My Edinburgh Experience

Princes Street from Calton Hill

Yes, it is June and supposedly summer although, as everyone in the UK agrees, wind and rain is not summer weather.  But for my few days in Edinburgh the weather was benign.  A few light showers on one day but otherwise pleasant for walking.  There are hop-on-hop-off tours available for those with mobility problems or with limited time and making their first trip to Scotland's capital. The rest of us wear out our shoe leather.

My first time in Edinburgh was in the late 1960s when I lived there for a short time.  In those days traffic was not a problem.  You could drive from home to the office and park the car for free!  Now traffic in Edinburgh is the same as any large city - far too much of it. 

To ease congestion between Waverley Station and the airport a tram system is being installed. Obviously residents and shopkeepers are unhappy with the road works that this entails, but tourists take it in their stride.  Once the work is complete and the trams glide along Princes Street everyone will be happy.

But, back to 'what I did on my holiday' - to paraphrase the teachers' favourite post-summer holiday essay subject.

The National Monument on Calton Hill.

I didn't go to Edinburgh Castle or Holyroodhouse Palace as I know them well.  This time it was an occasion to visit old haunts and do something I had never before done but always promised myself I would.  I climbed Calton Hill, once (like the hill where the castle is located) a volcano and where the monuments are.  Actually it isn't as bad as it sounds as, after climbing the first few steps off Waterloo Place, I then followed the gently sloping path that winds its way around the hill.

From the north side are fantastic views of the Firth of Forth across to Fife.  In other directions can be seen the castle, Princes Street, Holyroodhouse Palace and Arthur's Seat (another volcanic hill).  On Calton Hill are the Nelson Monument, the National Monument (in honour of the soldiers killed in the Napoleonic wars), Rock House (home of the 19th century photographer David Octavius Hill) and the former City Observatory.

My old haunts included the Royal Botanic Gardens and the street called Grassmarket.  My memories of the latter were of a large open space with pubs and a few shops. Now there are several restaurants and, in the centre, is an area set aside for open air dining, seats for relaxation and plenty of trees.  A definite improvement.

I will write some articles to post on TheTraveleditor.com  (www.thetraveleditor.com/authors/6261/Barbara_Bothwell/) - a case of 'watch that space'!  There are already some articles on the site about Edinburgh Castle, the Royal Yacht Britannia (moored at Leith docks) and the Queen Mum Memorial Garden (plus other garden areas of Edinburgh).

Door Slammers

Don't you just love them?  Those fellow hotel guests who seem unable to close their door quietly?  Especially annoying when they come in late at night - after you are asleep - and proceed to wake up everyone in the corridor.

Years ago when I lived in Spain one of the other problems was stone floors and ladies in high-heels.  Then, of course, along came the clogs.  As a hotel rep I heard many complaints about noisy floors and doors.  It still surprises me that anyone managed to get any sleep.  Perhaps that was why they fell asleep in the sun and got badly sunburnt!

If, like me, you live in a flat you also know of other noise problems such as loud radios/TVs/music.  

 But the biggest bugbear - as in hotels - is door slamming.  I can understand the click when people go out, but when they come in?  All doors have knobs of one sort or another so it isn't difficult to close the front door quietly rather than push it to behind you.

My most unfavourite noise problem?  People who don't close the bathroom door.  Think about it.

Now a please from all of us who experience door slamming - please, please, DON'T slam that door.  Just 'Shut that Door' quietly - as I'm sure the lovely late Larry Grayson would have expected.

Memories of a Coronation

The Fabulous Coronation Coach

Oh dear, how typical in this country that the weather forecast for the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations is cool and showery.  Exactly the same as on Coronation Day (3rd July 1953).  Then people camped out along the route for several days beforehand - the weather didn't put them off.

In the early 1950s only people who could afford it had television.  When it was announced that the Coronation would be televised sales rocketed.  Our next door neighbours bought one and on Coronation Day the room was filled with people on chairs of all types - a case of bring your own.  We children sat on the floor in front of the grown ups.

The set?  It was a small square screen in a large wooden cabinet.  It wouldn't have been possible to see the picture without the huge square glass bubble over it - the magnifier.

Until now the only moving pictures of the Royal Family that most of us had seen were Newsreels at the cinema.  A few of us had been lucky enough to see King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother) when they had either visited our town or driven through en route to another destination.

On Coronation Day we settled down to watch the most momentous post-war occasion in our lives.  The Crowning of our Queen, a beautiful young woman married to a handsome prince.

