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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1957-07-04, Page 2Refused Fortune For Royal Secrets Few people noticed one day xrecently that the lady riding in * small black car through Lon- don's Fast End, past the whelk *tails and fruit barrows, was the Queen. Wiles). the car stopped at the visitor's entrance of the London ldospital, the news spread that Iter Majesty had arrived. Yet she paid no formal visit to the public wards. Instead, she sat chatting for 40 minutes to a private pa- tient — a railwayman's daughter from Inverness. "I've brought you some flow- ers" and "Get well soon!" said the Queen, just like any other hospital visitor. Who was the woman in the private room? She is Miss Mar- garet Macdonald—"Bobo" to the nroyal family — who spends her life serving the Queen and dodg- ing publicity.,,.For 30 years she has always been at the Queen's aide, from Her Majesty's baby- hood, through marriage to the throne. Auburn -haired Miss Macdonald is the Queen's personal' maid. At 8.15 every morning she wakes the Queen with a cup of tea, and she is the last to attend the Queen in the evenings. An American magazine once offer- ed her $150,000 just for spending a few sessions with expert inter- viewers to tell all she knows. Bobo hears the Queen's com- ments on many people and many things. She has indeed been rightly described as one of the Queen's closest confidantes. But she is never to be drawn into any conversation concerning her mis- tress. In the Steward's Hall at Buck- ingham Palace she has a top - table place of honor. And woe betide anyone who calls her anything other than "Miss Mac- donald." She has her own cabin on the royal yacht Britannia, her own rooms at Balmoral, Windsor and Sandringham, her own elegantly furnished suite at Buckingham Palace. More than five years ago, when George VI went to Lon-. don airport and bade farewell to his daughter for what was to be the last time, he said to Miss liacdonald: "Look after the Princess for me, Bobo:" His words charged the humble girl from Inverness with a life- long sense of mission. The one comment on the Queen ever heard from ,Bobo is. simply: "I must go. My Iittle lady wants me." On many a royal' tour, the first coach of the royal railway train or the royal plane is cosily shar- ed just by the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh—and Bobo. At Lisbon airport she was mis- taken for the Queen by the cheering crowd. In Washington where (much to her disgust) photographers managed to take her picture, she was called the Queen's double. Neatly enough, Bobo has a sister, Robina, who Is personal maid to Princess Margaret. The royal sisters are thus tended by two sisters. MERRY MENAGERIE gj --� igfzr4 "Good morning, ma'm!" There was a family crisis when Robina -- christened Ruby fell in love with a Palace footman. Falling in love couldn't be help- ed, but inevitably their marriage entailed ... publicity! Superintendent Tom Clarke, chief of the Buckingham Palace police, was best man. Among the wedding gifts were lovely pieces of jewellery and a gift inscrib- ed: "To my dear, faithful Ruby— from Margaret" Half the Palace staff formed a huge crowd to cheer the happy pair, now Mr. and Mrs. Norman Gordon. Now, when her beauti- fully -dressed . Queen goes to the theatre, Bobo spends the eyen- ing with the Gordons at the -.little "grace and favor" residence the, Queen Mother found for them in Marlborough Mews. No two sisters outside the roy- al family can survey a happier or more sparkling cavalcade as they look back at old times. There was the occasion when the Queen was presented with a $75,000 casket of diamonds and Bobo had to look after them. It was the only time she nearly had the jitters. Then, on the Queen's wedding morning, there was panic at the last minute because the bridal bouquet was lost—until a foot- man remembered he had put it in a cupboard to keep cool. Naturally, Bobo had her spe- cial seat for the wedding. And on Coronation Day the police cleared a special route for her across crowded London and gave her an escort all to herself to Westminster Abbey. Bobo remembers, too, the day when, trembling with nerves, she .first went to Balmoral Castle to see the housekeeper and apply for a job as under - housemaid. Instead, within a very few weeks, she was sent to London to become the little Princess Elizabeth's under -nurse. "Bobo," the nickname that has stuck to her through the years, was lisped by the Princess in her nursery cot. At Windsor, she has always tended a special rosemary shrub which yielded sprigs for the Queen's christening. On the Queen's honeymoon, as she step- ped into the royal train, sprigs of rosemary were laid ready on the tea -table. "God bless you both," Bobo had written, "Rosemary for re- reembrance." The token was an apt ' one from the discreet, dimpled Scotswoman