Royal rocking horses

Two-year-old Prince George, the son of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, was photographed on 22 April 2016 sitting on a hand-made rocking horse. The rocking horse was a gift to Prince George from the People of America in 2013 when he was born on 22 July.

The artisanal rocking horse has the presidential seal imprinted on the saddle. The White House (the State Department) contacted rocking horse maker, Jackie Wilson, to create George’s rocking horse. It is a glider design (safety stand) with an English-style saddle. The glider is actually an American patent. P.W. Marqua of Cincinnati, Ohio, invented it in 1880, but it is commonly known as the Wilson glider.

In the royal family there is a stable of rocking horses owned by various members of the family. Queen Elizabeth II and her sister, Princess Margaret, had rocking horses when they were children, including the one below, which was exhibited at Buckingham Palace in 2014.

Twin brothers, Marc and Tony Stevenson, established a rocking horse business in England in 1982 in Kent. The Queen owns five Stevenson rocking horses. The Stevenson models were presented to the Queen for her Golden and Diamond Jubilees (photographed below).

President of the United States, Barack Obama, and First Lady Michelle Obama were visiting England on 21-23 April 2016 to commemorate the 90th birthday of the Queen of England, Queen Elizabeth II, on 21 April. The Obamas also met Prince William, Catherine, and George, while Charlotte – their daughter – was asleep. Prince George was photographed on his birthday present, the rocking horse.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/markewing/2015/06/29/rocking-horses-for-royals-8000-toy-ponies-for-prince-george-queen-elizabeth-and-president-obama/#28ef1a52621e

MARTINA NICOLLS is the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

Comments

The acacia thorn trees of Kenya

There are nearly 800 species of acacia trees in the world, and most don’t have thorns. The famous "whistling thorn tree" and the Umbrella Thorn tree of Kenya are species of acacia that do have thorns, or spines. Giraffes and other herbivores normally eat thorny acacia foliage, but leave the whistling thorn alone. Usually spines are no deterrent to giraffes. Their long tongues are adapted to strip the leaves from the branches despite the thorns. The thorny acacia like dry and hot conditions. The thorns typically occur in pairs and are 5-8 centimetres (2-3 inches) long. Spines can be straight or curved depending on the species. MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Suda...

Hop on hop off bus tourism comes to Tbilisi, Georgia

City Sightseeing buses have arrived in Tbilisi. The iconic red double-decker buses, a feature of many cities around the world since the company was established in Seville, Spain in 1999, is now in six continents and almost 100 cities. The company established its Tbilisi business in November 2013, with its operations commencing in February 2014. The 90-minute tour stops at 11 major locations in Tbilisi (with 2 to 5 minute waiting times at each location): the Old City (where it commences), Freedom Square, Rose Revolution Square, Marjanishvili Square, the Dry Bridge, Konka, Avlabari, Metekhi, Akhundov Museum, the Sulfur Baths, and European Square. Passengers can hop off at any stop and see the sights, hopping back onto the next bus at any time. Alternatively, passengers can remain on the bus for the whole tour and take photographs when the bus stops at each location. There are one day (24-hour) passes (for 35 lari – about $20) and 48-hour passes for 55 lari, with family d...

The Knight in the Panther Skin by Shota Rustaveli (2015 translation): book review

The Knight in the Panther Skin (12th century, this edition 2015) is a recent translation by American poet and author, Lyn Coffin. The author, Shota Rustaveli, is Georgia’s most loved poet. This poem is mammoth, a magnum opus – it is 1,656 verses long, separated by chapters. But readers, don’t give up, because every verse is worth reading. It is akin to 1001 Arabian Knights, Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, or Shakespearean poetry. King Rostevan of Arabia has a daughter, Tinatin. She loves the knight Avtandil and he loves her. Verse 368 from Avtandil: ‘The doctor’s could do nothing. A dark twilight on my heart now pressed, I was on fire because of love, but nobody knew or guessed. They blamed my blood. The king decided bleeding my arm would be best; I let it be done to hide the suffering I had not confessed.’ But a knight in panther skin is seen weeping, and subsequently kills the king’s soldiers, sparing the king. Before Tinatin weds Avtandil she r...

FEAST OR FAMINE

Search This Blog