'Lord of the Rings' provided cinematic pleasure tonight, along with sweet rations and a whole barrow-load of fruit. No real classical stories to report, although we did have the Latin Reading competition this morning, which was a very classy affair, with the Head of Classics from Winchester adjudicating. I had to pinch myself to believe that the Latin being read (Catullus) was being declaimed by 13-year-olds, I must say!

The First Year's Coffee Concert was a most agreeable affair, too, with my little Junior Choir singing a song from the musical of 'Tom Sawyer' and many other little men performing splendidly on a variety of instruments. All very promising for the future, in my opinion, although sadly Mrs C and I won't be here to discover just how far the talent of the future will develop.

Talking of things musical, I shall be examining a group of students tomorrow afternoon. It reminds me of the professor at Trinity College of Music (which I did not attend) who examined a friend of mine on the organ at 2pm one afternoon in the 1970s.

'Ah. You must be X. Well, you may as well know: I never pass anyone after mid-day.' Of course, my friend passed happily and received his well-deserved Fellowship diploma.

Or the Oxford professor, who thought that a sensible way to mark papers would be to throw them down the stairs, with those that fell to the bottom coming last and those at the top coming top, with all the others in the middle. No, I don't use that method.

I'm wittering now. It's probably just nerves.

Goodnight.