Guys – I guess it’s rather clear I haven’t posted for a while – or, indeed, replied to any of the, ahem, dozens of emails that lie gathering virtual dust in my inbox.

Apologies for that – I recognise it’s annoying and yes, there are some really interesting/shocking/important things going on just now, not to mention some exciting new books, shows and events but I’m not currently able to devote any time at all to spectral matters. Sometimes life just gets in the way.

Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible. I hope you can stay with me.

Ever bought a raffle ticket without actually working out what you’d do with the prize if you won it? Yup, me too. I guess the difference between me and Sophie is that while I never did win that yacht, Sophie did win an extraordinary bust of Her Majesty the Queen – made out of cake.

I knew exactly what she was talking about when I got the email this evening, as I’d already admired it in Greenwich market today. Natasha from No Cakes Better was displaying her incredible decorating skills with this life-size bust of Her Maj – and raffling it for Cancer Research.

And it is utterly amazing – just look at the detail on the crown:

or the bust’s bust:

The entire cake is edible – the base is fruit cake and the head is rice crispie cake covered with chocolate; there is a cake stand supporting her through the centre and some wires in the tiara.

Sophie bought a ticket, more to support the charity than anything, and was delighted to win – but with the best will in the world she’s never going to work her way through all that cake even if it is a long bank holiday.

So she’s looking for a suitable home for this work of art. Perhaps as a street party centrepiece or a talking (and eating) point at a fete. Ideally she’d like someone to make a nice, generous donation to Cancer Research, but if there’s a nursing home or a shelter that could put Liz to a nice Jubilee use with the reverence she deserves, that’s fine too.

She does warn that “Whoever gives Liz a home would need to collect her from us in SE10 as she weighs a ton and we don’t have a car. She is currently in residence in a sturdy carboard box.”

If you’re interested, drop me a line and I’ll pass you straight on…

See – I said I’d only post if something extraordinary turned up…

Folks, I’m taking advantage of the ‘take three days’ annual leave, get nine off’ deal next week and taking time away from the office. I haven’t really decided what to do yet – go away, kick about round here, visit people, drink myself into a stupor – but don’t be surprised if you don’t get much in the way of posts over the next few days. I may post if something comes up, I get bored or I drink myself into that stupor and decide to say something really inappropriate, but in general I’m planning to stay away from communications devices if I can.

So, while I’m away,

the latest in our Greenwich Alphabet

where everything starts with the letter

F – I’m thinking of a few…

…we have quite a lot of them really

but the rest of them

I’ll leave up to you

Keep ‘em clean now

Happy bank holidays, chaps!

I’ve had a lot of questions about the Jubilee celebrations in Greenwich and, not wanting to reinvent the wheel, I’ve been directing people to the council websites’s Jubilee Page and it’s worth reading to the bottom to find out the answer to Pat’s question:

I read that the Bank Holiday celebrations in RNC will end with the opportunity to see the flotilla on the Thames which sounds very exciting!

BUT on the official flotilla website it would appear that the ships/boats will not be coming down as far as Greenwich terminating at Tower Bridge, I think.

Any idea what we might hope to see down here in dear old Greenwich?

Pat’s right – the official flotilla will terminate at Tower Bridge, but some of the ships will continue down to Greenwich, including that nutty floating belfry:

“The elements of the flotilla reaching Greenwich will be led by the belfry barge and will be made up by the Gloriana rowed barge, 10 rowing boats on their way to London Yard, 55 sea cadet boats going to Greenwich Yacht Club, 250 historic, recreational and working squadrons, 8 herald music boats, 10 Thames Clippers going to Greenwich Pier.”

So if you don’t want to brave temperatures of 11° and twenty-deep crowds in town, it could well be worth going to Greenwich around 5.00pm for an hour’s worth of ships going by (thought don’t bother going to the official pageant website for more information as the council site suggests; there’s nothing there at all) on their way home – I’m assuming a fair few of them will have left their kit at the various rowing/boating/yachting clubs around here.

Happy Jubilee-ing!