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Dumfries and Galloways towns and villages have been awash in red, white and blue in the run up to the Queens Platinum Jubilee this weekend.

At 11.30am today the ringers at St Johns Episcopalian Church, Lovers Walk, Dumfries, will join in chime with hundreds of bell ringers from across the Commonwealth.

They will ring the eight bells of St Johns the only set in the whole of southern Scotland.

Tony McIlwrick of the Dumfries ringers said they are delighted with their Jubilee role, which will sound around the town.

He said: The bells were installed in the winter of 2013/14 with the heaviest five bells coming from the redundant church at the Quarriers Village orphanage at Bridge of Weir, while the three smallest bells were newly-cast at the Whitechapel bell foundry in east London. The tenor, the heaviest bell, weighs nearly 11 cwt (554 kg).

Homes, gardens, community hubs and businesses are all currently sporting bunting and pictures of the Queen in an amazing show of gratitude for her dedication and service to the UK and Commonwealth.

Schools which closed yesterday and today have been holding their own celebrations to mark our 96-year-old Queen becoming the first British monarch to achieve 70 years on the throne.

Calside Primary School celebrated with creative costumes and cakes.

Springfield and Kirkpatrick Fleming Primary School Partnership had an open day and afternoon tea for the community on Wednesday. Their community council also gifted them a Jubilee bag for children in the area who received a hat, flag, chocolate and commemorative drinks cup.

Many community groups have already held open days and tea parties in celebration including Kates Kitchen in Annan on Tuesday and Annan Day Centre yesterday. Maxwelltown West Brownies in Dumfries enjoyed their Jubilee tea party on Tuesday night.

More than 100 people filled Dalswinton Village Hall last night for a special celebration organised by the hall committee.

Yesterday afternoon saw town criers make proclamations for the Jubilee and the region joined the chain of UK and Commonwealth beacon lighting last night including Annan at Watchhall field; Wardlaw Hill, Caerlaverock; Criffel; Carsthorne; Johnstonebridge; Gretna at Stormont Hall; High Germany Hill at Dunscore; Penpont in the field near the church; and at Langholms Malcolm Monument, Whita Hill.

Penpont are also having a Jubilee tattie boggle competition which the community has got behind with hilarious results, and Annan Riding of the Marches committee are having a Jubilee-themed Bake off.

Moat Brae in Dumfries had a Royal afternoon family tea yesterday and Scotlands Centre for Childrens Literature has two Jubilee-themed Little Royal Story Pirates events at 10am and 1pm today. It paves the way for the Queen of Hearts Jubilee Party in the Neverland Garden tomorrow from 2pm to 4pm which will feature a treasure trail, magic with Franc and storytelling. On Sunday there will be a concert, Tapestry, by the Galloway Consort at 3pm.

This weekend will see many more celebrations in streets, parks, gardens, homes, pubs, hotels and village halls.

Among those in Dumfriesshire today, from 2pm to 4pm, is Locharbriggs Community Centre Associations free Jubilee afternoon tea for their local community.

The Usual Place in Dumfries is having Jubilee celebrations for the public with sittings at 11.30am and at 2.30pm.

Tomorrow, Dumfries town market and Rosefield Mills Gallery are having a Jubilee street party in the town centre and invite people to take along their own food for the occasion at 12.30pm.

It is part of a wider event, running from 10am to 4pm, when there will be market stalls, childrens rides, entertainment, music and dancers throughout the day along with games and prizes, art and crafts.

Also tomorrow, from 1pm, The Iceland food store on the High Street is having a Jubilee fun day. Theyll have a digger, supplied by Jewson tool hire, outside the shop for kids to have a go on for a donation for Icelands charity week, and some Disney characters will be making an appearance. There will also be face painting and kids can get a sweet cone.

Celebrations for the Caerlaverock, Glencaple, Kelton and Bankend area include a community picnic in the Barbour Hall from noon to 3pm tomorrow and there will be traditional childrens games. It will followed by a bring your own bottle social gathering after 3pm. In addition, Nith Inshore Lifeboat Station will be open to the public from 10am to noon, and there will be more games for children.

Springfield and Gretna Green Community Council have organised a community walk leaving the war memorial at 2pm. At 2.30pm, there will be a tree planted at the Springfield Playing Field to commemorate the Jubilee and a village elder, Jimmy Boyd, will unveil a plaque. Refreshments will then be held in Stormont Hall with a special cake made by Tracy Jackson.

