Diamond Jubilee 4 June

Well, unfortunately yesterday's Pageant was well and truly rained-on. It was so murky latterly that the fly-past had to be cancelled. Our Queen was sheltered by an awning, naturally, but what a long time of standing in such miserable conditions. It's the sort of June weather we get used to in Scotland, just in time for school sports days, but unusual for the south of England.

We can barely feel our fingers, our umbrellas have blown inside out and we're drenched from head to toe. But it was all worth it. The Telegraph readers' boat has passed the Spirit of Chartwell and we all got a brief glimpse of Her Majesty, valiently waving despite the rain. She must be relieved that we're nearly at the back of the Pageant - she has been here for almost three hours - and there are still a few boats to come.

"At least she's as wet as we are," one reader says. "If she can stay outside on a day like this, we should all be outside too," says another. When we pass the royal boat, there's a rush inside for a cup of tea and a look back through our rain-fuzzed photographs. The dryer in the ladies' room has broken because so many people are using it to warm their hands. Telegraph photographer Chris Pledger is besieged by ladies cooing over his photographs of the Queen and Kate Middleton.

Members of the public make their way down the Mall to wait for the start of a pop music concert at Buckingham Palace, seen in background, to help celebrate Queen Elizabeth 2's 60-year reign during Diamond Jubilee celebrations in London, Monday, June 4, 2012. (AP / Tim Hales)

19:30BST  – Diamond Jubilee Concert at Buckingham Palace begins

After 22:30BST – The Queen lights the National Beacon outside Buckingham Palace 

Diamond Jubilee 3 June

14:30BST – The Queen embarks the Royal barge, the Spirit of Chartwell, near Albert Bridge  

16:15BST  – The Royal Barge comes alongside HMS President (Royal Naval Reserve Unit), near Tower Bridge  

CraftyStudy gets a Makeover

I have been tidying the craftystudy over the last whiley. Ruthless clearing out of items to charity, friends and the bin has taken place. Surfaces have been drastically purged. New canvas prints have been bought. Only boxes which match have been allowed on display. I feel I can actually work uncluttered!

Is it tidy now? What do you think? I'm hoping that if you compare these photos with the ones taken on 11 May for the Blog prompt you will see an improvement.

Nostalgia at Troon

No Blog Prompt! However, in Scotland we always talk about the weather because we can get four seasons in one day. Doon the watter - remember I explained that? Well, Ruth was at Troon, last weekend, in the heatwave.  The M77 was packed with cars and the seaside was thronged with families. Ruth writes:

Yesterday we went to Prestwick and today we went to Troon. As we passed the Piersland we saw how busy it was. All along and past the library there were cars on either side of the road. On the left hand side they were parked on the pavement. Up at Titchfield Road it was unbelievable with cars,  people on seats and families having picnics. The photos give you a little bit of Troon as it would have been years ago. Yesterday was even busier I was told. Ayr, Prestwick and Troon were all busy. Hope you like the photos.

31 Blog Prompts

Blog prompt #31

The final blog prompt is:  Write about your experience of the Creativity Club 31 blog prompts

I have enjoyed the daily blogging throughout May, even if it was a little pressured sometimes. Emma, it was such a help to have a topic to write to, and led me into areas that I hadn't considered blogging about. It has been good too to find new blogs to share with and even increased my own Blog's Views and Comments. I certainly intend trying to blog oftener, even if not on a daily basis.


I hadn't realised there had been no posting about my love of cats rather than dogs, till I read one of Rita's Comments from yesterday! Annie even put a cat funny on her post for today! I just wish I had a photo of Hudson with a cat, he starts woofing if you so much as mention the C-A-T word! 

Happy Birthday Karen and Angel

5 Things I love

Blog prompt #30

Today's blog prompt is ... 5 THINGS I LOVE... This can be craft products, websites, blogs, people... 

In no particular order of priority: 


1. Crafting with friends and volunteer crafting.  Ruth and I made baby cards with the outpatients at the Hospice today. Tatty Teddy was rubber-stamped, slightly coloured, matted and layered and a banner placed below. 


