Today is the 71st birthday of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. She has been on the throne for 29 years come April 30th, and is the second oldest reigning monarch this country has known. Only Beatrix's great grandfather, King William III, was on the throne at an older age, 73, when he died. Rumours are increasing that Beatrix may abdicate in favour of her son Willem Alexander (aged 42 come April). Beatrix herself ascended the throne in 1980, following in the footsteps of her mother Juliana who abdicated on grounds of failing health. She died in 2004, at the age of nearly 95.
Today is also a bright, sunny, but perishingly cold day, with a brisk easterly wind cancelling any benefit of the sunshine. Later this afternoon, I'm off for a family visit elsewhere in the country.
The Shell Gallery
This is the archive of The Shell Gallery blog, which was active between 2008 and 2018. It is dedicated to the memory of my mother, who died in May 2008, and to that of my father, who passed away in August 2022. 
The Watch Tower stands to the north, overlooking the open Heathlands
The Shell Gallery also refers to the island of Vlieland, which has zillions of shells on its beaches.
3 comments:
When the shopping centre here in Peterborough opened over twenty years ago now, Queen Beatrix was the Queen who opened it ,and what a Regal lady ..love Jan xx
It was cold & sunny here today too. It was warm when the sun shone thru the windshield of the car, but once I got out to walk to the store...it was freezing! I'm ready for summer. Interesting post about Queen Beatrix. Linda in WA
Oddly, because now I cannot remember why, or what I was interested in at the time, I read quite a bit about Queen Beatrix. I love cold and sunny &I hope you are fully enjoying your time there.
~Mary
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