White Flower Day

I mentioned that we sell paper flowers when we're in Livadia to raise money. We go through the streets of Livadia with our tall posts stuck with the flowers we've made and collection boxes. Lots of other people do the same thing, but we sell our flowers fastest. I heard that some think it's good luck to have a flower made by one of the grand duchesses. Here we are getting ready to go:

Charity work is very important to us all, especially Mama. She often endows hospitals and homes for the poor with money from her own fortune. We visit them when we travel, and Mama and her best friend, Anna Vyrubova, sometimes make special trips to see these institutions. People cry when they see us and are very thankful. I know I should be more enthusiastic about visiting hospitals and such, but seeing people suffer makes me very sad. I don't like to be sad, I like to be gay and to have fun.

But soon I will be too old for pranks and such anymore, so I suppose I should get used to doing the things a grand duchess is supposed to do.