Good evening, dear Friends, and welcome to post number 480 - which means that there are just 20 to go before I hit my target!

It's amazing how one is taken by surprise when something happens. By this I mean that until tonight I haven't really felt any kind of emotion about leaving at the end of next term; indeed, when a member of my third year English set observed that it was 'the end of my last ever Lent term short leave', my rejoinder was 'And .... ?' 'But sir, aren't you upset?' 'Nope', said I. 'But won't you miss me, sir?' asked another. 'Nope', I lied. All of which serves to preface my telling you that tonight Mrs C and I were presented with a most lovely work of art, completed by one of our LMs, which was entiteld 'Love Hearts', and was illustrated with many of same. It was a wonderful moment, and when one of the others said, with a smile, 'Quite emotional, isn't it, sir', I have to confess that it was.

But I do have to tell you, dear readers, that I won't be hanging up my mortar board in September quite as definitely as I thought I might. That's all I'm saying for now, but further details in due course. H'm. That should cause a few flutters in the dovecotes ..... !

Tonight Congreve are at the league feast, they having won the league comp, which left the rest of the LMs here, having returned to lodge a little earlier than normal, and playing Uno with Hannah C or working out puzzles and completing quizzes with your correspondent. Ah. I hear the contented strains of revellers. The league feast, organised superbly once again by Mr Lagden, must have finished.

Tomorrow is BOSFAM golf, and for those who don't know, BOSFAM stands for Boys of Summer Fields and Masters (and Mistresses), and, basically, we spend the day playing golf. I am in a group with Messrs Lagden, Ives and Bryan, and one of my own tutees, whose brother is a Newtonian, will be my partner. He is particularly good, I know, so let's hope we can 'do the biz'! The highest up the order I have ever managed to come in eighteen years is 6th, but who knows?!

I will keep you posted. Until then,

Goodnight.