I don’t do this often folks, and even less for music that’s not my own in some way, but Jubilee Hall (my lovely acoustic trio) played on Monday night with a fabulous musician called Alex Cornish, and after visiting his MySpace page last night, I really really had to share his music with you, because it’s been getting under my skin.  In a big way.

I strongly suggest that you go check out his music - it has tinges of Radiohead, with a dash of almost Early Coldplay.  Strings, smooth guitar, great vocals, and great melodies.

Don’t believe me? Have a listen for yourself on his MySpace page

This guy’s not to be missed.  I believe he’s touring the UK in September - details are on the Myspace Page, so if you’re nearby, go check him out.

Can you believe it folks? This month marks 5 years of blogs-on-record.  There was the odd blog entry on Blogger before this blog began, back when I was getting ready to go to China.  But then I found out that Blogger is one of the many blocked websites in China.

Who remembers Webmaster Matt? He was the amazing friend-I’d-never-met (Of course, I did meet him eventually, and actually had coffee with him today) who set this blog up for me, and hosted it back in the days before I had my own webspace.   Back in the days when it was called The Orient Express.  Throughout that year in China, I took you with me on a train from Shanghai to Urumqi. We began to explore Chinese food together.

You came with me for my first day of classroom teaching in China, you sympathised with my cat, Mushuk, when he was forced to sing soprano for the rest of his life.

Who remembers that first day when it started snowing? Or the day I forced Mushuk to pose with my new Firefly DVDs when they finally arrived while I was living in China (was it really 5 years ago!?)

I told you all about the Primary School where I was teaching, and the day I nearly set my apartment building on fire while the primary school was also having its own fire too.  You all celebrated christmas with us in Kelamayi with those Crazy Canadians, Chris and Pat (I miss you guys!) and more westerners than I’d seen together in one place since I’d arrived in China.

Browncoats mourned when Lux died, and celebrated when Serenity was announced.

I had adventures in Kashgar, Beijing and up to the Heavenly Lake on horseback with Kazak guides.

And then suddenly my big adventure was over, and I was home again in Australia.  But not for long.

For Mark Saul, that crazy Aussie piper and composer, invited me to join him on an adventure which would see me move to Edinburgh, and take me to so many interesting places and rockin’ festivals.  I’m so grateful to him for the opportunity.

And almost as soon as I arrived here in the gorgeous Edinburgh, I got to fulfil one of those big all-time dreams I’ve harboured since forever - I got to attend a Hollywood Red Carpet premiere.  OK, so it wasn’t in Hollywood, and I didn’t actually get to walk on the Red Carpet myself, but I got to go to the Big Damn World Premiere of Serenity.

Well, the next few years have been a little quieter and less adventurous, with the exception of more shows with Mark Saul, and a lightning fast, super spontaneous trip to New York to visit Yarnmonster Jess last January. And since then I’ve been pretty slack with the blogging, mostly cause I don’t seem to be having a very adventurous life.  It’s easy to forget, living in a city like Edinburgh, just how incredible this city is.  So here’s what I’m going to do.  I’m going to start taking my camera with me everywhere, and attempt to document the comings and goings of this beautiful, breathtaking place.  Eventually, one day, I’m going to go back to Australia (not now, not yet!) and I want to be mindful every day I spend here, how lucky I am to live here.

So, here’s to five long years of blogging, and here’s to many more to come, dear friends and readers.

This fabulous picture was sent to me by Ubiquitous Jessie, from her little sister who’s living and working in Canberra, poor luv.

“A few weeks ago in Sydney there was a major Catholic gathering and the pope went along to inspire the kiddies of Australia:”

I’m not sure I can remember laughing so hard this entire year.  Who knew that the Count from Sesame Street was such a nympho

count from sesame street

Lolcats ‘n’ Funny Pictures of Cats - I Can Has Cheezburger?

Summer has finally revisited Bonny Scotland. I was starting to think that those few sunny days we had in May were going to be all we would get. But no, the day dawned warm and soft - but not too hot - and that inevitably brings the ballgames to The Meadows.

Aaah, The Meadows. A beautiful open parkland crisscrossed by treelined boulevards, reminiscent of the Edinburgh Gardens in Melbourne, which I’m sure takes its name from these gardens not 2 minutes walk from my flat.

I’m lucky enough to be able to cross The Meadows on my walk to and from work, and one of my favorite parts of every (warm, sunny) day is strolling down the middle of this gorgeous garden, watching people revel in the warm weather.

Today I saw - and heard - a brilliant sight. Two groups of young blokes, probably in their mid 20s. One group was playing Soccer, the other, Aussie Rules football.

I walked passed the Aussie Rules group, and stopped for a moment, enjoying the sight of it - it really is a fun game to watch, fast and skilled and non-violent for the most part. Anyway, I walk past these boys and hear Aussie voices calling to each other, “here, over here Tommo!” and “C’mon, man up Jacko” - the endearing Aussie habit of taking someone’s name and adding an “o” to the end as a term of endearment.

