Trooping the Colour 2013

No-one does pomp and pageantry quite like the British, and the annual Trooping the Colour is the perfect example of Britain doing what we do best in a military ceremonial display performed by regiments of the British and Commonwealth armies. The colours, or flags, of the regiments were used as an assembly point in battle and were carried or 'trooped' in front of the soldiers daily so that each soldier would recognise his own regiment's colours without delay.

Since 1784, Trooping the Colour has also been used to mark the official birthday of the British sovereign. Queen Elizabeth was born on 21st April, but by publicly celebrating in the summer there is - in theory - a greater chance of good weather (however as it's Britain there's always a 90% chance it'll rain). It also coincides with the publication of the Queen's Birthday Honours List. The Queen has attended Trooping the Colour every year of her reign, except in 1955 when a national rail strike cancelled the event.

The Graham Norton Show

It's like the saying goes: you wait for one bus and then they all come at once. Having had two months doing nothing but bury myself in books, as soon as my exams finished I've been exhausting myself scurrying all over London going to various different events.

Yesterday really was a night to remember as my friend and I spent the evening watching the series finale of The Graham Norton Show be taped. Watching a television show be taped is something I've always been dying to experience and so a couple of weeks ago I looked into applying for tickets to be part of the audience of a couple of different shows. I love watching The GNS every Friday and thought it was worth filling in the application form on the off-chance that I was successful. Luckily I was, and even though I got tickets to my lowest preference evening I had no intention of turning them down, and set about texting my friends to see who'd like to come too.

Such Fun: Miranda Hart Q&A

Well hello to you!

As a subscriber of The Times my mum is able to access the numerous offers available from the team at Times+: varying from restaurant discounts to advance film screenings; Q&As to competitions. Unfortunately I always seemed to find out about London-based events either after they’d happened or when they’d sold out, so as a result of constantly missing out I started following the @MyTimesPlus account on Twitter and am now often aware of events and offers before my mum has checked her emails. Within half an hour of last week’s event being advertised, I was on the phone and getting her to book us tickets as this was something we simply couldn’t miss: Miranda Hart in conversation with David Aaronovitch at Cadogan Hall.

The Medium Purple Box

Anyone that knows me knows that I love to send and receive post. There's something about the process of selecting a card, using your favourite pen and hunting for your book of stamps; going to the post office and entrusting a parcel with the postman; and guessing the origin of the handwriting on a letter waiting on your doorstep that I relish over technology. E-mail really does lack a personal touch.

The Mrs Carter Show 2013

Exams have greatly hindered my ability to blog over the last month, but now they're out the way normal service can resume. First things first, I was lucky enough to see Beyoncé when she performed at the O2 in London as part of The Mrs Carter Show world tour. I wish I'd blogged about this sooner but as a testament to how good it was I can still remember it fresh in my mind as if it was yesterday. Seeing her in person has confirmed that when I grow up I want to be Beyoncé.