Wet, diamonds and plain English training

Would you like to hear about my three days in Edinburgh?  Very different from last year’s Baileys-filled week with Maz. There’s actually not much to tell you apart from four sessions of plain English training which resulted in such feedback as 100% rated it as good or excellent, 100% would recommend it, engaging, interesting, informative blah blah.   But I met some super people there, had gorgeous candlelit dinners – alone, watched a team of football players in kilts being snapped by passers-by as they joked around on the hotel steps… I didn’t bother asking who they were.  They were obviously famous, but as I once spent a whole lunchtime with Mel eating carbonara and garlic prawns at the next table to the whole Spurs team and didn’t recognise them, I guessed it didn’t matter who this lot were.  But my highlight of that trip was a low flying plane over the length of England.  The natural landscape was breathtakingly beautiful, especially the lakes and the Peak District.  River deep, mountain high indeed; a green patchwork of loveliness.  There’s nothing plain English about our country.  I didn’t even take my book out my bag, just watched through the window as I ate my sushi; it was such a nice way to spend an hour.  Almost made me want to take flying lessons, which Deedub did recently, and he thought it was brilliant too.

So there’s my patriotic salute to England on this much-celebrated Diamond Jubilee day.  I did wander down to the river yesterday to watch the flotilla – 1000 boats and historic ships passing by amongst music and festivities, happiness and much flag waving.  The atmosphere was fantastic, and I know how amazing the flotilla was, because I saw some of it on a big screen at Tower Bridge, and most of it later at home, wrapped up in a blanket and drinking hot chocolate.  We got so drenched!! 

The heavens opened and incessant rain soaked us to our skin – everywhere!!! But we braved it – well, three of us braved it – the others crept off home at the first sign of drizzle. But over a million people stayed and it sure was an experience.