Meatball miracles etc

Yup! We made it to Cambridge. I decided against buying a new dress, but opted for wearing the one I wore last year (little black thing). Upgraded it by getting a gold bolero and a matching clutch bag instead. Which, in the end, came to about the same prize as a new dress...

The dinner was quite nice. It is Tim's old college that has a annual (more or less, there was a break between 1908 and 2003) audit dinner. Long story, ask Tim if you want to know more. Anyway, this was my third one, and I had a really good time. Knowing more people now, the dreaded mingling was quite fun, and I got to see lots of old friends. Key to having a good evening is of course where you get seated at the dinner table (this is, after all, a seven course meal), but I was lucky this time. The gentleman on my left never turned up (apparently that was a good thing), but next to me I had an undergrad student, and opposite his girlfriend, both medievalists. They were nice and easygoing, and it was good not to have someone too serious as company... The girl and I compared notes on faux pas at previous dinners. My worst one was to dip my fingers in a bowl of rose water (when you were supposed to dip your serviette), but she won by telling me how she managed to pour sherry into her red wine glass (a thing that was later publicly announced!), and putting fruit on what she thought was her plate, but was in fact a variant of aforesaid bowl of rose water!

Food and wine was very good, and I drank too much port, which I discovered the day after... However, I had made a great revelation on the Thursday - Sainsbury's sell Swedish meatballs (Scans!!!) for only 99p. The meatballs definitely saved my Saturday. Best hangover cure ever: meatballs and coke! (I have now bought two more packages, not because I am planning to get drunk, but because they were incredibly yummy!) And in the future, if I feel homesick I don't have to go all the way to IKEA, but can just walk to the store around the corner. Bliss!

Sunday, Tim went to Bristol to go to a birthday party for the owner of Uley Brewery... I haven't heard from him yet, so I assume it was a good party. He's coming back tomorrow, via some library somewhere.

I, on the other hand, met up with Mathilde and her friends, who were visiting London for the weekend. We strolled around Spitafield market, had a drink at Jaguar Shoes, and dinner at the Drunken Monkey. I felt like the most uncool person on the planet, not in touch with anything trendy, but had a really good time. Spent the last part of the evening watching 'Billy Elliot', one of my favourite movies. Found it for £3 at Sainsbury's! (I love that store!) Soppy me cried in the end, as always. (And I don't even like ballet.) A great way to spend a Sunday.