The Queen Counts Her Swans

I have been living a non-eventful life as of late. And non-eventful things have occured in the world as well, leaving me uninspired for things to share with you. But today, as I sat at my desk quietly pondering life and eating peanut M&M's, I received an email from my Mom who asked if I saw the Queen at the 'Swan Upping' in England. Well, as I had never heard of it, I had to do my research and it is so delightfully boring I had to share it with you!

A Swan Upping is a tradition in England dating back to the 12th Century. I don't know a thing about Swans.....I consider all Swans to be female, for example. So what I learned about this is that it is for Ceremonial purposes now, but back then it was for more practical reasons, as the Swans belonged to the Monarch, and said Swans were considered a delicacy. So in order to protect his (it was probably a King back then, only a dude would conjure up something so ridiculous, like Golf) Swanstock, a group of men called 'Uppers' would capture them, nick their beaks, and then re-release them for future use in feasts. Gross. Today, the Upping lasts one week and is strictly for Ceremony, however, the Swans are still marked with rings around their little swan ankles. Now onto the photo recap of and Queen Elizabeth's thoughts on Upping swans:

"So let me get this straight. You're my Uppers? The Queen of England's Uppers! Have you met the King of Pop's Downers? Hahahaaaa!!!! Eh hem."

"Lemme tell you a somethin about the Uppahs. They are as thick as thieves and they stick togethah to the end..."

"This is what Regal Boredom looks like whilst adrift."

"Oh look. The Swan has reentered it's atmosphere"

"WhyEVER did Helen Mirren want to make a movie about my life."

"I hear they taste quite like chicken"

"And what do you do the remaining 51 weeks of the year?"