Then I approached the soccer players, and heard a similar sentiment from them, only in French - “eh ben non! Merde!”

I just thought it was cool, to see two groups side by side, not encroaching on each others’ space, playing their national version of le football/footie.

Just hadta share.

I just got the sweetest email on Facebook from a girl I’ve never met:

“Sorry for the randomness of this. My friends and I bet we could attract more friends with the same name than each other. We’ve got until Christmas and I want to collect 1,000 Charlottes. Please confirm me as a friend and help me win, Lotty x.”

I dunno, something about this effort tickled my sense of the ridiculous, so of course, I accepted. I then went to write on her Facebook Wall, to demonstrate my solidarity with her cause, only to find that I was by no means the first Charlotte there - I kid you not, her entire wall was made up of other Charlottes from around the world, leaving their message, saying hello to all the other Charlottes who were visiting, and just showing their support for this slightly strange bet.

for we’re going to meet the queen

As a kid growing up, we had a whole section of the fridge covered with photos of friends and family. Some of these photos were rotated around, and some stayed in their special place of pride. On picture which always stayed right where it was was a picture of my Grandfather and his wife (my step-grandmum) standing outside the gates of Buckingham Palace.

Both of them looked so very dapper - Grandpa was wearing tails, Rosalie was in an oh-so-prim day dress, both of standing so straight and tall and proud outside the palace gates. That was the day that Grandpa and Ros were going to The Queen’s Garden Party, and I was always so very proud that my grandfather got to go to this garden party. It had even taken on an almost mystical quality in my head - The Day My Grandpa The Arch Monarchist Met The Queen. It all felt so very far away and grand.

So imagine my very great surprise when a letter arrived for me a few weeks ago with the seal of The Lord Chamberlain on it. I open it, and inside is an invitation card which read:

“The Lord Chamberlain is commanded by Her Majesty to invite Miss Charlotte McC to a Garden Party at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.”

Whoosie what now? Me? A Garden Party? Her Majesty commended the Lord Chamberlain to invite me?

Of course, the reality is these garden parties are huge events, I wasn’t really likely to exchange words with Her Majesty, but all the same! My very first thought (after the initial choking on my coffee of course) was “where on earth did they get my name?!

Turns out, my gorgeously lovely darling flatmate Maddy had put our names down oh, months ago as an opportunity for public servants such as herself to attend such events, and we just happened to be lucky enough to be invited.

Dress code was frocks and hats and frou frou galore. So very much fun. I had this picture of my grandfather in mind the whole time, I knew I wanted to get something similar, though not at the gates of Buckingham, but at the Edinburgh version, Holyrood Palace.

Thanks go to Rusty for taking photos - we weren’t allowed to bring cameras into the palace grounds, so Rusty - who works at the parliament just across the street, agreed to come take some happy snaps of us that my grandchildren will be able to keep on their fridge. Perhaps they’ll go to one of King William’s garden parties…

The garden party itself initially involved a great deal of standing around, waiting for Her Majesty to arrive, followed by a bit more standing around. All of this might have been unbearable given the shoes that most of the ladies were wearing, but there was plenty to keep me and Maddy occupied, and so follows my list of Things To Do At A Royal Garden Party:

1. Make sure you get at least a glimpse of Her Majesty. If you can arrive a little early, see if you can get on the rope line and even get a chance to throw her a curtsey or a bow. We weren’t early enough, alas.
2. Be kind to your feet - you’ll be on them all afternoon. Wear relatively comfortable shoes.
3. Keep an eye out for more socially forward royals. Princess Anne was out mingling (in a stately fashion of course!) with the crowd, while the rest of the Royals (ie Lizzie and her beau) stayed in the Royal Tea Tent. We like Princess Anne, she’s very focussed on promoting charitable causes, including the org that I work for. She’s a good egg.
4. Stake out a patch of grass where you get a good view of the world passing by, and frock-spot. In other words, enjoy The Best and The Worst of the fashion that the attending Dukes And Earls And Peers have to offer (bearing in mind, of course, that Dukes And Earls And Peers are generally found at the Ascot Racing Day, not at the Holyrood Garden Party, and that there are more likely to be members of local scout troups, Presidents of the Scottish equivalent of the Country Women’s Association, and other lay persons such as yourselves) (and if the previous parentheses made no sense to you, then kindly go to your local video shop and avail yourself of their Audrey Hepburn collection - watch My Fair Lady)
5. Enjoy the dainty cucumber sandwiches. They are really rather nice. Try the iced coffee - it is to die for.
6. If you happened to have ignored (2), then bring a pair of flats with you in a bag. You’ll need them walking home, for your chances of getting a taxi post Garden Party are about the same as the Queen herself appearing at your front door selling Avon Products.