Half-term

Half-term is over and normal life resumes. It felt quite long, my week.

We spent a few days in Dorset and had one beautiful day on which we walked along the ridge to Corfe Castle for lunch in The Greyhound (only OK) and home with a smackerel stop fuelled by the bakers with a cake of choice. Time slows on the Isle of Purbeck regardless of the weather - which is very much its own.
We returned for a special day on Wednesday: Husband graduated as a Master of Research in Statistics watched by his proud wife and father. I hadn’t been to a graduation before so, in case you too have yet to take part in such a ceremony, may I say it is much like a prize-giving? Our graduand’s name was read out, he walked onto the stage for no more than a few seconds, had a brief private exchange with the Chancellor and left the stage to collect his certificate a graduate. I clapped everyone, listened to the two speeches and sang the National Anthem. I was brought up with a sense of duty which I cannot abandon. You will not be surprised to hear therefore that I was not impressed by the number of people who took pictures and clapped only their own student and failed to sing. Gosh I’m stuffy!
We met the girls and esteemed step-m-in-law at the Bath Priory for a very smart celebratory lunch afterwards. Both girls were fascinated by the fine dining experience having watched endless Masterchef, but Eldest thought it pretentious! An indulgence, but it seemed like the right thing to do.
Visitors-from-abroad over Friday night, and not-seen-for-a-while godparents to lunch yesterday, and then it was all over.
Time to tidy the house, catch up with the washing and think about meals – except that I realise I’ve now spent the morning catching up with everybody else in the blogosphere…