What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 28th May

Welcome to the week and may we wish all of our subjects a truly marvellous one!

There's an air of expectancy this week in the lead up to the BIG BANK HOLIDAY WEEKEND next week. Whereas usually today we'd all be off, with the Queens Jubilee weekend looming, next weekend will be a long one, and hopefully one with better weather than we have experienced during the last couple of Bank Holiday breaks.

So in tribute to Queenie, we thought we would make this week's blog a truly regal affair!

Ironically, our only excursion this week is the monthly RSViP network social which takes place, and you couldn't have made it up, at the Crowne Plaza in Nottingham.

The Crowne Plaza was once The Royal Hotel and is just around the corner from Nottingham Theatre Royal and Royal Centre.

See, told you we were keeping it regal this week!

And now to another right royal event, which is only a couple of weeks away....

For the very first time in 2012 you can enjoy the atmosphere, dress up to the nines, browse the stalls and have a flutter at a very special ladies day luncheon, celebrating Royal Ascot, without having to leave our wonderful city.

Greeted with Champagne and Canapes on arrival, guests can show off their hats  whilst taking a gentle stroll in the garden or take a leisurely browse around one of the many stalls available on the day, selling everything from jewellery to jams.

After a sumptuous, three course, waitress served luncheon, which includes half a bottle of wine per person, guests can hear from a racing expert who will provide tips and advice on how to have a little flutter (or a big flutter!) from our tote table.

Over freshly brewed coffee and petit fours you can then study your race cards and place your bets before we screen the first race at 1.30pm.

Inside or outside, you will be able to see the Ascot Action during the afternoon from one of our screens, whilst continuing too browse the stalls, visiting the bar or having a bash at our charity raffle with some truly fabulous prizes up for grabs.

And if that wasn’t enough, outside will be both a hog roast and ice cream stall if you get a little peckish, and you can also enjoy afternoon tea, which will be served around 5pm.

Just after the last race at 5.30pm, the raffle will be drawn and there will also be a great prize for the most outrageous hat. Ending around 6pm, you are sure to have had a truly memorable day – which you will be able to relive with our next day photographic gallery - without the long and arduous journey home!

Tickets for this exceptional event are priced at just £60.00 + vat per person each and can be booked via email, paula@cloud9em.co.uk or online via Eventbrite www.eventbrite.com/event/2556510592 

 Group or Corporate Bookings for 10 places or more are available with a 10% discount. Places are strictly limited so book early to avoid disappointment!

Finally this week in a tribute to the Queen, we thought we should list our top 10 Diamond Jubilee favourites, facts and fun stuff to make you smile!

We are not having a party to celebrate the event this time round (Jubilee Weekend clashes with him indoors birthday celebrations!) but if we were, then we would really be going to town.

So here goes, the countdown begins........

At 10, we have the right royal lady herself, with a cardboard cut out Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, standing 170cm tall in a lilac dress. Perfect as a gimmick to stand around at your Diamond Jubilee street party or celebration!

 Priced at £32.00 we think this is hilarious!

Over the reign, Her Majesty has given regular audiences to 12 Prime Ministers, so this is our number 9.

The first was Winston Churchill 1951-55, followed by Sir Anthony Eden 1955-57, Harold Macmillan 1957-63, Sir Alec Douglas-Home 1963-64, Harold Wilson 1964-70 and 1974-76, Edward Heath 1970-74, James Callaghan 1976-79, Margaret Thatcher 1979-90, John Major 1990-97, Tony Blair 1997-2007, Gordon Brown 2007-2010 and finally David Cameron 2010 - present.

At 8 we have something which we think would only suit the most patriotic of people . Yes, its a  Union Jack Second Skin Suit, priced at £26.00

With Medium, Large and Extra Large Sizes Available, we are guessing that one should not indulge in too many cucumber sandwiches or slices of battenberg before donning this look.

One things for sure though, you will certainly stand out!

At 7 we have that dilemma that many of us faced when having to buy a gift for someone!

Unusual live gifts given to The Queen on foreign tours include: two tortoises given to The Queen in the Seychelles in 1972; a seven-year-old bull elephant called "Jumbo" given to Her Majesty by the President of Cameroon in 1972 to mark The Queen's Silver Wedding, and two black beavers given to The Queen after a Royal visit to Canada.

At 6 we have something, which given our track record for terrible Bank Holiday weather is sure to be a must.

It's a Union Jack Umbrella Hat and according to the blurb, one size fits all. We do wonder how many glasses of the old vino collapso you would need to partake of to don such an item, but hey, it takes all sorts!

At 5 we thought we would let you know that The Queen has attended 35 Royal Variety performances. Whilst we have no doubt that she would be enchanted by Ashleigh and Pudsey, who won Britain's Got Talent recently and the right to perform at the next Royal Variety Show, we do wonder quite how she would react if Rapper Zipparah Tafari had won with his BGT audition song Where's My Keys Where's My Phone. We think that one would not be amused!

 At 4 we have an item that every budding princess and drama queen should own - an inflatable crown! The advantages of having an inflatable crown as opposed to a real one, are of course obvious. You don't need your own tower to keep it in when not in use. You don't need to employ the services of Beefeater's to guard it. You don't need to learn how to carry all of that excess weight on your bonce as its just air. And most importantly of all, you can let the air out between appearances and stick it under your bed, along with the rest of your rubbish purchases!

At 3, The Queen has sat for 129 portraits during her reign. Wow, what a woman. It might be a genetic thing, but all of the members of the C9 Team, hate having their photographs taken. Carol is especially allergic to this activity, so imagine having to sit still for all of those hours only to have your own mush to look at in the end!

 At 2 we have that The Queen learnt to drive in 1945 but she is the only person in Britain who can drive without a licence or a registration number on her car. And she doesn't have a passport.So, not having to have a passport or other form of identification, must make life easier when it comes to renewing her annual motor insurance! Despite the powers of Google, we couldn't find any record, but we did wonder what would ever happen if Liz had a bump! After all, in these days of American Style Ambulance Chasers "Where there's blame, there's a claim".

We conclude our countdown with possibly the daftest thing we found amongst the endless array of paraphernalia that is available to help you celebrate the Diamond Jubilee Weekend ahead. So here goes...at number 1.... its a Pack of 2 Great Britain Car Wing Mirror Covers.  The blurb to accompany this £2.45 purchase states that each pack contains 2 Great Britain Union Jack car wing mirror covers are made from good quality polyester. You draw the string to secure onto your wing mirrors and it's the perfect addition for sports events and celebrating the Queens Jubilee!

We are literally speechless......but, enjoy your week ahead, and the Diamond Jubilee Weekend!