Amazing Day - Started Out Missing CP Mary- Ended Up Meeting Patricia, Jane and Amber.
Isn't life funny. I spent too long at the breakfast table this morning, having extra toast and peanut butter - knowing I'd be trying to see CP Mary around lunchtime, and not wanting to be hungry - that I arrived at the Opera House just as the official party went inside, and so missed them.
Now I've just got home after meeting CP Mary's sisters Jane and Patricia, and her friend Amber.
And, another funny thing, I actually spoke with Patricia yesterday, not really thinking it was her, and she remembered me today and said so.
Lovely, lovely people. They didn't have to give strangers in the street the time of day, but they were just so easy-going and friendly. Didn't mind having their photo taken, didn't rush away.
Both Patricia and Jane were very chic, in black like CP Mary. (And both so lean and fit looking.) Amber was in blue, setting off her blonde hair.
There was another lady in the group who's face I must have seen in photos somewhere, but I couldn't think of her name at the time.
All this was at the Ole Lynggaard opening in the city centre.
And talk about being in Australia - not only was CP Mary shown on several channels/news programs last night shooing that fly off the face of the older lady she was talking to at the Opera House, but the jewellery shop opening today had the added excitment of a very noisy cockatoo screeching away at all the action from a banner pole just above everyone's heads, at one stage.
(I also got a demonstration of CP Mary's hand-shake from a person who got to shake CP Mary's hand at the store opening today - firm grip, one shake down. Quite effective - try it with someone.)
So, to start at the beginning -
- as I realised yesterday, the royal party don't let the grass grow under their feet.
I only just made it to the Opera House on time yesterday, and no dilly-dallying, there they were today, about 10 minutes before the official start time of 10.00am.
Eight very smart out-riders all lined up, still sitting on their motor-cycles - to attention as it were. They all dismounted in unison, and changed their helmets for slick caps and sun-glasses. Little flags on the front of their bikes.
(Speaking of which, if you have caught sight of the wonderful three-masted vessel sitting in Farm Cove, on the Botanical Gardens side of the Opera House, in yesterday's photos - I heard today that it belongs to the person who is behind the jewellery store.)
A group of people were against the barrier, underneath the Monumental Steps where the vehicles were also parked yesterday. By the time I got there though, the Royals had just stepped inside.
I wasn't upset though, as I thought I'd had a pretty amazing day yesterday, and there was still the chance to see something at the store opening.
As noted earlier, Sydney turned it on again today - just absolutely perfect weather, hot sun, cool breeze. So I tossed up whether to chance seeing CP Mary leaving, or go ahead of her, to be at the store when she arrived.
Well, I made the right decision. I stayed at the Opera House as it was wonderful in the Harbour breeze there, and there is quite a bit of seating looking out to the water. After a while, I took a wander about, thinking, I'll try and see CP Mary leave, then I won't see her arriving at the store, but will get up there in time to see her leave that too.
But, something better happened.
You know, the whole area down there is just a beehive of activity at the moment.
The stage area for the Gala Concert is huge. (I met an American couple today who where on a tour of the Opera House yesterday, and as part of that, got to sit in on some of the rehearsal for this event. They kept saying how wonderful the performance was.)
An enormous equipment road-train vehicle almost got stuck trying to get around all the stage set up area.
The Royal Party's escorts and vehicles were there and many, many, many food trucks were delivering for tonight's Reception.
Who knew there was a business in Sydney that just deals in North Alaskan crab, and another that just does soup, and another that just does "dips, salsa and desserts".
Add to that the De Costi's Seafood truck - enormous - and the towering pallet of champagne waiting on the side, and everyone is going to have an truely wonderful time tonight.
If you know the type of dog the character Bill Sykes had in the old "Oliver Twist" movie - well a dog like that was in one of the delivery vans, sitting in the driver's seat ,with the window down, taking as much interest in all the action as I was. He/she was very well behaved. (So was I, by the way!)
Well during all this action - and that includes tourists trying to cross the concourse against strict instruction to stay where they are, as a vehicle is on the move and about to flatten them - I overheard a lady say to someone, that they'd just come from further up on the bottom, open section of the Opera House. I looked that way and could see a small group gathering, so went for a wander to see what was happening, and wow! - the Royal Party had just exited the Opera House at that point, and were doing official photos in the sunshine.
Boy did I jump in there and snap, snap, snap away. Got some really lovely shots - the group with M and F and then the Royal Couple on their own.
(Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore was there also.)
So glad I had decided to stay and take the chance to see CP Mary leave - which I now no longer needed to wait for, so I shot up Macqurie St, cut across the park and managed to see the complete jewellery store function and get some nice photos of that.
So, after CP Mary and her LIW Tanya had left, I decided to hang around as I recognised Amber when I was photographing the group outside the shop. A lot of people where still in the store, but the crowds had moved on.
Amber and a group of well-turned out ladies came out onto the footpath - everyone was really dressed up. Wonderful to see. Then I noticed Jane and Patricia.
A fellow fan I had met yesterday saw me and came up, and thank goodness, as I was too shy to talk to them and this lady didn't know who they were. After I told her, she asked if she could photograph them and Amber and her girlfriends happily circled up.
I remember Amber describing CP Mary's hair as "divine" and saying "we all love her" and how nice a person she is, amongst many other comments now gone from my mind.
Then my new friend spoke with Patricia and Jane and we got some photos of them.
Jane asked me if I was "a fan of Princess Mary".
Patricia asked me if I was at the Opera House yesterday, and when I said yes, she explained that she recognised me from when we spoke then. I told her I remembered her, and thought at the time how I thought she looked like who in fact she was, but hadn't said so - really glad to know it was actually her after all. Wouldn't have known it if we hadn't run into each other today.
(When a small group was waiting at the Man O' War steps yesterday, a lady and her partner came up and asked us what was going on. I thought "gee, you look like CP Mary's sister Patricia", but I didn't say so as I thought it couldn't be.)
Hi Patricia if you ever come across this post.
The lady I was with also ended up photographing, and chatting with, the Danish store owners and they signed a book about their jewellery and gave it to her.
Everyone was just so wonderfully nice, the whole experience couldn't have been better.
I'll be back if I can sort out the posting of photos, otherwise I'm sure you'll all be aware of the happenings here as we head into a party weekend.
These few days have been great fun. Glad to be able to share things via this Forum.
Best Wishes to Everyone,
Cheers, Sun Lion.
Sounds like you had a wonderful day. Glad you got to see Mary and Frederik so many times and that you had enjoyed the good weather. Mary and Frederik looks lovely.
