MAKES YOU THINK
This is another painting from my series on” environment issues”. “I Go Driving in My Car” Oil on Canvas 30X 40 ins. It shows a couple driving a gas-guzzling car in a desert landscape. An almost dead tree still supports one leaf, a city belches in the background and a mighty sun gazes down. I will let the viewer do the maths. ARTIST DAN DOWLING
A painting that speaks louder than words.
The Change of `life
Nineteen days ago life was going along mostly as usual. We were planning for the weekend, getting the shopping in, working in offices and shops, booking nights out. And then it all changed. The Queen died and it was all a bit of a shock. By later on that Thursday the wheels of the palace began to turn mighty fast. This woman of 96 was a superstar, she worked hard she was kind and thoughtful and her fashion was beautiful.
Hats off to the television companies the journalists and reporters for their coverage, how they kept going was remarkable, I was exhausted and I was only watching! And I continued for the King’s tours, great entertainment especially at Hillsborough!
For me ITV won over BBC with Chris Ship getting my X factor award.
Of course walking through the gardens and parks and along the queue to go into the lying in state in Westminster Hall to pay respects meant talking to the public was a bit of a drag, what are your memories? did you ever meet the Queen? The answers didn’t amount to much, pity that Frank Mitchell hadn’t been there, his story is unique.
It was an ordinary Thursday morning in October 2010 when the popular weatherman arrived at Havelock House. The day before his boss at UTV came into the production office, had taken him aside and advised him there would be a special guest who might wander onto the weather set and to be prepared. Always a snapper dresser and a visit to the makeup department he looked the part when the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh came walking in during rehearsals.
“We’d prepared for a special guest but not aware just how special.” The penny dropped very soon when he was approached by a woman from Buckingham Palace. “She instructing me on the protocol – do not touch or instruct! The Queen was incredibly friendly and interested on the technicalities of how we project the images onto what we call a green screen and director William Scott made the changes from the control room as we talked. She was fascinated and asked very probing questions. Even as she was walking away she turned and asked me another couple of questions. She was incredibly sharp.
When she moved on I was left with the Duke and he walked over to the curtain and said, “Now we have a peak, that’s always where the junk is kept!“. He was right. I was so relieved to see the party progress up the corridor and then amazed at the coverage of the visit. Every newspaper carried it next day, I was in Hello magazine and on the Buckingham Palace website for weeks and pictures went round the world.” No wonder, not only a unique experience for Frank, now broadcasting on U 105 every day, but also a unique experience for a woman he remembers as being witty and friendly and who enjoyed her visit.
There were other deaths of people loved by the public. during the last couple of weeks. The well known local radio broadcaster Kim Lenaghan was only 61 when she died at home after a fall and a short time in hospital.
Sheila Davidson was a close friend, she calls her a sister. “I have two sisters I adore and they know that and they also know that Kim was even closer to me. My mum and dad moved from Enniskillen to Belfast and at the baby clinic she met Val and they became close friends. And so I met Kim. We were literally babes in arms and we grew up together. She was an amazing singer; when we were eight I wanted to be just like her, always wanted to come up to her standard but as far as singing was concerned I had no chance! She excelled with the jazz and blues classics, she introduced me to Ella Fitzgerald and my favourite song was and still is Every Time We Say Goodbye so relevant at the moment.
For Richard Yarr her BBC colleague her death was a dreadful shock. “We were in touch every day, she called me her guinea pig when it came to food, many a night at 7 30 the phone would ring and Kim would insist I come round to her house to try a dish – “you had your dinner yet?” usually yes but that didn’t matter “your coming round to me.”
The two first met at a BBC staff Christmas party. “It was 2000 and I was standing at the side of the dance floor looking lost when this wonderful woman came and dragged me onto the floor to dance. That was the start of a remarkable friendship, she was the sister I never had. We went on trips together and often shared a traybake in a garden centre. She had a legion of fans and when we’d laugh out loud, people would come up to her – “You wouldn’t happen to be Kim Lenaghan off the radio, She was always delighted.”
Our deep sympathies go to her husband who listened to her on radio and on occasions messaged her for a music request via Facebook so when they were were flying to City airport and were walking to the departure point he recognised her voice and asked the usual question – Is that Kim Lenaghan?
Recognising him she responded “Would you be Andrew Jones?” And that was the beginning of five happy years. In Belfast he invited her for coffee but she wasn’t able to accept but in turn invited him to spend Christmas with her. Sheila Davidson remembers he arrived with a Fortnam and Mason Christmas present. Not only people were drawn to this charismatic woman, when she and Andrew went to get a rescue dog, one little grey lurcher escaped and jumped into the boot of the car. Mable is still running round the house looking for her beloved mistress. As the Queen herself said: Grief is the price we pay for love.
A lot of people will miss the Queen but I fancy David Attenborough will be especially sad loosing the woman he loved talking to and walking with. They obviously had a beautiful connection. Who else is feeling sad? Holly and Phillip!
They have been accused of queue jumping at the lying in state. Were they or weren’t they, that is the question? They say they didn’t but a lot of the public who had waited for many hours for the honour of paying their respects think differently. Interesting. With a petition gaining many signatures to have them dropped from their morning television programme and Phillip loosing valuable advertising jobs their future looks difficult.
