Our plan to set off for Norwich at 11 a.m was scuppered by Pandora deciding to sit in the water bowl and scud around the kitchen floor in it a la sinking boat style. But after I'd swabbed the decks and refilled the water bowl we were only 15 minutes off-schedule and duly made up time on the free-flowing A11.
Next stop was Elveden Village Estate for some lovely lunch. Except Elveden was closed. The car-park was empty save for the occasional confused souls like ourselves who pitched up expecting lunch and were confronted with a deserted shop, and restaurant doors that were barred with locked gates. The automatic doors behind the gates bravely tried to open when Andy loomed up on them, but they too were locked. All was empty, all was quiet. No signs saying 'Sorry, closed due to unforeseen circumstance/ death of our cart horse/ not being arsed to get up this morning.'
Our carefully planned lunch break ruined, we decided we didn't like Elveden any more and moved on...
...to the next roundabout where there is a Sainsbugs, for the purchase of a £2 'Meal Deal' - sarnie, crisps and a drink of our choice (though sadly not hot chocolate, which was my drink of choice. Sainsbugs may want to rethink their advertisement. They might be on sticky legal ground with their wild assertions.)
I texted Heather. 'I am sitting on a bench in Sainsbugs car park with a prawn sandwich,' I said. I was not referring to Andy. She, for some reason, found this image highly entertaining and returned a laugh-by-text. I thought, the child would do well to remember who is taking her shopping for a graduation outfit this afternoon when we arrive. Then she might not be so free with her guffawing at our lunch-time crisis.
We arrived in Norwich. Thursday is late night shopping which is just as well because Heather's idea of 'two minutes in the changing room trying something on,' is another person's (ie me) half an hour wandering the aisles of Next and M & S trying to avoid attracting the attentions of the security guard. Still, I was fortified by an arrival in Norwich tea-shop experiment of trying to assess the comparative calorific values of a chocolate Brownie (small but dense) against a Belgian bun (large but light) so was high on sugar and ready to take on any jumped up official who might question my loitering-without-intent -to purchase.
Dinner at Pizza Express, served by a bubbly type called Clover who got a tip for that very reason. Arranged to meet Heather at the university at 8.30 the following morning.
Slept badly. Wild thunderstorm woke me, very hard bed kept me awake, small child in next door room made sure I was wide awake at 5 a.m with its loud rendition of the 'I'm a small child who can't tell the time but it's getting light so must be time to get up' song.
The tea that the hotel served with breakfast had the taste and consistency of a beverage that had been brewing all night and was made from reconstituted mud 'n' cement. It is the first time in 43 years I can remember leaving a cup of tea undrunk, it was that bad.
Text from Heather, who was by now fully capped and gowned, declaring she 'looked like an idiot.' I texted back saying Andy and I looked gorgeous so she'd better sort herself out as we didn't want her showing us up.
And then the sun arrived! The university was full of the hope of tomorrow flapping around in their wild cloakage. Never had student posture been so rigid as they balanced mortar boards atop degree filled heads. Never had so many cameras taken so many pictures - group pictures, family pictures, pictures of friendships formed over the last three years. Never had hands got so pink with all the clapping, never had a proud Mum whooped so much as her daughter walked across the stage to shake hands with the university top-bod. The speeches were poignant yet entertaining. The Honorary Degree was awarded to the actor Alun Armstrong who sought out the drama graduates after the ceremony and spent a giggly twenty minutes in their midst.
The official mortar board throwing ceremony was recorded in the main quad. The unofficial drama graduate mortar board throwing ceremony was recorded outside the drama studio, where we immediately got told off by some officious man who lectured us about Health and Safety and people suing the university for getting whacked in the face by a rapidly descending and quite sharp hat. Us parents gave him short-shrift though. We weren't having our childrens' important day ruined. Officious Man made rapid exit.
More pictures then off for celebration lunch in town.
We left Heather getting ready for the Graduation Ball. This was to take the shape of a fun-fair in the grounds of the university, with candy-floss, hot dogs, hog roast and, bizarrely, paella. There were to be fireworks and bacon sandwiches for the 'Survivors Breakfast' at 4.30 a.m. Various 'famous' people were attending (I say 'famous' but in the tenuous 'Radio 1 DJ' sense of the word.)
A thunderstorm was gathering overhead but I doubt even the heaviest, wettest of downpours would put a dampener on the energy and spirit we left behind.
HAPPY GRADUATION, CLASS OF 2009!
