litigant or a potential litigant then you should take the time and learn a bit about Mediations. In my view they are not complicated and can be very useful for litigants who are open to exploring settlements.
Please note that this change in the Family and Commercial Division is expected to be implemented during the first quarter of this year, 2022.
So start informing yourself about this upcoming change and ask questions.
Please feel free to direct any questions or comments to me, Kean Smith at kean@smithkas.com
Earlier in December, The International Day ofPersons with Disabilities was observed. I was able to speak with the three individuals below about their views and aspirations.
I constantly remind myself that people with disabilities are equally people too, no more and no less.
Questions for BrendaCharles who has a physical disability
As a person with a disability, what is the significance of “the international day for persons with disabilities”?
To promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities in all spheres of society and development and to increase awareness of the situation of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life.
Brenda Charles
As far as you are aware, what are some of the major obstacles people with physical disability face?
Living with a disability is not easy and it’s made more difficult when the public at large is not aware or conscious that we need to have equal access and opportunity. Not having access to affordable transportation with a wheelchair lift is a necessity for those of us in the disabled community. The other issue for us is affordable health care. Not having insurance coverage to be able to afford surgeries and medical equipment it’s a huge hinderance.
Have these obstacles worsen since the COVID–19 pandemic started?
Please explain. During the pandemic many businesses were not able to be open and financially it became a strain for the average person and even more for persons with disabilities; what’s more prices increased tremendously.
As we plan to come out of this COVID-19 pandemic, what are your hopes and dreams for your community and The Bahamas?
My hope and dreams for my community and the Bahamas are: To provide hot meals for persons with disabilities who may not be able to afford it, employment opportunities, improvements to our healthcare system, and to improve the school system for persons with disabilities.
Questions for Patrick Pierrewho has a hearing disability
What should other people know about young people who are deaf or hard of hearing?
Hard to explain for other people know about young people who are deaf or hard of hearing. For me I’m as a hard of hearing it would be impossible for people to know if I’m hard of hearing or not. People will look at me they will think I seem like a normal person like other hearing people.
Please share how the COVID-19 pandemic affected their daily lives?
My experience during pandemic is difficult for me to understand people by reading lips, because of people wearing mask.
Questions for Juliece Mackey from Crooked Island who has is visually impaired
Article 9 of The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability “… seeks to enable persons with disabilities … to participate fully in all aspects of life and development. Are you able to participate fully in all aspects of life? If not then please explain some areas that you are not able to participate.
Because I am visually impaired I am unable to participate in some sports such as soccer and track & field. Sitting down listening to my fellow schoolmates participate in these sports made me feel left out. Some day I would hope that Crooked Island and The Bahamas will implement sport centres for disable children to become more active in their community.
