Author Topic: Removal of thread "The Empress Alexandra Fights Back"  (Read 114138 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline griffh

  • Knyaz
  • ****
  • Posts: 536
  • I love YaBB 1G - SP1!
    • View Profile
Re: Removal of thread "The Empress Alexandra Fights Back"
« Reply #15 on: February 02, 2011, 01:34:56 PM »
Gosh I was so moved by everyone's kind and loving thoughts.   

You are so right Alixz, now it's up to me to get this book finished...

Thank you again for all you did for my thread and again thanks to Bob and Rob for making this all possible.   

Best to everyone Griff

Offline grandduchessella

  • Global Moderator
  • Velikye Knyaz
  • *****
  • Posts: 13039
  • Getting Ready to Move to Europe :D
    • View Profile
    • Facebook page
Re: Removal of thread "The Empress Alexandra Fights Back"
« Reply #16 on: February 02, 2011, 04:40:04 PM »
Good luck--you certainly deserve it! The amount of time and effort that you put into those threads--1000s of messages--represents such an investment. I wish nothing but the best for you with this book. Just don't forget us here when you're a powerful and successful author.  :) ;)
They also serve who only stand and wait--John Milton
Come visit on Pinterest--http://pinterest.com/lawrbk/

historyfan

  • Guest
Re: Removal of thread "The Empress Alexandra Fights Back"
« Reply #17 on: February 02, 2011, 09:03:54 PM »
Good luck--you certainly deserve it! The amount of time and effort that you put into those threads--1000s of messages--represents such an investment. I wish nothing but the best for you with this book. Just don't forget us here when you're a powerful and successful author.  :) ;)

I echo that.  : )

Offline griffh

  • Knyaz
  • ****
  • Posts: 536
  • I love YaBB 1G - SP1!
    • View Profile
Re: Removal of thread "The Empress Alexandra Fights Back"
« Reply #18 on: February 02, 2011, 11:55:36 PM »

Oh Grandduchessella I have always loved our exchanges as they go back before this thread and, by-the-by, I think you might have finally solved "Old Jack's" identity! 

And thank you Robert Hall, knowing your feelings about the young Empress, your remarks met a lot to me. 

Also thank you Laura Mabee for your kind hopes for my book. 

And Janet from Hawaii thank you for softening my concept of Anya Taneeva (Vyrubova). 

And of course thank you to Teddy, Historyfan, and Joanna for hanging in there with me all these years. 

And thanks to Janet Ashton for her interest and promotion of my thread.   

And special thanks to our newest author, Helen/Petra, who has always managed to temper my zeal and polish my rough edges and who will hopefully continue to do so.

And my deepest gratitude and thanks to Margarita Nelipa who originally chose me to be her assistant council for a proposed AP trial for Rasputin, which, alas, turned into the most definitive book on Rasputin ever written.   Thank you Margarita for your continued strong support and for being such a trusted advisor and such a wonderful friend. 

And thanks to AP forum for being the vehicle through which I met two invaluable new friends Rudi3 [there are no words to describe him]and Petr [who are a gift from heaven].   

There are so many others I would love to thank but I am starting to sound like George M. Cohen, "And I want to thank my Mother, and I want to thank my Father....."   So just let me say again, thank everybody for your kind thoughts. 
Best, Griff
   

historyfan

  • Guest
Re: Removal of thread "The Empress Alexandra Fights Back"
« Reply #19 on: February 03, 2011, 08:31:44 AM »
"I'd like to thank the Academy...."  lol

Offline Petr

  • Graf
  • ***
  • Posts: 287
    • View Profile
Re: Removal of thread "The Empress Alexandra Fights Back"
« Reply #20 on: February 03, 2011, 12:56:52 PM »
Griff;

God speed on all your endeavors. We all await your magnus opus with great anticipation.  Thank you.

Petr
Rumpo non plecto

Offline griffh

  • Knyaz
  • ****
  • Posts: 536
  • I love YaBB 1G - SP1!
    • View Profile
Re: Removal of thread "The Empress Alexandra Fights Back"
« Reply #21 on: February 04, 2011, 03:50:22 PM »
Thank you Petr, and just a quick note to anyone who may have emailed me recently: unfortunately I had not updated my email address in my profile until yesterday so please try again if you used the old email address.

