I may get in to trouble for this

I was privileged to get invited tonight to the ceremony to mark the Kirking of the new Scottish Parliament. The first part was held in St Giles Catherdral in the presence of Prince Charles, the Duke of Rothesay. I was so far back I could not see him!

The ceremony was both multi faith - and humanist to represent the diversity of the Scottish population. The ceremony had its high points and some langours but was a fitting support for the new MSPs. There was mention too for those who had sought election but had failed to be elected.

We then headed to Parliament Hall for a reception. Prince Charles was circulating to meet the great and the good ( not me!) but it was a great opportunity to meet up with MSPS (new and returning.) and other colleagues.

Parliament Hall is not usually photographable, and while there was an explicit ban on photography in St Giles, there seemed to be less strict rules in Parliament Hall. Nevertheless, the blip might be illegal!

Not only did I catch up with some fellow blippers I also met up with a former university colleague, Mary Taylor. We both studied Russian together on the interpreting course at Heriot-Watt university in the late 70s. Mary - see extra blip - is CEO of the Scottish Federation of Housing Associtations.