The Sage went to boarding school, the one beginning with R in Derbyshire. He was completing his schooldays about the time I was born, in fact. There was an old boys' lunch yesterday in Aldeburgh, at a hotel beginning with W on the seafront, which will be easily identified by anyone who knows the town (no, not the Weasel, Mike).
There was quite a spread of ages, from 80s to a few in their 40s, about ten wives and it was all very good fun. It reminded me of a blog party, rather, in that very few people knew each other but were coming along to be sociable and friendly and there was no question of sticking to those you knew because that wasn't the point of the day. I chatted to a number of people, the Sage probably talked to just about everyone because he's even more sociable than I am (I know, darlings, hardly possible). The Headmaster was there too, which was very good of him, I thought, a long way to have come. The food was excellent too, a prawn salad, then delicious rare roast beef, then sticky toffee pudding. I coped manfully with most of it and skipped dinner later, although I did have a snack at about 10.30 pm.
I hadn't had high hopes of the day, though I'd been perfectly willing to go along, and even encouraged the Sage to wear his Old R blazer, a bright little number that he's disconcertingly keen to wear on unsuitable occasions. He also wore his OR scarf and tie. Several others were wearing the tie too, and were impressed by him fitting into his jacket so many decades on - though he never puts on weight. I sat opposite a retired ambassador whose memoirs are coming out later this year - I've noted it and (unasked) promised to buy it, next to a delightful woman who's a farmer but, as her children are fairly young, grows herbs at present instead of a full-on farm. She said that she was talking to a farmer friend of many years' experience the other day and he said he has never known weather like the last two years and now doesn't know what to do. The ground is too cold and wet to sow seeds, this time last year there was a drought followed by a wet summer, it's all beyond anything he's experienced. My new friend is sure that, once the weather finally heats up (no sign yet, due to be colder at the weekend) it'll jump at least 15º (Celsius, that is) in a matter of days and be too hot for the seedlings. My other neighbours were her husband, who was good company, a very nice man of about the Sage's age and the Head, who I'd already buttonholed a bit to ask various educational questions and then apologised to because it's not really the thing at a social do, but he seemed quite relaxed about it. I didn't go into it too head-on, I promise. Just interested. They've been taking girls for many years of course, since the '70s, but no old girls were there.
In the evening, I headed off to the school for the first night of the school play, which was Twelfth Night with music from the 80s, set in Ibiza (the shipwreck was a plane crash instead) in modern dress. And it was brilliant, great fun. As it was the first night, they've got a bit of tweaking of sound balance to do, though I was in the front row (it was my duty, darlings, and I'm a slave to duty though that's quite another show) so probably didn't hear the dynamics as those further back did. Some of the actors/singers were exceptionally good and all were splendid. I had a great time. I seem to have signed up for the PTA's 100 Club, which is fine except that I've done it on a standing order, so am probably in it for life.
I finally rocked home at 10.30, fried a couple of bantam eggs and drank a glass of wine, went to bed at midnight and slept soundly until after 6. Since that is uncommon - the latest item, that is - the day must have been quite remarkably good for me.
It's been busy again today. I suppose I'll catch up sooner or later. I haven't got a lot planned for tomorrow, maybe then.
There was quite a spread of ages, from 80s to a few in their 40s, about ten wives and it was all very good fun. It reminded me of a blog party, rather, in that very few people knew each other but were coming along to be sociable and friendly and there was no question of sticking to those you knew because that wasn't the point of the day. I chatted to a number of people, the Sage probably talked to just about everyone because he's even more sociable than I am (I know, darlings, hardly possible). The Headmaster was there too, which was very good of him, I thought, a long way to have come. The food was excellent too, a prawn salad, then delicious rare roast beef, then sticky toffee pudding. I coped manfully with most of it and skipped dinner later, although I did have a snack at about 10.30 pm.
I hadn't had high hopes of the day, though I'd been perfectly willing to go along, and even encouraged the Sage to wear his Old R blazer, a bright little number that he's disconcertingly keen to wear on unsuitable occasions. He also wore his OR scarf and tie. Several others were wearing the tie too, and were impressed by him fitting into his jacket so many decades on - though he never puts on weight. I sat opposite a retired ambassador whose memoirs are coming out later this year - I've noted it and (unasked) promised to buy it, next to a delightful woman who's a farmer but, as her children are fairly young, grows herbs at present instead of a full-on farm. She said that she was talking to a farmer friend of many years' experience the other day and he said he has never known weather like the last two years and now doesn't know what to do. The ground is too cold and wet to sow seeds, this time last year there was a drought followed by a wet summer, it's all beyond anything he's experienced. My new friend is sure that, once the weather finally heats up (no sign yet, due to be colder at the weekend) it'll jump at least 15º (Celsius, that is) in a matter of days and be too hot for the seedlings. My other neighbours were her husband, who was good company, a very nice man of about the Sage's age and the Head, who I'd already buttonholed a bit to ask various educational questions and then apologised to because it's not really the thing at a social do, but he seemed quite relaxed about it. I didn't go into it too head-on, I promise. Just interested. They've been taking girls for many years of course, since the '70s, but no old girls were there.
In the evening, I headed off to the school for the first night of the school play, which was Twelfth Night with music from the 80s, set in Ibiza (the shipwreck was a plane crash instead) in modern dress. And it was brilliant, great fun. As it was the first night, they've got a bit of tweaking of sound balance to do, though I was in the front row (it was my duty, darlings, and I'm a slave to duty though that's quite another show) so probably didn't hear the dynamics as those further back did. Some of the actors/singers were exceptionally good and all were splendid. I had a great time. I seem to have signed up for the PTA's 100 Club, which is fine except that I've done it on a standing order, so am probably in it for life.
I finally rocked home at 10.30, fried a couple of bantam eggs and drank a glass of wine, went to bed at midnight and slept soundly until after 6. Since that is uncommon - the latest item, that is - the day must have been quite remarkably good for me.
It's been busy again today. I suppose I'll catch up sooner or later. I haven't got a lot planned for tomorrow, maybe then.
3 comments:
A friend of ours teaches there. Paul used to teach in a boarding school in Lincolnshire and they used to play matches against that 'R' school. The friend laughed when he arrived (quite a trek for games matches!) and said that the boys had been aghast at how far out into the countryside the Lincs school was, with one boy asking 'But where on earth do they go to buy shoes and things?'
The weather is so odd that I am wondering whether to bother with the veg garden at all this year.
I've also attended an event with an age span difference like that: reunions for the Navy destroyer I served aboard.
There were guys who served during World War II (1945) when the ship was commissioned to Viet Nam (1973) when it was decommissioned.
The only thing in common was having served aboard the same ship.
So am I, Jane. I'll probably grow a few things, but I think I'm going to let the chickens use the veg garden this year.
I was pleasantly surprised, LX, there wasn't endless reminiscing about long-past events that I knew nothing about.
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