A weekend of action.
An eventful weekend. Many fun elements to remind me life is most definitely worthwhile.
As some readers may remember, I went back to the old skool for a big dinner with a large side order of nostalgia on Saturday. Winchester Football is as silly as I remember, but there was a very good close game on - Commoners 30-3 up at half-time, OTH winning by something like 35-33. Discovered I am crap at snooker on a full-size table. Rather amusingly, we went off and had a lesson ("div hour") for an hour, taught by an ex-Cambridge Fellow of History (Peter Cramer) that started on Leonardo's drawings, went through the pernicious Romantic idea of the Great Artist, and ended on theories of learning and knowledge. We shall be corresponding further; he was pleased to encounter an amateur Byzantinist who knew about Hildegard of Bingen and had studied under the late, great Peter Dronke. Still, as it says on the wall of School, Aut disce, aut discede; manet - sors tertia - caedi ("Learn, bugger off or as a third option there's the whip").
The evening service of Compline was rather beautiful, sung very well by the Quiristers; I joined in where it said "ALL" on the service sheet (plainsong Responses). That surprised a few people, not least the choirmaster who knew there was another voice there but couldn't place it, but also the lads who had no idea I was a singer, let alone a counter-tenor.
Din-dins; good food. I shall remember the soup with particular interest; butternut squash plus smoked paprika = nom. I remembered the full Grace too when asked to say it :). The 20 or so of my contemporaries who returned are a jolly bunch, as amiable as I remember them. Most of them seem to be City boys or lawyers; there's one lecturer (Geography, Univ of Nottingham - a Collegeman like me), a guy who works for the Times, and a doctor or two. Nobody doing as weird a job as mine... Some of the dons who taught me are still there (Nick Fennell, Sid Metcalfe, Paddy Anderson, Rob Wyke - now Second Master and a Friend of Big Gay Uncle Steve - really! - and a few others). Business cards duly collected; the LinkedIn hunt will happen this week. One of them lives in Berkhamsted, where I work, so a pint or two in the Lamb might be on...
Off to the Wykeham Arms for a pint or five afterwards. Eventually waddled back to the b+b and realised how tired I was. Zzzzz. After some nice bread, skool sossages and fruit salad and Greek yogurt, I drove home in an hour and a half. Quick shop, then flop in front of the rugby.
Then, on Coopers Green Lane between Welwyn and St Albans, my front right tyre decided to explode. I wasn't going to change it in the dark on a 60mph road, so I rang the AA; someone else rang the police, which rather surprised me. The AA took an hour and 10 minutes to get to me. This meant I was late for Evensong, but all turned out well in the end, lovely person was met (yay for jacquic being in St Albans!) 5 mins before the service ended, a small glass of pink port drunk and nnyngy kitties stroked. I have a book on Greek phonology to read which hopefully will explain why, when Byzantine sheep go βη, it sounds like "veeeee" rather than "beeeeh".
This morning, was late in for work as I got a new tyre from the tyre place. It led me to wonder about a new Top Gear challenge - the fastest lap round the course on a car with four space-saver spare wheels fitted. Must suggest that to Jezza and the boys. Much comedy value there, I think. I'm sure Stig would enjoy it.
I think I need a Trusty Servant usericon.
As some readers may remember, I went back to the old skool for a big dinner with a large side order of nostalgia on Saturday. Winchester Football is as silly as I remember, but there was a very good close game on - Commoners 30-3 up at half-time, OTH winning by something like 35-33. Discovered I am crap at snooker on a full-size table. Rather amusingly, we went off and had a lesson ("div hour") for an hour, taught by an ex-Cambridge Fellow of History (Peter Cramer) that started on Leonardo's drawings, went through the pernicious Romantic idea of the Great Artist, and ended on theories of learning and knowledge. We shall be corresponding further; he was pleased to encounter an amateur Byzantinist who knew about Hildegard of Bingen and had studied under the late, great Peter Dronke. Still, as it says on the wall of School, Aut disce, aut discede; manet - sors tertia - caedi ("Learn, bugger off or as a third option there's the whip").
The evening service of Compline was rather beautiful, sung very well by the Quiristers; I joined in where it said "ALL" on the service sheet (plainsong Responses). That surprised a few people, not least the choirmaster who knew there was another voice there but couldn't place it, but also the lads who had no idea I was a singer, let alone a counter-tenor.
Din-dins; good food. I shall remember the soup with particular interest; butternut squash plus smoked paprika = nom. I remembered the full Grace too when asked to say it :). The 20 or so of my contemporaries who returned are a jolly bunch, as amiable as I remember them. Most of them seem to be City boys or lawyers; there's one lecturer (Geography, Univ of Nottingham - a Collegeman like me), a guy who works for the Times, and a doctor or two. Nobody doing as weird a job as mine... Some of the dons who taught me are still there (Nick Fennell, Sid Metcalfe, Paddy Anderson, Rob Wyke - now Second Master and a Friend of Big Gay Uncle Steve - really! - and a few others). Business cards duly collected; the LinkedIn hunt will happen this week. One of them lives in Berkhamsted, where I work, so a pint or two in the Lamb might be on...
Off to the Wykeham Arms for a pint or five afterwards. Eventually waddled back to the b+b and realised how tired I was. Zzzzz. After some nice bread, skool sossages and fruit salad and Greek yogurt, I drove home in an hour and a half. Quick shop, then flop in front of the rugby.
Then, on Coopers Green Lane between Welwyn and St Albans, my front right tyre decided to explode. I wasn't going to change it in the dark on a 60mph road, so I rang the AA; someone else rang the police, which rather surprised me. The AA took an hour and 10 minutes to get to me. This meant I was late for Evensong, but all turned out well in the end, lovely person was met (yay for jacquic being in St Albans!) 5 mins before the service ended, a small glass of pink port drunk and nnyngy kitties stroked. I have a book on Greek phonology to read which hopefully will explain why, when Byzantine sheep go βη, it sounds like "veeeee" rather than "beeeeh".
This morning, was late in for work as I got a new tyre from the tyre place. It led me to wonder about a new Top Gear challenge - the fastest lap round the course on a car with four space-saver spare wheels fitted. Must suggest that to Jezza and the boys. Much comedy value there, I think. I'm sure Stig would enjoy it.
I think I need a Trusty Servant usericon.