who serves the Queen so well, for rosemary is the ancient emblem of :true„;, faithfulness. GRIZZLIES TOTEMS TEPEES AND AN IGLOO —A 16 -foot styrofoam plastic igloo, two Indian tepees, eight small totem poles and two carved grizzly bears will decorate the Canadian Contingent headquar- ters encampment at the Boy Scots' Jubilee in Britain next August. Canada's Department of Nor- thern Affairs is lending the Igloo, which will be manned part time by Canadian Eskimo Scouts. Authentic furnishings for the igloo are now being . gathered in Canada's northland. The igloo is now on display in the National Museum in Ottawa prior to being dismantled and packed for shipment to the Jam- boree early in May. The carved grizzly bears are being loaned by the British Columbia Provincial Museum. Scouts and leaders of the Lon- don, Ontario, District, are mak- ing the tepees and carving the eight totem poles. W. A. Speed of Halifax, N.S., Executive Commissioner for the Nova Scotia Scout Council, is in charge of programs and displays for the Canadian Contingent to the Jamboree. WATCH THE FISHIE !--When h Rome, do as the Romans do. So this enterprising photographer substitutes "watch the fishie" lkor the old familiar "watch the birdie," os he aims his camera et a Humboldt penguin at the Aquarium in Coney island. Twenty of the penguins were flown from their native Chile to }chi other exhibits at the Aquetrium. GRASSROOTS WEDDING PAM -•A hitch in the wedding schedule of Eileen Gummeson, left, happened when her maid-of-his4lir; lost the wedding ring on the !own of the . Gummeson home. A borrowed ring saved. the:day. The bridegroom found the lost ring after the ceremony. fe BLE TALKS r/an2 (ai4ieWS Barbecues will undoubtedly smoke up the landscape from now till fall, and steak is likely to continue as the most popular barbecue dish. Probably you know that ,slashing the fat at the edges will prevent curling, and that when 'you turn your steak, you should put your fork into the fat, for a fork in the lean will make holes from which good juices will escape. Here are some broilingtimes, recommended by the U.S. De- partment of Agriculture: For a 1 -inch steak: Rare, about 10 minutes; medium, about 15; well done, 20 to 25. For a 11 -inch steak; Rare, about 15 minutes; medium, about 20 minutes; well done, 25 to 30 minutes. • For a 2 -inch steak: Ij are, about 25 minutes: medium, about 35 minutes; well done, 45 to 50 minutes. o • Ribs may be precooked before • barbecuing or barbecued while. raw. Precooked ribs require only about 15 minutes for barbecu- ing, but in this time get 14,x barbecue taste.For prep'ee them this way, simmer in a small amount cf water in a heavy covered kettle for about 1 hour. Refrigerate until ready to grill. Cut into serving portions and grill over hot coals, brushing with the following barbecue sauce as you turn frequently. BARBECUE SAUCE FOR RIBS 1 cup chopped green onion 2 tablespoons butter 2 teaspoons paprika 1/2 teaspoon pepper Dash of cayenne 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1 tablespoon dry mustard 2 tablespoons 'Worcestershire sauce ars teaspoon Tabasco sauce 1/ cup catsup 2 tablespoons vinegar Cook onion in butter until tender, about 5 minutes. Add all other ingredients. Simmer about 10 minutes, stirring fre- quently. This is a thick sauce and is enough for 2 or 3 sides of spare- ribs. It keeps well in a covered jar in refrigerator. If ribs are barbecued without precooking, they require about 1 hour. Ott a shallow baking pan. Pour sauce over over' it. "Bakesa.in slow n (325 degrees F.) about 1 ,: Turn or stir pork 2 or 3 ee during roasting -so pork es in sauce. Serve with fol - fig sauce: ORIENTAL SAUCE 41 tablespoon dry mustard 1 tablespoon vinegar } cup catsup ,11 tablespoon soy sauce: 3/ teaspoon curry powder combine all ingredients and tat. ct w o JRBECUED SHISH KABOBS 2 pounds tender beef, cut into 1 -inch pieces e cup lemon juice ee cup olive oil ..teaspoons salt Y cup liquid smoke 4 tomatoes, quartered 3 medium onions, sliced in thick slices 2 green peppers, cut in eighths Basting sauce (recipe follows) * Sk If you like to barbecue lamb chops, try this herb sauce. This amount is for about 2 pounds of lamb. Pour the sauce over the lamb and let stand in refrigera- tor 2-4 hours. Broil or barbe- cue the lamb, brushing with the herb sauce 2 or 3 times during cooking. HERB BARBECUE SAUCE 1 small onion 3 cloves garlic 2 sprigs rosemary (or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary) 12 fresh mint leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried mint leaves) 1/ cup vinegar 1/2 cup water Chop onion and garlic and add rosemary and mint leaves which have been crushed. Add. vine- gar and water and let mixture stand 4-6 hours. * If you like to experiment with oven barbecue, try this pork ten- derloin with oriental sauce for a new eating experience. CHINESE BARBECUED PO1U 13.4 