Also tomorrow there will be a Jubilee fun day in Eaglesfield Village hall, a street party in Ecclefechan and a Jubilee Party in the Park in Canonbie with fancy dress, live music, sumo wrestling among fun activities.

A ceilidh with 50s style dress is being held at Moffat Town Hall to mark the Jubilee from 7.30pm to midnight with music from Willie McRoberts and John Caskie.

The celebrations on Sunday include a picnic in the park at Dunscore from noon to 4pm with childrens games and competitions for all.

Heathhall Community Centre is having a Jubilee big lunch (bring your own picnic) for all ages from noon to 5pm. There is a programme of entertainment, from music and dancing to exercise and self-defence tasters. There will be games, a bouncy slide and face painting.

From 11am to 1pm villagers in Waterbeck are holding their Platinum Jubilee tea party for the community in village hall.

There will be a Brydekirk Picnic in the Park for the Jubilee from noon to 2pm and a jubilee tea party (by invitation only) in Cummertrees Village Hall.

There will be a Caerlaverock Kirk Jubilee Service at 9.45am, and then 10 horse-draw carriages will drive the Caerlaverock Loop. The British Carriage Driving celebration leaves Bowhouse Farm at 12.45pm with a 15-minute stop at Caerlaverock Castle.

Thornhill will celebrate with a free picnic in the park from noon to 4pm, organised by the community council, and residents are asked to take along food and join in the activities.

St Johns Church is having an evening service for the Queens Jubilee at 6pm and admission is free.

It will include a selection of music from the Queens Coronation sung by the churchs choir, accompanied by organist John Turner.

Well have pictures from as many as possible in next weeks editions. Feel free to send in your Platinum Jubilee photographs to us at: sharon.liptrott@reachplc.com.

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Dumfries and Galloway turns red, white and blue for Queen's Platinum Jubilee - Daily Record

One day while paddling on Stephen Foster Lake, I noticed flowers growing on the shore that I did not recognize. I began to paddle even closer to get a better look. To me the flower of the plant appeared as a turtles head, which made me fairly sure that was the plants name.

Later that evening I checked in a flower book to be sure of the name, and I was correct.

This got me thinking about the names we have given to the plants and animals with which we share this planet. If youre a regular reader of this column, you know that I like to look up the scientific names of the plants and wildlife that I write about. The names are usually in Latin or Greek, which I find hard to pronounce.

The scientific names are based on what is known as the binomial system that was devised by the Swedish botanist Linnaeus in 1753. Linnaeus is known as the Father of Modern Taxonomic Botany. Prior to this time, there had been no accepted or uniform methods of naming plants and other living things.

The first part of the scientific name, which is known as the genus name, always begins with a capital letter. A genus name can be used only once within the animal kingdom and cannot be used as a genus name for another group, such as spiders, insects, etc.

Although I find the scientific names interesting, the common and local names given to birds, plants and animals are definitely easier to pronounce and a help when identifying a plant or animal. For instance, in the bird world, we identify many birds by their calls: bobwhite, whip-poor-will, towhee, mourning dove, killdeer, etc. Our nighthawk is often called the nightjar because of its loud, rapid, churring calls at night. Its name comes from the fact that this bird is active at dusk, and, while in flight, resembles a small hawk.

Others are named for their distinctive features. Great-horned owls have tufts of feathers that appear as horns; ringneck pheasants have white rings around their necks and the bluebirds are named for their color.

We also use folklore in naming the birds and animals in the wild kingdom. The nighthawk is also known as the goatsucker in Europe since it was believed to have sucked milk from goats at night. Its genus name is Caprimulgidae, which comes from two Latin words: caper, meaning goat and mulgeo, meaning to milk or suck.

Plants have also been named for what they do and what they appear as. Through the years, asters have been called Christmas daisies; however, the word aster comes from the Latin and Greek word for star. The cucumber trees name comes from its fruit, which is two and a half to three inches long, with the appearance of a cucumber.

Our quaking aspens name comes about because the slightest breeze sets the leaves into constant motion. The staghorn sumac was named due to its rich velvety branching twigs that appear as a male deers antlers in velvet. Hercules club is a small tree, with many names.

A few are prickly ash, prickly elder, toothache tree and shotbush. From the names, one can tell that the tree has either prickles or thorns on the trunk and branches. The reason for being called the toothache-tree is because, at one time, it was used to relieve the pain of a toothache. The inner bark was rolled into a wad the size of a bean and then placed on the aching tooth and chewed until the pain ceased. The trunk of the tree appears as if it could be used as a club; hence, the name Hercules club. Although the tree has many names, the name I use is the devils walking stick.

