Belle of the Ball

At the school this morning, it just so happened that I bumped into all the people I wanted to see - one to commiserate on the death of her mother, one to congratulate on being elected staff governor, one to thank (I have already, but now he's officially finished) for having been a governor, one to thank for holding the fort during a recent gap in staffing, one to wish good luck in a job interview for a big promotion.  She's relocating anyway, so we'll say goodbye to her anyway.

I had no idea that so much PR was involved in this job - last time I was chairman of governors, it was in a school with ten staff, rather than well over a hundred.

Today was a particularly important day, as I was meeting someone for lunch.  Roses and I have been really looking forward to meeting each other, and she finally discovered that I really do talk as much in real life as I appear to here.  As one does with a blogfriend, we dispensed with the cautious preliminaries of conversation and dived straight in to talk about Dave talk about ourselves.  We were just having coffee when I saw Dilly and Pugsley outside the window, so waved them in where they settled down for apple juice and chocolate cake.  Then the Sage strolled by and came in - I'd told the family how lovely Roses is, so they all wanted to meet her.  She, with considerable social skill, dealt with it all with aplomb.

Later, I showed her the wall, pointing out every small waver in the brickwork (if we'd tried just that bit harder, we'd have had a crinkle-crankle wall) which entertained her.  She met the bantams, the cows, the vegetables, the cock pheasant and several rabbits, but Tilly was asleep on the sofa so didn't come to greet us, and Roses then had to get home, as she is going to a ball this evening.

Independently, Dilly and I had the same reaction.  "Do you have a ballgown?"  Our wardrobes are decidedly underdressed, as we don't.  Roses does, so can dance the night away with no inconvenience of glass (or fur) slippers or a frock that vanishes at midnight.

Thanks, darling - it was lovely to meet you and I look forward to seeing you again xx.