to ask Scottish mnetters if they or anyone they know have bought any of the jubilee tat going about?

[FayeGovan]

any shop displays I've seen (yes you M&S) dont look like they are selling

personally I'd rather give my money away than but a union jack mug/various shite, but maybe thats just me

so is anyone up here buying into all the hype?

I agree with a PP about not wearing an England shirt though when out and about in certain areas of Scotland (i.e The Weege).

Too true, NapaCab. Heard a lot about Belfast even in these days, not as bad as it used to be, but you'd still be risking it to be brazen enough to walk around that city in a 'controversial' football top.

I am fed up hearing about the Jubilee. I was annoyed every time I wanted to hear some worthy news on TV.

With regard to the "Anyone But England" attitude, the EBC BBC presenters still managed to insert a reference to 1966 while commentating on the River Pageant

I don't deny that bad things are likely to happen to you if you do wear certain clothes in certain places. My point is that, rather than accepting this as a fact of life, we ought to be dealing with the violent thugs and changing the culture of these places.

Heard an interesting quote a few years back, think it was Salman Rushdie (who is always good for a sound bite), along the lines that if you are going to limit freedoms, start with those that would limit yours.

I don't think we can have freedom to behave exactly as we wish, at all times, because that limits other people's freedom to behave as they wish, but we certainly should have freedom of expression and to accept otherwise, within a 21st century Britain, is to lose something which we accept as our fundamental right.

Do you know one thing that makes being in Scotland the dog's bollocks?

We finish up for summer two weeks before the earliest of the English schools do.
That means we can go to places like the Lake District and Cornwall, and even up to the Highlands and Islands and have wonderful crowd free holidays. There are far less Scots than there are the English.
As soon as the English break up, everywhere is packed.

Also all of July and into August is a better deal than some of July and all of August. Statistically speaking, the Scots will enjoy more good weather in their time off, than those in England.

3 weeks till the holidays and counting!

yes, but then our kids have to endure all the "back to school" adverts and posters when they are already back in school

also the kids summer tv gets going at the same time as the English school holidays, so telly is still fun when we're packing ours off back to school

sigh, at least the country isn't biased

I've bought bits and pieces primarily because I know it will bemuse the fellow Scots it is intended for. I'm sure my friend will love her jubilee knickers!

I've also been bought some because I was being a bit bah humbug!

Who gives a toot about telly and adverts? 3 weeks and counting.
Last year, we went to the Lake District in the second week of July..it was a beautiful National Trust campsite and we shared the entire family camping field, and the facilities, with four other families. The sun shone all week long. It was paradise.
The guys in reception were saying they were jammed to capacity the following week and for the rest of the summer. I couldn't imagine it at all... it was so peaceful.

But pictish, breaking up 3 weeks early, is just 3 more weeks of kids bickering and complaining that they're bored

Well it's not, because we go back to school mid August.

I quite like our holidays as they are - DS3 would be in school for his birthday, if we went back in August. He'd be most put out. I see your point about the good weather, it always seems to be raining when my dc are on holiday, but it's not something you can predict with total accuracy, anyway.

It always feels funny to read English MNers talking about half term activities just as we're starting to wind down for the holidays.

Ds only has 15 more days at primary school !

I've got a good summer lined up. I can't wait.
We are off to Snowdonia the first week in July, and then Arisaig in the North West Highlands the week after. By the time the swarm descends, we'll be done.
We're campers - have bell tent will travel.

We're off to a festival next thursday through to monday as well. Bring it on!

There's a real hum of summer starting up round here...

was it low wray, pictish? we were just there, it was amazing...

am with you pictish wrt to the school holidays - 3 weeks left til they're off!

Great Langdale Aitch.

We're going to try Low Wray another year. It looks great as well.