So this is what it feels like to be 59, then. Actually, not bad at all. And a call from my 91-year-old mama made me feel a whole lot better.



It's been a quiet, but thoroughly enjoyable day: lunch a deux (sorry, still can't do accents on this blog), a very long walk through the Oxfordshire countryside with Diana and the dog, and then back to a spot of lawn-mowing, which I always find rather therapeutic. Being of advanced years now, we've taken to pouring ourselves a 'nice' cup of tea and settling down to watch 'Escape to the Country', when we can, so that was nice. No, we didn't, in fact, put a rug over our knees.



Thank you, though, for all your kind wishes: much appreciated. Can't wait for next year: that should be some bash. (d.v.)



Your LMs all looked the part this morning, as a number of them prepared to make their way to Eton. They were all extremely up-beat, and all, as far as I can gather, were looking forward to the experience. They were to be transported headmagisterially, and also ex-tutorially, with the overflow travelling in the brand new Audi belonging to my former tutee, Mr Edwards. We've seen them tonight, and they remain in good spirits, all having had a good time.



Mr Bryan and Miss Chloe were kindly duteous this evening, and all seems to have gone well. We were all sitting round the kitchen table, enjoying a celebratory glass of Lanson, and I have to admit that my deputy lodgemeister was taken aback to note that LMs suddenly appeared! As they do.



'Er, I seem to have fallen over', was the first plaintive cry from the kitchen door, which necessitated a bit of TLC and little more, followed by 'What's the password for the upstairs common room computer?', from a voice from the top of our stairs. We waited for the third to herald us, but nothing was forthcoming.



Holby was good tonight - or at least, it would have been, if Sky Super Extra Incredible Never Let You Down, or whatever its moniker is, hadn't crashed half way through! Oh well, at least there's i-Player.