Jubilee crowds?

I was feeling ironic as I took this photo this afternoon, looking north up the shore towards Toward Primary School - I think there was perhaps one family and a dog somewhere on that otherwise deserted beach this glorious afternoon. Perhaps everyone was in London ...

And that's the thing. I've actually - and maybe surprisingly for people who know me - watched quite a bit of the Jubilee celebrations on the telly so far, for the simple reason that the music is always fantastic when it comes to military bands, pipe bands, choirs and organs - to say nothing of these wonderful RAF trumpeters in St Paul's this morning. The ritual is always impeccable, the sound amazing. But it's in London. 

Likewise, the crowds are in London. The street parties, wherever they are, have not appeared anywhere I've been today. There is the odd Union flag, but there are more saltires and Ukraine flags. There is the odd string of bunting. The wild enthusiasm of the people who've been up all night camping on pavements to see some Royals is something far away, and not really anything to do with us. And it's been that way all my life. It's like watching a long-running soap, with characters who have grown so familiar that we even perhaps identify with some of them. But it's not real, not here, not in my life.

Me? I had a routine eye examination, was reassured that nothing major has affected my eyes since the last time, ordered some new frames and a replacement set of lenses for my driving specs. I got some new drops that promise to deal at once with allergy and dry eyes. Later it got hot and I sat in the sun before going for this peaceful seaside walk. We didn't manage to buy a car yet because the money is still in limbo. I watched the aforementioned telly coverage, and I watched East Enders, which seemed suitably to merge reality and soap. 

And I entertained a vision of Boris Johnson in purgatory, being forced to read these words over and over again: Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely. whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things.