The Floral Clock

Today's the day . . . . . . . . . . to put on a display

I happened to be passing the Floral Clock in Edinburgh's Princes Street Gardens just before the hour struck.  I had to stay and watch the cuckoo that pops out of its little box - it brought back lots of memories from my childhood when I would do the same thing.

The clock is an immaculately tended floral display that also tells the correct time. Commissioned in 1903, it was the first of its kind in the world.  In 1973, an electric motor was installed to keep the clock hands moving - before then the clock's mechanism had to be wound daily.  With tens of thousands of small, colourful plants, the clock takes two gardeners five weeks to plant and puts on a colourful display right through the summer months.

I put on a bit of a display myself in the centre of Edinburgh today in the company of more than 200 fellow singers, under the musical direction of Alison Burns. The aim was to raise money for WaterAid - which hopefully we have done. 

We had lots of fun and people were very generous . . . . . .