And it was the first time us children had ever seen the great Coronation Coach - albeit in black and white.  As it drew out of the Buckingham Palace forecourt and we got a glimpse of Her Majesty wearing a gorgeous diadem a shiver ran down my spine.

The cavalcade of carriages carrying royalty, presidents and other high ranking personages from around the world was interspersed with soldiers, sailors and airmen from the Commonwealth (as it was to become known) and, of course, there were mounted soldiers and bands.

Watching the Crowning was breathtaking.  And, of course, The Queen wore a crown for the long, slow return journey to Buckingham Palace.  It wasn't the one that she had been crowned with - the 1661 St. Edward's Crown which weights 2.23 kg. - but the lighter Imperial State Crown.

Apart from the Coronation Coach probably the most memorable one was the open Landau carrying the stately Queen Salote of Tonga and a smaller gentleman.  It didn't matter that it was raining, Queen Salote had a ball waving to the crowds, pointing to various placards held by members of the crowd and laughing.  A very jolly lady.  What an ambassador for her Country.  One that, until that time, very few of us had even heard of!

The Coronation, was well as being the epitome of British Pageantry was also a great learning experience.  Not just for the Service but also it brought the world to London and taught us children that there is a lot more than Europe out there to be visited.

Maybe that was the basis of my desire to travel!

I did once make it to Buckingham Palace for a Balcony Scene.  It was the 50th Anniversary of VE Day (9th May 1995).  I was at the railings by 6.00 a.m. and later saw Their Majesties, Queen Elizabeth II, the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and HRH the Princess Margaret on the balcony.  And they joined in the sing-song being led by Dame Vera Lynn, Sir Harry Secombe, Sir Cliff Richard and introduced by Bob Holness.  It was a morning that I will cherish all my life.  

HM The Queen during a visit to Croydon, Surrey

I do have an article about the Royal Carriages on www.thetraveleditor.com

The Acceptable Face of Electronic Publishing

It has taken a long time but electronic publishing is now considered acceptable.  Except by a few die-hards.

There is nothing - and never will be - anything to replace the joy of printed books.  They are easy to read and, in bed before going to sleep, are comforting to hold.

There are many reasons why people enjoy e-readers, be it Kindle, I-Pad, Kobo or one of several others now on the market.

1.      They are very portable, which makes them useful for commuters and travellers.  Having a small, slim and lightweight e-reader means you don't have to pack a load of books when going on holiday.  Think of the weight you save - especially when flying.

2.      If you read a lot and rely on the library, e-readers are invaluable.  With small local libraries closing or reducing their hours and stock, more people will have to rely on e-readers.  Especially if they don't own a car and so cannot reach another library.

 3.     Many bookworms either don't have room to keep more than a few books - which can make for boring reading after the third or fourth time - or cannot afford to buy books, even from a charity shop.

4.      E-readers are also very good for the disabled.  Apart from the convenience of not having to keep going to the library or bookshop, as they are lightweight they are easy to manage.

          This I know from personal experience.  I have RSI which affects my hand, arm and shoulder.  When they are particularly painful holding a book and turning the pages can be very difficult.  My Kindle is a blessing.

E-Publishing for Writers.

At one time if anyone e-published their books - without it being previously in print - it was assumed they weren't really writers.  Or, as one newspaper editor said to me, "Anyone can publish a book whether it is any good or not."

What doesn't seem to be realised is that books do get vetted.

From the author's point of view, e-publishing is easy but selling the books can be difficult.  As you don't have books to sign you cannot go and meet your fans.  So you have to create your own publicity.

The good news for self-published authors is that publishers are now e-publishing their clients' books so, once you have, say, three e-published books you have begun to create your portfolio.  This proves to agents and publishers that you can produce more than one book!

..........

My books are available on Amazon, I-Pad, Kobo, Diesel and Others.  

West Sussex Libraries

Last year West Sussex County Council decided that the libraries should have hardbacks and paperbacks shelved together, albeit categorised as Crime, Thriller, Historic, Romance and the rest.

Although I thought it a bit inconvenient if you only wanted paperbacks, it didn't particularly bother me.  Until…..  my back problem worsened.  For example, instead of taking 6 books and making fewer library visits I am now down to either 2 hardbacks or 4 paperbacks.  This has, of course, got me thinking about the inconvenience for the disabled.

Think about it - standing at an unnatural angle with neck bent sideways to read the title.  If you can only carry a couple of paperbacks it now means standing like that for a longer period of time in order to find books you enjoy.

Last week, to my horror, I discovered that they have compounded the problem by now shelving Crime and Thriller together.  Two different genre and not many people like both.

