Afternoon tea

Today I had afternoon tea - formal afternoon tea. I'm not sure I've ever had it before and I learnt some stuff. Firstly we were served Earl Gray which was okay but they could have got some proper PG Tips. I also learned how small it is possible to make sandwiches without resorting to some sort of atom splitting technology. Very tasty but hardly filling. Ditto cakes - there were lots of cakes so beautiful they made your eyes water but that might also have been because they were so small those same eyes would be strained trying to see them. The cakes had to be dainty as they were served on those wonderful three-tier cake stand thingies which have china plates too insubstantial to carry any meaningful load. If posh folk have this rather than an Indian takeaway or fish and chips for tea it's a wonder that the British empire managed to rule most of the world a century ago; they'd hardly have the strength to lift a sabre or mount a charger.

The event was a leaving party for our Regional Director. She's retired after 28 years working for the university and the office was closed while we decamped to a lovely place up the road. The most glorious views over Sussex, music and singing and speeches and colleagues chatting and not a few teary eyes as we said a formal goodbye to someone who has been a friend, mentor, confidante and guide to countless people throughout the organization - she'll be sorely missed.

This image shows some of the cakes floating in mid-air. If you want to see a photo of me (though I dread to think why) and my camera you can check out Pyewacket's blip - but stay away from the text as I'm actually a very grumpy rude bloke.
Edit: Changed the image because the other one didn't hold up well in big