Next stop was Elveden Village Estate for some lovely lunch. Except Elveden was closed. The car-park was empty save for the occasional confused souls like ourselves who pitched up expecting lunch and were confronted with a deserted shop, and restaurant doors that were barred with locked gates. The automatic doors behind the gates bravely tried to open when Andy loomed up on them, but they too were locked. All was empty, all was quiet. No signs saying 'Sorry, closed due to unforeseen circumstance/ death of our cart horse/ not being arsed to get up this morning.'
Our carefully planned lunch break ruined, we decided we didn't like Elveden any more and moved on...
...to the next roundabout where there is a Sainsbugs, for the purchase of a £2 'Meal Deal' - sarnie, crisps and a drink of our choice (though sadly not hot chocolate, which was my drink of choice. Sainsbugs may want to rethink their advertisement. They might be on sticky legal ground with their wild assertions.)
I texted Heather. 'I am sitting on a bench in Sainsbugs car park with a prawn sandwich,' I said. I was not referring to Andy. She, for some reason, found this image highly entertaining and returned a laugh-by-text. I thought, the child would do well to remember who is taking her shopping for a graduation outfit this afternoon when we arrive. Then she might not be so free with her guffawing at our lunch-time crisis.
We arrived in Norwich. Thursday is late night shopping which is just as well because Heather's idea of 'two minutes in the changing room trying something on,' is another person's (ie me) half an hour wandering the aisles of Next and M & S trying to avoid attracting the attentions of the security guard. Still, I was fortified by an arrival in Norwich tea-shop experiment of trying to assess the comparative calorific values of a chocolate Brownie (small but dense) against a Belgian bun (large but light) so was high on sugar and ready to take on any jumped up official who might question my loitering-without-intent -to purchase.
Dinner at Pizza Express, served by a bubbly type called Clover who got a tip for that very reason. Arranged to meet Heather at the university at 8.30 the following morning.
Slept badly. Wild thunderstorm woke me, very hard bed kept me awake, small child in next door room made sure I was wide awake at 5 a.m with its loud rendition of the 'I'm a small child who can't tell the time but it's getting light so must be time to get up' song.
The tea that the hotel served with breakfast had the taste and consistency of a beverage that had been brewing all night and was made from reconstituted mud 'n' cement. It is the first time in 43 years I can remember leaving a cup of tea undrunk, it was that bad.
Text from Heather, who was by now fully capped and gowned, declaring she 'looked like an idiot.' I texted back saying Andy and I looked gorgeous so she'd better sort herself out as we didn't want her showing us up.
And then the sun arrived! The university was full of the hope of tomorrow flapping around in their wild cloakage. Never had student posture been so rigid as they balanced mortar boards atop degree filled heads. Never had so many cameras taken so many pictures - group pictures, family pictures, pictures of friendships formed over the last three years. Never had hands got so pink with all the clapping, never had a proud Mum whooped so much as her daughter walked across the stage to shake hands with the university top-bod. The speeches were poignant yet entertaining. The Honorary Degree was awarded to the actor Alun Armstrong who sought out the drama graduates after the ceremony and spent a giggly twenty minutes in their midst.
The official mortar board throwing ceremony was recorded in the main quad. The unofficial drama graduate mortar board throwing ceremony was recorded outside the drama studio, where we immediately got told off by some officious man who lectured us about Health and Safety and people suing the university for getting whacked in the face by a rapidly descending and quite sharp hat. Us parents gave him short-shrift though. We weren't having our childrens' important day ruined. Officious Man made rapid exit.
More pictures then off for celebration lunch in town.
We left Heather getting ready for the Graduation Ball. This was to take the shape of a fun-fair in the grounds of the university, with candy-floss, hot dogs, hog roast and, bizarrely, paella. There were to be fireworks and bacon sandwiches for the 'Survivors Breakfast' at 4.30 a.m. Various 'famous' people were attending (I say 'famous' but in the tenuous 'Radio 1 DJ' sense of the word.)
A thunderstorm was gathering overhead but I doubt even the heaviest, wettest of downpours would put a dampener on the energy and spirit we left behind.
HAPPY GRADUATION, CLASS OF 2009!
Lovely, lovely blog. I had forgotten it was Graduation time, so it was a surprise when I read your account of your day.
ReplyDeleteAnd I remember the years that have been in between, from when your daughter was little, to now. And I look at you, and see the years as well in between as well.
I spent ages clicking up and down the page, and was much moved.
You look good, so does Andy, and so does Heather. Sending blessings and good luck to Heather, and much hugs and blessings to you and Andy.