2. Replacement printer - arrived from HP. Now able to print out my craftsUprint and made a card for Hudson's 3rd birthday on Saturday.

3. Cats.  

Angel, my niece's cat

Pip, Ann's cat

4. Computers.  Excited about the Raspberry Pi initiative.  Smacks of the glory of the Electron days.

5. Singing.  So enjoyed my 4 years with the Praise Gathering choir and hoping it will start up again. 

Glasgow Royal Concert Hall 2011 - I am in the fourth row from the back, extreme right  

GRCH 2011 - Ruth is sixth row from the front, two in from the right  

Enjoyed my one event with Origin when we worshipped in Glasgow.

GRCH 2010 - can you spot me and Ruth?

10 things about me...

Blog prompt #29

Today's blog prompt is 10 things about me...

Can I possibly tell you anything about me that you don't know already from the blog posts? Don't think so.


Anyway off to the Glasgow Hospice with Ruth for our volunteer time at the Day Care Centre. We've been making Scotland cards, as I posted before, and some folk want to try rubber stamping for themselves. See you later.

Popularity

Blog prompt #28

Write about the post that has been really popular on your blog so far in May. Take a look at your stats and write about it.

Now the results of this one really took me by surprise.  I never thought of looking at the stats to see what topic was most popular.  I obviously need to be more focused about topic.


I thought at first that To Scrapbook or not to Scrapbook?was at the top, but guess what? - it's Day in the life of... Hudson the black labradorthat had the most views in May. Does that mean that on a supposedly craft-related blog, dogs are the most interesting topic? Woof! Man's best friend - and I'm a cat lover!

It's made me wonder if I should be blogging on a much wider range of topics?

Crafty Blogs

Blog prompt #27

Create a round up of all the crafty blogs that you have been reading this week! Make sure you link directly to the blogs too.

I've been doing the rounds of the bloggers who are sticking with this docrafts prompt. It's fascinating to read everyone's 'take' on the same subject, and I have found inspiration from that.  Some have even visited here and Commented, which I have found helpful and encouraging, and a few have become Followers.


Rita is not a docraft blogger but is our most faithful commenter.


Annie has visited the most, I think.


Fran has often popped in.


MaryNSC flits about all over the crafty web and is most often pinned down on Facebook!


I also received an email Survey from Crafters Companion which prompted me to look at that blog and Forum.

My Dream Job

Blog prompt #26

Are you doing now what you had always wanted to do when you were a child? What was your dream job as a child?

I didn't have any particular dream job as a child.  But when I became a teenager, big mainframe computing became an interest. However, that meant going to London as there was nothing available locally; having met my future hubby by that time, I stayed put and became a maths teacher instead! No difference, not much.


In the 1980s home computers came on the scene and I cuddled an Acorn Electron (baby brother of the BBC Micro) all the way home on the bus, after managing to bag one, they were so scarce and sought-after.  Together my son and I explored the joys of BASIC computing. Ah the memories of the Elbug magazine and together typing in masses of code to make a game work, only to be stopped by an error message, having typed a colon instead of a semicolon (or the other way round!).


Next came Personal Computers and my ambition was fulfilled in guddling about learning all I could.  I still don't have a job in computing, but I have fun appeasing my interest with blogging, video-making and photography instead via the crafting.

My Best Childhood Memory

Blog prompt #25

Blog about your best childhood memory

Oh, search the memory banks, Alice.  It will surely be a childhood summer holiday, where we nearly always went doon the watter, ie train to Wemyss Bay then sailed on the Clyde steamers down the Firth of Clyde to Dunoon, Kirn or Isle of Arran->Pirnmill & Whiting Bay - or Prestwick by train, or once, by plane to Bray in Eire.


So, the particular memory that comes to mind is of me looking into the sea at the shore, clear water and filled with pebbles in the depths. Similar to these photos taken on the Isle of Bute. 

Pebbles are fascinating; on Bute near Ettrick Bay, I searched for heart-shaped ones on the shore along from the arched bridge, which looks like the one on my card. As you can gather, Bute holds a special place for me, though I didn't discover the Undiscovered Isle till 2008!