The following plants were named for what they did: the heal all bush refers to the healing powers of the plants leaf; Joe-pye-weed was named after an Indian in Colonial New England, who used the plant to cure typhoid fevers.

In another book, I read that the Indian word for typhoid was jopi. Perhaps this is where the Indians name Joe-pye came from. In the Southern Appalachian Mountains, this plant is known as queen of the meadow.

Many plants were named for what they resemble.

The leaf of the hepatica (liver wort) is shaped as a liver; spiderwort is named because its leaves, which are somewhat twisted at the joints, resemble the spreading legs of a spider; the name for the milkweed plant comes from the milky white sap that oozes from the plant when injured; the leaves of the rattlesnake plant have markings resembling those on the skin of a rattlesnake; and the name of cattail comes from the shape of the plant that some say has the looks and feels of a cats tail.

The name Dutchmans breeches comes about from the flower appearing as white pantaloons hanging upside down on plants stem; bloodroots name comes from the deep reddish brown or orange sap that comes from the roots of the plant; Skunk cabbage has an offensive odor, which has been compared to that of a skunk; and the Mayapples name comes from the fact that the fruit ripens in May.

Plants have also been named for how they were used. The teasel, which was brought to this country from Europe, was used extensively to tease or comb the nap of woolen cloth. Another name for the teasel was gypsy comb; the bedstraws name comes from the fact that the American Pioneers used the plant as mattress filler because the stems remained flexible even after being dried. The bedstraw plants have an odor somewhat like hay and were useful in repelling fleas from the bed; soapworts name comes from the fact that when the plant is bruised and added to water, the result is a delightful bubbly lather used as soap; jewelweeds name comes from rain water beading up on the leaves, giving the appearance of tiny jewels.

Another name for this plant is touch-me-not, and this name comes from the seed pod, which when ripe will explode in your hand.

There are many more birds, plants and animals that have names that fit, but none more than a plant that grows in New Jersey.

In December 1774, the English ship Greybound bound for Philadelphia with a cargo of tea, sailed up the Delaware River. Knowing that other tea ships going to Boston, New York and Philadelphia had been turned back, the captain decided to unload his tea in nearby Greenwich, New Jersey. Here the tea was stored in the cellar of a sympathetic Tory named Sam Bowen.

However, the secret leaked out, and the patriots responded. On the night of December 22, 40 men disguised as Indians stormed the house and burned the tea. The Greenwich was the sixth tea party that had occurred up and down the East coast where tea was destroyed. The Greenwich tea party was the last and least famous of these parties.

New Jersey tea is a low, upright shrub that grows to three feet tall. The leaves give the entire plant a grayish cast. Small white flowers grow on the branch tips. The dried leaves make an excellent tea that was very popular during the Revolutionary War period.

Bill Bower is a retired Pennsylvania Game Commission Wildlife Officer. Read his blog and listen to his podcasts on the outdoors at http://www.onemaningreen.com.

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Reflections in Nature: There's meaning to names we give plants, animals - Williamsport Sun-Gazette

SILHILLIANS are being called on to get the kettle on and throw a Blooming Great Tea Party in aid of Marie Curie this June.

The charitys fundraising appeal is a piece of cake simply set a date to host a tea party and invite family, friends, or colleagues to tuck into a delectable treat and catch-up over a cuppa.

Every penny raised will go towards ensuring more people have access to the care and support they need at the end of life in their homes and at hospices like the one in Marsh Lane in Solihull.

Donations also support its Information and Support services, including a telephone line which provides a listening ear to anyone dealing with any aspect of death, dying and bereavement.

Daniel Goodby, Marie Curie community fundraiser in Birmingham and Solihull said: Hosting a Blooming Great Tea Party is easy.

Whether you want to bake up a storm at home or pop to the shops for some tasty treats, youll be helping support people in your local area living with a terminal illness.

Wed encourage supporters to make the most of the extra-long bank holiday weekend in June too a perfect occasion to raise a cuppa and some money for a blooming great cause. Just dont forget to price your slice.

For more visit mariecurie.org.uk/teaparty or contact Daniel on 0121 703 3714 or email daniel.goodby@maricecurie.org.uk.

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Marie Curie calls on Solihull residents to get the kettle on and host a Great Blooming Tea Party - Solihull Observer

MARTINE McCutcheon wowed in a summery yellow dress fit for a queen as she prepared to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee.