Ironically on my return home I found the following e-mail - in response to one I wrote several weeks ago:

"Thank you for your recent correspondence with the Library Service, which has been passed to me, as the person with general responsisbility for stock matters,  for reply.
Whilst I quite understand your point, I have to pass some of the blame towards the publishing industry.  These days, in excess of 70% of newly published titles we select for addition to stock are being published in paperback, making paperbacks by far the majority format.  I know for a fact that publishers are now only likely to produce hardbacks where they are guaranteed a large number of sales, and therefore the shift to the volume of paperback publishing is only going to increase.
For this reason, we cannot sustain separate collections within our libraries for the two formats, short of offering an organised arrangement of sturdy books on shelves, and a chaotic collection of variously sized paperbacks on spinners.  I'm sure you can appreciate this creates additional problems for those customers who are looking for particular titles or authors.
So the shift in all 36 West Sussex libraries will be towards interfiling hard- and paperbacks alike, into sequences favoured by the borrowing public (for instance, separate sequences for crime and thriller books), and leaving the promotion of the newest and most popular titles through displays on standalone units or face-on display.
I appreciate this doesn't give you the answer you may have hoped for, but I hope it does go some way in explaining the reasons behind what is happening.
Yours sincerely"

I do hope you noticed the error in this e-mail!  Incidentally, at Rustington and Littlehampton libraries the paperbacks were shelved alphabetically and categorised.

Maybe I'm being paranoid about this, but bearing in mind the number of library closures…..  Is this West Sussex Council's subtle way of discouraging some people from using small libraries so that they can close them down on the basis of under-use?

I will be tweeting this so if you see it, can you please retweet.  We have to fight against library closures.

Diamond Jubilee Year

The Diamond Jubilee celebrations have begun.  The Queen (with Prince Philip and the Duchess of Cambridge) started her tour of the UK last week and Prince Harry has just completed his first Official Tour which took in the Caribbean and Brazil.  Other members of the Royal Family will be undertaking various tours on behalf of Her Majesty.

In June, as well as the major celebrations there is also Trooping the Colour which celebrates the Monarch's Official Birthday.  This year it will be on June 16th and I'm sure that it will be even more fantastic than ever.  It is London's most spectacular display of Pomp and Circumstance.  [My article about it has fantastic photos by Harald Joergens - www.haraldjoergens.com.]

Seats for this spectacular are already sold out but there will be Reviews on the two previous Saturdays.  For information log on to www.trooping-the-colour.co.uk.  In the evenings of 13/14 June there will be Beating Retreat at Horse Guards Parade.  Music will be by the Massed Bands of the Guards Regiments with guest appearance of tenor, Wynne Evans and it will finish with fireworks.  The web site for this is www.guardsbeatingretreat.com. 

If you want to feel a part of Trooping the Colour, then you need to be in The Mall to watch Her Majesty and the soldiers pass by.  To make sure of a good space you will probably need to be there very early in the morning - or overnight!

Later in the summer Buckingham Palace opens to the public.  This year's exhibition is all about Diamonds with some of Her Majesty's jewellery on display.  Wherever you are in the UK there is bound to be a related exhibition or event.

Top tip:  Book early for both Buckingham Palace and Clarence House (home of the Prince of Wales).

For details about Buckingham Palace and Clarence House go to www.royal.gov.uk

I have some articles on theTravelEditor.com about Trooping the Colour, Diamond Jubilee Exhibitions, Buckingham Palace (2), Clarence House and other palaces and castles.

(www.thetraveleditor.com/authors/6261/Barbara_Bothwell/)

Evocative Music Brings Back Memories

The village of Orient

One morning while listening to Classic FM a wonderful memory was awoken.  The music was the beautiful Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia by Khachaturian.  Probably better known as the music of "The Onedin Line".

In the 1970s I was working in Mallorca so didn't see British television.  I didn't even have a telly as I seemed always to be working.

One of my jobs was acting as guide on some of the coach trips, my favourite being a morning drive into the mountains.  Following our coffee and cake stop at the hamlet of Orient we returned to the main road.  Having talked myself out on the way to Orient, the return journey was quiet as we admired the scenery.

This Adagio* has long been a favourite of mine so I was thrilled when the coach company purchased a new vehicle with a cassette player.  The first time I was on this coach for the Orient trip on the return journey I put in my tape commenting that it fit right in with the mountains.

Back came several cries, "That's the Onedin Line music!"  Of course they then had to tell me all about this programme.

Oh, so different from mountains.

* I once saw this beautiful Adagio performed by a couple of 'soloists' of the Kirov Ballet.  It was magical.