We went to the Royal Garden Party at Holyrood earlier in the summer and had a very pleasant afternoon in the sun.  Yes, the sun shone, a rare event this year.  We didn’t chat with the Queen but did pass the time with some friends we bumped into.  I didn’t eat the cucumber sandwiches but did procure a plate of gluten free goodies – the organisers have clearly done this sort of thing once or twice before.  I didn’t wear a hat and noone seemed to mind.  I didn’t take any photographs because GPD made me leave the camera in the car; after all, the invitation firmly forbade cameras.   We enjoyed the bands and marvelled at their cunning scheme, involving flags and flag poles, that allowed them to coordinate their playing from opposite sides of the park.  There was pageantry and there were spectacular outfits.  All in all, a very pleasant, very British afternoon.

And then, towards the end of the school holidays, GP2’s football team went off to Edinburgh to hobnob with royalty.    Continue reading →