The 46-year-old actress looked great in the stylish yellow number from Wallis and a pair of silver heels that revealed her foot tattoo.

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Martine finished her look with a pair of large black shades befitting of a glam celeb.

She wrote on Instagram: "With filming over, Im SO looking forward to celebrating everything Jubilee - and part of that is dressing up, right? Come rain or shine I will be more than ready for a royal tea party in these beautiful dresses from."

The outing comes just days after the mum-of-one revealed her crippling addiction to Diet Coke that saw her guzzling eight cans a day.

Martine confessed: I dont really drink tea or coffee so the caffeine in it was my thing.

Id wake up then be walking my seven-year-old into the playground with a can of Diet Coke and the mothers looked at me disgusted, absolutely disgusted Shes not got her posh coffee cup, shes rocked up with a Diet Coke.

I was drinking it at that time of day and even before I went to bed. I always had a can next to me. I loved that little buzz it gave me.

The former EastEnders actress managed to kick her habit and has, until recently, been living a low-key life in Surrey with her husband Jack McManus, 37, and son Rafferty, seven.

She turned her back on fame after her wedding to songwriter Jack in 2012 but is now starting to fall in love with the industry again.

Last year she impressed fans of The Masked Singer, performing as Swan, and she completed a live tour of the ITV show last month.

Martine, who suffered miscarriages in her thirties before having Rafferty, said: I took time out of the industry because my priority was to become a mother. It took a lot longer than I thought...I had a lot of problems keeping babies.

The fluffy world of t*ts and teeth didnt matter any more. There was a far bigger lesson to be learned and a far bigger picture to be looked at.

She added: Now my son is seven Im still a bit obsessed with being a mum. I still begrudge anything that takes me away from him for longer than a few hours because Im so in love with him.

Im doing a movie, playing the very small part of an ex-ballerina, with John Cleese in Budapest in Hungary this year. I am starting to look at other things too.

Id wake up then be walking my seven-year-old into the playground with a can of Diet Coke and the mothers looked at me disgusted, absolutely disgusted Shes not got her posh coffee cup, shes rocked up with a Diet Coke.

Martine revealed she is considering doing a one-woman stage show.

She is known to millions for her role as Downing Street PA Natalie in the 2003 festive movie favourite Love Actually opposite Huge Grants Prime Minister.

The role came when Martine was at her lowest after a difficult run in a West End production of the musical My Fair Lady.

She had chronic fatigue syndrome ME, which led her to be admitted to intensive care and she was forced to withdraw from the starring role of Eliza Doolittle.

Martine told Spotifys Brydon & podcast, hosted by actor and comedian Rob Brydon, of getting the movie offer: It was just so confidence-boosting when my confidence was at an all-time low.

I can still see in the film some of my vulnerability, which works it was very much the essence of who I was at the time.

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Stunning Martine McCutcheon looks slimmer than ever as she heads off to Queens Jubilee party in floaty y... - The Sun

On May 18, at the Nevada County Republican Women Federated Candidates Forum event for the District 4 Nevada County Board of Supervisors, Calvin Clark, one of the candidates, in his written statement said that he had been president of the Nevada County Tea Party Patriots.

At the end of the forum, as I was leaving, Calvin was standing near the exit. I spoke to him, saying: You didnt say how long you were president of the Tea Party. Six weeks!

Calvin did not disagree with what I said, but instead launched into a personal attack on my character, and my veracity about a letter that I sent to one of the members of a KVMR discussion group concerning Calvins misrepresentation of the Tea Partys point of view on California water issues during their discussions.

Since Calvin impinged my character in front of other people present at the exit, he leaves me no other choice but to set the record straight regarding his remarks.

Regarding his personal attack on my character, and my veracity:

On March 15, 2016, KVMR hosted a discussion group concerning California water issues. Calvin Clark, without approval, participated in this discussion and represented himself as representing the Tea Party point of view.

Upon learning of Calvins participation, and reviewing his remarks, eight members of the Tea Party Board sent Calvin Clark a Letter of Censorship. Letters were also sent to the other members of the discussion group informing them of Calvin Clarks misrepresentation of the Tea Partys point of view. Since the Tea Party believes in free markets, we take no position on state-run utilities such as water issues.

Calvin Clark was first listed as president on April 6, 2016. Calvin Clark was removed from the Tea Party Board on May 11, 2016.

James Driver is the past chairman of the Nevada County Tea Party Patriots. He lives in Grass Valley.

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James Driver: Short term with Tea Party - Glenwood Springs Post Independent