Arthur's Seat courtesy of Wikipedia |
The Stone of Scone
Those of you who haven't read 'Gormenghast' by Mervyn Peake will perhaps not understand the sheer delight I take in the coming coronation. No I am not going to be horrible I enjoy the spectacles, but the Stone of Scone is coming down from Edinburgh to lie in state beneath the king's throne.
As a small point my daughter this holiday weekend is in Edinburgh with Andrew's family, they planned a walk up the hill to Arthur's Seat, three of them achieved it!
You can see the start of the ceremony here on the BBC website. This precious stone was stolen many years back by four students. Here is the most marvellous story of it being stolen in the 1950s.
It broke in two, and in the days when there were not too many police around they manhandled into the two cars. One piece was buried, they got worried it might weather in the soil and they went back to collect it. Unfortunately a traveller's camp had settled on the stone but the travellers were quite happy to help them dig it up.
Amongst all of the wonderful completely bizarre ceremonies that will take place at Westminster Abbey, the Stone has its own story. Yes Scotland one day you might be free of the tyranny of the English government but our king still sits on your stone - completely mad.