Botanicals

A delightful day of socialising with old pals and ex-workmates in Cambridge.

Elizabeth greeted me at the train station and we spent a few hours milling around The Backs and the botanical gardens, where she treated me to a ticket. In return, I occupied her daughter by dancing around like a crab. With young children my approach is to act the goat, and after the energy drops, I got nothin’ left to offer.

Later a few drinks with Thomasina and Charlie at a riverside pub, and then a meet-up with a gaggle of friends on Jesus Green complete with cider and snacks. In my honour at least three of them turned up with yellow-sticker items from supermarkets. Nothing better than a yellow-sticker bargain, and I’m happy that my legacy lives on.

The ciders flowed until the temperature dropped, it got late and the stragglers decamped to a nearby pub. It was a satisfying shuffle back to my lodgings at one of the university colleges. Wonderful to be stomping the hallowed turf of Cambridge once again.