Gawping

The first rule of blipfoto is never go anywhere without your camera!

The second rule is, if you do then there will be loads of things that a Galaxy Ace 5 megapixel camera with 1.5 zoom is useless for but which a Canon G12 would cope with admirably.

And so it was today.

I headed out early (for me) to Register House to do M's family tree. Jinxed down Chambers Street at 9.15 and there was already a huge crowd waiting for the opening of the refurbished National Museum of Scotland after an extended closure. It was great to see so many families, and young children in buggies, although the lawyers and others heading for the Sheriff Court had a hard time getting through. So I waited and saw and heard the fantastic drummers, saw (but not heard) the opening spiel, watched 2 folk abseil down the front with white banners and admired the fireworks off the roof, although daytime fireworks don't really do it for me. All this was captured on the Galaxy but not very well, not helped by a) couldn't see was I was pointing at and b) it was into the sun c) I'm vertically challenged.

I had a great day on the Births, Marriages and Deaths and censues and now have much paper to sort.

When I came out the sun was shining and it was a glorious late afternoon. M & S for the 'dine in for a tenner' meal, ice cream cone in the gardens and a bit of sun watching the people lying in the sun under the Scott Monument. More pics but blipfolio tells me they're too small to display. Might get on FB, or Flickr, later.

It was too beautiful an evening to back to a 3rd floor flat so I sauntered down the Royal Mile, with the tourists, to see the action outside the Canongate Church. I'd missed the dress rehearsal but it was fascinating watching REAL photographers set up, stepladders with Reuters and PA on, and gaffer tape with their agency name stuck on 'their' bit of crash barrier. I sat outside 'Vivo' drinking coffee in the sun, watching the world go by (I never knew there were so many #35 buses!) and hearing the photographers and the police telling the tourists what the fuss was. Met a lovely mother and daughter, farmers' wives from Clitheroe, who were up for 'the wedding' and are spending to-night camped on the pavement opposite the church, but looks like they are going to get a fine night. (For those of you NOT in Edinburgh, our Queen's grand daughter, Zara Phillips, is getting married at 3 p.m. tomorrow in the Canongate Church, Edinburgh to her long time partner, Mike Tindall, captain of the English rugby team).

After the sun dipped over the Canongate Tolbooth is was back home via the still sunny Meadows with the haze of BBQs and the chatter of young voices adding to the atmosphere. I could see Lady Findhorn's umbrella and chairs on the Dower House patio so looked she and His Lordship et al were enjoying the evening too.

Edinburgh is magical on days like this - hope it lasts for the Festival.

And tomorrow - I may go back to the Royal Mile to try and get a blip of something, or someone, with a proper camera.