Stockholm

From Stockholm

Back to Stockholm again for yet another presentation to Tele2.  Our hotel was in a rather nondescript place some way between the airport and Stockholm, but at least we were not under a flightpath this time around.  A somewhat less hurried schedule on this trip, with one day to prepare in advance of the presentation, then time for a night in town before heading back to the UK/Ireland the following day.

We were recommended to try the Gondola restaurant, which has a 12th floor bar and dining room with a view over Stockholm harbour, and serves typical Swedish cuisine.   This turned out to be a good choice.  I chose a pickled herring selection for my starter (see picture above) and reindeer for my main course.  Both were excellent.  I suspect the bill for the night was horrendous, so let's hope we win this contract.

Jessica's MA Graduation, Oxford

From MA Graduation

You may be wondering why we were attending yet another degree ceremony with Jessica.  After all, she already has an MSc, right?  The answer is that at Oxbridge they have this quaint tradition of awarding a MA degree to all BA students seven years after they enter the university, on payment of an appropriate fee.  The degree is not worth anything at all academically, but Jessica and her college mates decided that they would use the degree ceremony as a chance for a college reunion, and also combine it with a hen weekend for one of the group who was getting married in a few weeks time.

So we all filed into the newly restored Sheldonian Theatre to listen to a load of Latin spouted by the Vice Chancellor and his lackeys, accompanied by endless bowing and mortar board doffing (see video), which ended with the graduands receiving their degrees.  Then back to St Hughes College for some canapes and bubbly, before Jessica's mates and us parents / boyfriends headed off to the Cherwell Boathouse Restaurant for dinner.

Richmond - Windsor Cycle Ride

This ride, organised to raise funds for the British Heart Foundation, was part of Alison's pre-Ghana training programme. We elected to do the longer route, which at 60km was not too demanding.  A pleasant enough run through parts of the Thames suburbs that I had never really seen before.  The weather held out until after our mid-point tea break, after which it  began to bucket down.  I was actually quite grateful for the rain as it helped to keep me cool. I should have followed Alison's example and consumed an energy booster with my tea, as I was definitely running on empty for  much of the second leg, until I stopped for a much needed Mars Bar.  Meanwhile, Alison had been surging ahead thanks to her previous stamina training.  We both arrived in Windsor in rather a soggy state, but recovered quickly enough with a pint and a bite to eat.  Then back on the train to Twickenham and a well earned Sunday roast down at the pub.

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