Anne in Texas

The Nicholas Brothers’ tap sequence in Stormy Weather (1943) is often called the greatest dance sequence ever filmed ― Fred Astaire himself even said so. ✨🎬 Fayard and Harold Nicholas, two African-American brothers from Philadelphia, were prodigies of vaudeville and Hollywood, blending acrobatics, jazz, and ballet into a style all their own. In this iconic scene, filmed more than 80 years ago, they leapfrog down a staircase, slide into splits, and dance across tables and pianos with flawless precision ― all in full evening dress. Their fearless athleticism, effortless timing, and joyous energy left audiences and fellow legends like Gene Kelly, Michael Jackson, Mikhail Baryshnikov and Astaire in awe.

Good morning, from somewhere the Danube River en route to Vienna! Today we begin with a panoramic tour of Vienna, traveling along the famed Ring Road and a visit to one of the Christmas markets. After lunch, we have opportunities to take shuttles to any of the Christmas markets. We will be looking for this particular stall at one of the markets as I am coveting these:

Harry and Meghan. A Match Made in Hell. When Trauma Met Opportunity. This is my take on the disastrous duo and how it all unravelled. Harry was angry with the royal family for reasons that long predate Meghan. His resentment was already there. It grew out of unresolved grief over Diana, years of comparison with his brother, and a deep seated inferiority complex tied to being the spare. He internalised the idea that William was protected while he was expendable. Instead of working through that reality, he nursed it. Anger became easier than acceptance. Victimhood became easier than responsibility. He also resented the structure itself. The monarchy rewards hierarchy, restraint and long term duty. Harry wanted the status without the discipline, the privilege without the limits. When he was told no, when his behaviour had consequences, he interpreted that not as structure but as rejection. Over time, grievance hardened into entitlement. That is on Harry. He chose bitterness. He chose to externalise blame. He chose to attack rather than mature. Meghan did not create his trauma, but she absolutely amplified it and she did so in the most destructive way possible. Instead of challenging his distorted thinking, she validated it. Instead of encouraging perspective, she reinforced paranoia. She did not help him process grief. She taught him to perform it. Every unresolved wound was reframed as proof he was uniquely wronged. Every family boundary became cruelty. Every institutional limit became oppression. His anger was not calmed. It was affirmed, polished and weaponised. Therapy language was used not to heal but to moralise resentment and shut down accountability. Crucially, Meghan benefited from this version of Harry. A healed Harry would have been steadier, quieter and far less useful. An angry Harry is loyal to the narrative, isolated from dissent and dependent on her interpretation of reality. That dynamic made everything worse. His anger deepened. His fixation intensified. His public behaviour deteriorated. So this is not about excusing Harry by blaming Meghan. Harry is responsible for his choices. He chose to burn bridges, to attack his family, to expose private relationships and to live inside grievance. Meghan did not force that. But she did enable it, encourage it and profit from it. Harry brought the rage. Meghan gave it a script, a platform and a business model. This was never a healing union. It was a convergence of unresolved rage and ruthless ambition. He wanted validation for his anger. She wanted a story that would never end. Together, they didn’t rise. They rotted. A match made in hell because hell thrives on grievance, isolation and blame and that is exactly what they chose to build.