pounds pork tenderloin 2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons sugar Freshly ground pepper Cut pork tenderloin into 0 pieces. Combine soy sauce, su- gar and pepper. Pour this sauce over pork and Stir to coat well with sauce. Keep hi refrigerator 2-3 hours. Spread pork tenderloin pieces bine lemon juice; liquid and salt cellae thor- "aft•-pour'over meat. Let stand in sauce at room perature for 30 minutes. Run eat on skewers, alternating with tomatoes, onions and green ieppers. Broil over open fire, turning often to brown well on eisides; baste frequently with sauce and serve with additional sauce. BASTING SAUCE Juice and cut up peel of 2 lemons r/S cup salad oil 1 cup vinegar 2 bay leaves 1 cup Liquid smoke 1 No. 2 can tomato juice 1 tablespoon brown sugar or molasses .2 cups water Mix ingredients and bring to boil. Brush and baste cooking meats. Dimly-lit Planet When the remote planet of Neptune was recently at its nearest to our Earth—about 2,- 7 A million miles distant—astro- nomers all over the world spent many nights studying its green- ish disc, which has no visible m?rkings, hoping to learn some- thing new about this giant in space. It was announced that, whe-. ther it is inhabited or not, there is now no doubt that only dim twilight conditions can exist there. This . is because the amount of sunlight reaching the surface of Neptune is about 900 times less than that which shines on the Earth. Neptune was actually discov- ered before it was seen. Its ex- istence was deduced by a French astronomer named Le- verrier as a result of mathema- tical investigation. He indicated the ,place where it might be ex- pected to be seen and on the night of September 23rd, 1846, Professor J. G. Gaile, chief as- sistant at the • Berlin Observa- tory, became the first man on earth to see Neptune. He found the planet within less than one degree of the place the French- man had indicated. Today astronomers declare that the finding of Neptune be- fore it had been seen must al- ways rank as the most brilliant of all planetary discoveries. "Just laugh at your troubles," said a psychiatrist to his patient. "Look them in the, face and laugh at them." "I wouldn't dare," was the re- ply. "My wife and mother-in- law have no sense of humour!" Patron Sadat Of Toothache Telephone operators and tele- graphists now have their owns patron saint who watches over their welfare and happthess, it was recently announced in Italy. Appropriately enough it is the Archangel Gabriel, the saint wile was entrusted with heavenly messages to Daniel and Zachary,. In future he will look after the interests of those whose duty it is to bring .. people swiftly in touch with one another all over. the world, said the proclama- tion. Nearly every ancient trade hal a patron saint And since *lost modern professions evolved from older ones, choosing a pat- ron is nnbt generally difficult. Dentists, for instance, chose a wgtnan saint, Appolonia of Alex- andria, to .represent their pro- fession. She was a lovely young woman who in A.D. 250 was martyred for her faith by being thrown into a fiery furnace. Legend says that before her or- deal by fire, her tormenters ex- tracted all her teeth with black- smith's pincers. She is some- times referred to as the patrons saint of toothache. St. Crispin, who worked at a last, is said to look after. shoe- makers, St. Agatha nurses, St. Cecilia musicians, St. Cosmae surgeons, St. Peter fishmongers and St. Nicholas butchers, sail- ors and scholars. Some years ago Joan of Arc, who heard heavenly "voices," was claimed by the French as patroness of radio. Radio oper- ators from French warships have had processions in her honor. Some ' occupations have only one saint between . them, as in the case of hunters and op- ticians, who .'share" "t. Hubert. Printers and booksellers are said to be under the care of St. John, After years in the country, an elderly couple sold their farm and retired to the city to enjoy life. On the first morning the wife arose before sunrise and waking her husband, suggested, "Isn't it time you were getting up to light the fire, John?" "No, Mary," yawned the old man. "I'll call the fire brigade. We might as well get used to these city conveniences right away." SALUTE TO THE QUEEN -These Royal Navy ships maneuver skill- fully in greeting to Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip as the couple, aboard the royal yacht Britannia, cruise the North Sea. Front to rear are the aircraft carriers Ark Royal, Albion and Ocean. SNORT COURSE — Seems only the young man's pants got any "higher education" in this quick look at the subject. The youngster, known as "Dickie" became curious at commencement exercises at St. Olof's College, marched up to see what it was all about, upper laft, looked around, upper right; gave his pants a hitch. lower left; and, curiosity satisfied, sauntered off the platform.