Offline RealAnastasia

  • Velikye Knyaz
  • ****
  • Posts: 1890
  • I love YaBB 1G - SP1!
    • View Profile
Re: Removal of thread "The Empress Alexandra Fights Back"
« Reply #22 on: February 04, 2011, 09:58:58 PM »
Hello Griff:

                      I only add a comment now and then in this thread, but mt interst in Empress Alexandra is great and I would come here to lurk as much as it was possible for me. I will miss "Empress Alexandra Fights back" thread, but I'm sure you must follow what your editors recommends for the sake of the publication of your book.

                      Good luck! I wish I would read your work as soon as I can !

                       RealAnstasia (Vanesa)

matushka

  • Guest
Re: Removal of thread "The Empress Alexandra Fights Back"
« Reply #23 on: February 05, 2011, 01:17:40 PM »
Just discovered what happened to my favorite thread at the AP forum! I am deeply moved, so many informations... all has gone. It looked like a family who lost his patriarch, the memory of the clan! Good luck with the book. Be sure I will read it with the greatest interest! Thank you for all your work!

Offline griffh

  • Knyaz
  • ****
  • Posts: 536
  • I love YaBB 1G - SP1!
    • View Profile
Re: Removal of thread "The Empress Alexandra Fights Back"
« Reply #24 on: February 05, 2011, 01:55:50 PM »
Hello Griff:

                      I only add a comment now and then in this thread, but mt interst in Empress Alexandra is great and I would come here to lurk as much as it was possible for me. I will miss "Empress Alexandra Fights back" thread, but I'm sure you must follow what your editors recommends for the sake of the publication of your book.

                      Good luck! I wish I would read your work as soon as I can !

                       RealAnstasia (Vanesa)

Vanesa I am probably going to end up making this a thread of thank yous, but I just have to say that you were, I believe the very first individual to post on my thread.  I was so nervous and scared and that first posting really brought me peace of mind.  Thanks so much...Grif



Offline griffh

  • Knyaz
  • ****
  • Posts: 536
  • I love YaBB 1G - SP1!
    • View Profile
Re: Removal of thread "The Empress Alexandra Fights Back"
« Reply #25 on: February 05, 2011, 02:11:41 PM »
Just discovered what happened to my favorite thread at the AP forum! I am deeply moved, so many informations... all has gone. It looked like a family who lost his patriarch, the memory of the clan! Good luck with the book. Be sure I will read it with the greatest interest! Thank you for all your work!

Your sentiments are so touching Matushka and I am indebted to your for your knowledge of Ella's letters and your detailed research on so many prelates of the Orthodox Church and some of the controversies. 

I had not fully appreciated at the time you posted your perspective on Masha, how it reflected the Empress' view of her innocence but also her very unwise trip to Petrograd in late 1915 that created such a terrible backlash on Alexandra.  I was so irritated with Masha's recklessness, that I lost a sense of all sense of humanity for her, nor did it fully occur to me at the time how difficult, almost impossible, it must have been for members of an international aristocracy, such as Masha, to suddenly adopt a severe nationalistic rationale from which to judge their actions.  Well anyway thank you again for all you contributed to the thread...Best Griff       

Alixz

  • Guest
Re: Removal of thread "The Empress Alexandra Fights Back"
« Reply #26 on: February 05, 2011, 06:10:15 PM »
I think it was very difficult for all of the International Aristocracy to appreciate the divisions that World War I made in their private lives and the lives of their relatives who were now on opposing sides.

Before the war, they traveled to visit as they saw fit and did not see a German or a Russian or a Brit.  They saw family.  That is why the Russians who thought that Alexandra was working for Germany could even think such a thing because they realized that family might mean more than adopted country.

The same was true for Sophie and Constantine in Greece.  Old allegiances to family would seem to over shadow new allegiances to an adopted country.

I often wonder how I would have felt or would feel even now if I had to choose between a adopted country and the family I might have left behind.

Offline kamlowsky

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 40
  • I love YaBB 1G - SP1!
    • View Profile
Re: Removal of thread "The Empress Alexandra Fights Back"
« Reply #27 on: February 05, 2011, 11:56:50 PM »
Oh my dear Griffh, I am so sorry all this marvelous creation that you've put your heart and soul into is gone. My heart hurts.

