Z is for Zenda
Z is for Zenda. Well, I had to think of something that started with Z, and it could have been Zoo, with all those animals all around, but no, it’s Zenda.
When our two youngest children were little, my husband and I placed an ad in The Lady magazine in Great Britain. At that time, you could advertise for household help, and it was a great way to find well-trained nannies. Now the US has schools for this sort of thing, but at the time, we were impressed with the degree program in England, including child development and first aid, and wanted someone who wanted to spend a year or two in the States just for an experience.
It turned out to be one of the best things we’ve ever done. The advertisement generated some 200 applications, and we actually had a hard time choosing. We arranged a trip and interviewed our top 3 candidates, and their families. We wanted to make sure their parents were okay with where they were sending their daughters. And at that time, getting a 6-month visa wasn’t difficult, if we agreed to sponsor them and take care of their health insurance.
Zenda was our first.
We came home from church one day, about 4 months after she started, and she had run off with an American guy and left us a note.
We telephoned our next in line, and she was delighted to come over, and actually stayed with us for almost 2 years. She loved American guys. I’ll never forget my 4 year old son, who used to stand at the kitchen door and watch as a young man emerged from her cottage in the morning, and usually a different one each morning! “Why does Jane have so many friends? And they all are boys.” Even with this, she was a loving addition to our family and we were grateful we had found her.
This was the year that Charles and Diana got married. Jane and Angela (a girl we found for another family) were deathly homesick. So we got up early, waited on them hand and foot, poured mimosas and made them a gourmet breakfast fit for a king. They sat all day on our family room couch and cried. All day. Boy did they miss England.
Watching the royal wedding this morning, I thought back to that day, and I must admit, I missed my girls, those two lovely young ladies from England who helped our families out so much. My son had started calling a sidewalk a “footpath” with an accent. Asking to go to the “loo”.
I watch the pomp and circumstance, the proud heritage of this tradition going back over a thousand years, and it got me weepy too. I thought the commoners were very regal. It was moving to see the young couple. And every girls’ romantic fantasy. Marrying a prince. A ceremony of a proud people. A refreshing change that I hope has touched the world.
I hope there is a happily ever after for them. I’d bet there will be. I’m grateful to spend a whole day honoring love and commitment. Couldn’t be better for a romance writer, now could it?
And I hope Zenda, Jane and Angela are doing well. My one big regret is that we’ve lost touch.
What about you? Do you remember the other royal wedding? What did you think of this one? Did you get up early and watch?
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Hi Sharon,
The wedding was beautiflly romantic even at 9:00 am our time. They've had years to prepare themselves and, hopefully, to iron out any wrinkles. I loved the Easter hat parade effect.
Arletta
Yes, a very warm and wonderful bookmark for the whole country. I've watched it now I think 3 times on BBC America. Can't stop!
But gotta get back and write. Thanks for stopping by.
I only watched Prince Chales and Princess Diana's wedding last week on a rerun. I couldn't help feeling sad watching two people looking forward to their lives together. Especially given what a wreck that marriage turned into.
I wish all the best for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. 🙂
Me too, Misha. Me too. I feel just as excited about this one as I did Charles and Diana's, and a little bit more so because he's her son. I think William will help put the ghosts of the past back in our books, where they belong!
Thanks for stopping by. Please come back.
Hi, Sharon! What a wonderful post! I just discovered your blog through the A-Z, I'm quite late but I'm glad to have found it. It's been fun catching up with your posts, and I look forward to reading more. Great to meet you, and congratulations on making it to the end!!
Thank you so much Julie. Nice to meet you too. I'll head over there now, as a matter of fact.
Wasn't this fun? Meeting such great new people?
Take care, and thanks for stopping by.
I tried to read your blog entry, BUT I'm tired and so the first thing I noticed here was your banner… lol. I can't get past it!!
He is kind of yummy. Jimmy Thomas **sigh**. But a fun guy. Been on over 1000 covers. I interviewed him in March – you can click on his name to the right here and see the interview, and some other pictures!
LOL, yes, some days I sit and stare a lot too, but I should be writing!
It's a pleasure to meet you from the A-Z Challenge! No, I didn't watch either royal wedding, although even I couldn't fail to notice the energy and excitement surrounding the events. The only thing I can think of to explain this phenomenon is that royal weddings are simply extraordinary events.
You are so right, Jeffrey. Thanks to television, and the view that the public should be able to witness their event, we get an inside glimpse of two people who will have a lot of impact on the world. Very classy. I'd be proud if I was a Brit. Sometimes I wish we'd have some of that here.
Thanks for stopping by. I'll go check out your blog too. Yes, I absolutely loved this exercise this month and am going to keep contacting people as long as the button works!!