26/06/2005
The Prom...
Or Leavers' Ball, as it is known here in the UK.
What a fabulous event... All the school leavers went to inordinate amounts of trouble- the girls groomed to the max in beautiful gowns, and the boys in evening dress bearing gifts of flowers for the girls. Many of the boys wore tail suits- and minimus's date even sported, (for a joke, I hasten to add) a top hat.
They all looked so beautiful... remember when we used to worry about our noses being too long (I still do!!) or too short, or we were too fat or too thin? What we overlooked was the fact that we were young- and that in itself is a thing of beauty.
School had gone to a lot of trouble too... the dining hall was unrecognisable with archways of balloons overhead and flowers everywhere. The buffet was exceptional, the wine free-flowing, and the company fantastic. There was an exceptionally talented table magician, a top class jazz band (had to be good as one of the Dad's is a 'top of the charts' musician of some twenty years standing) and a pretty smooth DJ to fill in the gaps.
Dh was resting back home, but I found that several other mothers were without escorts- No matter, we boogied the night away- I even had one rather memorable moment on the dance floor with a young man complete with helium filled balloons tied to his rump. Interesting, shall we say... Anyhow, I danced the... well, I'm not quite sure really- but I was tossed about like a rag doll, and thrown over his arm 'a la the tango' until my head touched the floor etc etc. I was ever so glad the next day to discover that he didn't remember how he came to have two broken toes-
Dancer, I am not, dear friends!!!
All in all, it was a wonderful night, and when it came to an end the young people went up to 'top pitch' to test their tolerance to alcohol while the parents left to mull over the end of an era.
I walked back along cobbled pathways beneath a velvety moonlit sky to the local guesthouse (the local hostelry had double-booked my room).. where I was made most welcome in surroundings that hadn't changed for 50 years. Yes, my room was very quaint, but it was spotlessly clean and that's all I care about. And there was a tray bearing not just the usual tea and coffee, but Horlicks! Now, there's thoughtful for you...
There is always a prank after 'Leavers' Ball' of course- last year a dustbin was placed on top of the chapel tower... but that was a bit of a give-away because one of the boys was a well known mountaineer... this year it was 2 boats on the headmaster's lawn...
Back to earth, I have to tell you that I shall be away from you for a few days now as I'm taking minimus to Venice for her eighteenth birthday present... more of that when I return.
Meanwhile, love to all and happy reading everyone!
Susan
What a fabulous event... All the school leavers went to inordinate amounts of trouble- the girls groomed to the max in beautiful gowns, and the boys in evening dress bearing gifts of flowers for the girls. Many of the boys wore tail suits- and minimus's date even sported, (for a joke, I hasten to add) a top hat.
They all looked so beautiful... remember when we used to worry about our noses being too long (I still do!!) or too short, or we were too fat or too thin? What we overlooked was the fact that we were young- and that in itself is a thing of beauty.
School had gone to a lot of trouble too... the dining hall was unrecognisable with archways of balloons overhead and flowers everywhere. The buffet was exceptional, the wine free-flowing, and the company fantastic. There was an exceptionally talented table magician, a top class jazz band (had to be good as one of the Dad's is a 'top of the charts' musician of some twenty years standing) and a pretty smooth DJ to fill in the gaps.
Dh was resting back home, but I found that several other mothers were without escorts- No matter, we boogied the night away- I even had one rather memorable moment on the dance floor with a young man complete with helium filled balloons tied to his rump. Interesting, shall we say... Anyhow, I danced the... well, I'm not quite sure really- but I was tossed about like a rag doll, and thrown over his arm 'a la the tango' until my head touched the floor etc etc. I was ever so glad the next day to discover that he didn't remember how he came to have two broken toes-
Dancer, I am not, dear friends!!!
All in all, it was a wonderful night, and when it came to an end the young people went up to 'top pitch' to test their tolerance to alcohol while the parents left to mull over the end of an era.
I walked back along cobbled pathways beneath a velvety moonlit sky to the local guesthouse (the local hostelry had double-booked my room).. where I was made most welcome in surroundings that hadn't changed for 50 years. Yes, my room was very quaint, but it was spotlessly clean and that's all I care about. And there was a tray bearing not just the usual tea and coffee, but Horlicks! Now, there's thoughtful for you...
There is always a prank after 'Leavers' Ball' of course- last year a dustbin was placed on top of the chapel tower... but that was a bit of a give-away because one of the boys was a well known mountaineer... this year it was 2 boats on the headmaster's lawn...
Back to earth, I have to tell you that I shall be away from you for a few days now as I'm taking minimus to Venice for her eighteenth birthday present... more of that when I return.
Meanwhile, love to all and happy reading everyone!
Susan
