The Remains of a Day

Well I think yesterday was a success. The graduation was rather more informal than I have been used to in the past: no hoopla with the academic hood by some university official standing behind you as you are dunted on the head with a bunnet and given your scroll, in fact not so much a scroll this afternoon, just an envelope.
The hoods were worn to start with, and there was much audience participation with cheering and clapping. It was a family occasion and everyone was in fine spirits. I even spied Meles sitting on the platform.

The party was also a family occasion, and began quietly enough with adults and children both on their best behaviour. As time passed, with the meal eaten and the wine and beer flowing , the children played football with the balloons around the feet of the adults, and pretend tattoos appeared on every exposed body part of the granddaughters.

A children's karaoke machine was plugged in and the most tone deaf amongst the grandchildren sang a song so tuneless that it was hard to recognise any part of it. But so earnest were they in their rendition that we all applauded enthusiastically.
Then it was time for the new graduate to take the microphone to show us how it should be done, but then she has had twenty years experience of singing in gigs.

As the wine continued to flow, faces reddened, tongues loosened, confidences were shared and laughter echoed round the room.
The Master of Ceremonies demitted office rather sooner than expected to return home feeling rather the worse for wear; I know his head will be very sore today.

The rest of us held out a bit longer until the under 5 year olds began to crumple and their parents had to take them home to bed. That just left daughter #1 ,the new graduate and me to return to the Dower house for a last cup of tea.

It seems very quiet this morning, although there was talk of people descending en masse for coffee this morning......... I think they were joking but you never know.