A place in the sun

Not a bad day - quite a bit of sunshine. Sad to hear the news about the Queen, though it was going to happen by the sound of it. I'll always remember meeting her in the garden at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, when I worked there. She popped out of the back door while I was coiling up hoses on the terrace and said 'Good evening'. I was rather caught out but replied 'Good evening Ma'am'! Maybe I should have said 'Your Majesty'. I like to think, just for fun, that the occasion was the only time in the history of the world that the Queen and I were alone together in Holyrood Palace Gardens! I do think that The Herald might has chosen a better picture for their front page today - see extra.

I walked down town again to buy a paper - and bought 'The Times' as well, just for the 'Queen Souvenir'. On the way back I stopped - yet again - at my favourite bramble patch and picked another 3 pounds - that's nearly 10 pounds now, probably time to stop! I'll see - there are still quite a few left and more ripening all the time. 

I called in to my friend's house to return the borrowed umbrella from Wednesday and got involved in a long conversation about the iniquities of the local council. He held forth for half an hour about the illegal building, the turning of blind eyes by the council, the building over Rights of Way and many other bad things that he's aware of, being born and bred in the town. I suggested that he records everything that he knows about, but he said he would tell me and I could write it down. I'm not too sure about this!

As I passed my elderly neighbour's cottage it looked so lovely in the sunshine that I made it my Blip today. A very colourful garden - many tourists on their way to McCaig's Tower stop to admire it.