On the otherhand what a wonderful journey you are on now. I've always said you needed to write a book and am so thrilled that the process is happening. I also enjoyed when you wrote about all the womens' clothes from different eras.    Most of all I do hope that some day you will write a biography. Goodness, I am planning out your life here. LOL

You do what you need  to do to complete your project and we'll be waiting here for you when the opportunity arises to share and read your book.

I'll never forget your dreams about Alexandra. She must be very close to you.

Love,
barb

Offline griffh

  • Knyaz
  • ****
  • Posts: 536
  • I love YaBB 1G - SP1!
    • View Profile
Re: Removal of thread "The Empress Alexandra Fights Back"
« Reply #28 on: February 07, 2011, 09:52:11 AM »

Oh my dear Griffh, I am so sorry all this marvelous creation that you've put your heart and soul into is gone. My heart hurts.

On the otherhand what a wonderful journey you are on now. I've always said you needed to write a book and am so thrilled that the process is happening. I also enjoyed when you wrote about all the womens' clothes from different eras.    Most of all I do hope that some day you will write a biography. Goodness, I am planning out your life here. LOL

You do what you need  to do to complete your project and we'll be waiting here for you when the opportunity arises to share and read your book.

I'll never forget your dreams about Alexandra. She must be very close to you.

Love,
barb

You know, Barb, it is so interesting that you should mention the dreams. 

I am not sure if you meant the reoccurring dream I used to have of the Empress when I was young.  It would always start on a lovely Spring or early Summer morning at about 11am which is my favorite time of day.  I would be walking in a lovely tree filled garden of some estate not unlike the ones in our neighborhood when I was young. 

All of the sudden I would come to a clearing with a beautifully manicured lawn that surrounded the back of a handsome mansion and I could see a large veranda with a balustrade.  As I would walk towards the staircase up to the veranda I would see this lovely woman.  She was very gentle and ladylike.  I remember how much I wanted to speak with her as I knew when I got closer that she was the Empress.  She was in her mid-to-late twenties and at the height of her beauty.  I remember that she had the cleanest, nicest fragrance, not at all like my mother or grandmother's perfumes which were very nice but more flowery.  She never seemed to mind that I had been walking in her garden and after a brief introduction she always made me feel so at ease and then would start to tell me things about her life.  I  remember trying to find a pencil and piece of paper and I think the dream would always end at that point.  I am sure that all my impressions in my dream came from all the things I had read about the Empress. 

The other dream I had that started when I was in my late teens, was seeing the Empress and her daughters, in the softest neo-classic  chiffon gowns, slowly gliding over the top of a horrid little scrubby forest that was almost colorless.  I remember trying so hard to count the Empress' daughters to see if they were all with her.  I never could seem to do so, but I remembered feeling this sense of peace and harmony even though the setting was so forlorn and ugly. 

I was reminded of this dream just days ago from a photograph in the new King/Wilson book on Anna Anderson, neé Franziska Schamzkowska.  On the bottom of page 68 there is a photograph of the now famous Koptyaki Forest outside Ekaterinburg which really startled me when I saw it.  All one would have to do is walk through the clearing in the photograph and walk to the right and then look back at that bank of trees in the distance to see exactly that part of the forest that I saw in my dream. 

 I am not a mystic or a spiritualist or anything like that, and sharing these dreams must not be the smartest thing for me to do, especially at this juncture in my life while writing about the Empress; and I am sure that it weakens my credibility in some people's minds, but none the less they were my dreams and I cannot pretend that they were not.       

Well just to say, Barb, I like your plans for my life and it might be fun at some point in the future to think about writing an autobiography, but as Alixz says, I have got to get this book finished first.   Best Griff


Offline Clemence

  • Graf
  • ***
  • Posts: 388
    • View Profile
Re: Removal of thread "The Empress Alexandra Fights Back"
« Reply #29 on: February 07, 2011, 01:58:15 PM »
dearest Griffh,

I don't know about credibility, all I know is that the reason most of us are here for some hours every day is that we share love and interest for some people lost for ever, and I believe each one of us had his/her share of some kind of experience that made him/her get involved in this ... personally I felt the Empress near me at the most crucial moment of my life and  she helped me through ... after that I never felt so close to her again, but I always keep that experience in my mind and my heart.

thank you again for all the fine things you had the kindness to share with as in your thread. I wish you the best with your book and in your life!
'' It used to be all girls without clothes. Now it’s all clothes with no girls. Pity.''