It rained and it rained, and it rained, and then, to my astonishment and delight, it stopped. Let us hope it stays stopped. The new furniture in the Plaza and around the pond is designed for sitting at, not sheltering beneath. As you complete exams and assessments and begin to relax, I hope the weather will allow you to make full use of all the open spaces in College.
Among the creatures who have been making very good use of these spaces are our South College ducks. Their presence beside the pond is now firmly established. I suspect this loyalty owes a great deal to the kindness of our Assistant Maintenance Manager, David Richards. David has been offering the ducks a daily meal of birdseed. Plainly this delicious fare has banished all memories of Van Mildert. My only concern is that our ducks may soon be too heavy to fly. It would be a pity if their healthy appetites turned them into an easy dinner for a fox.
Of course, rain is not the only barrier to enjoyment. We all long for an end to the necessary restrictions against infection which have governed our lives for too long. Very sadly the spread of the latest variant of Covid-19 has made this less than certain. In government, intense focus on the data will continue for several weeks. We must wait to discover whether our plans for the summer can go ahead.
While we wait, I am delighted that sales of tickets for our Summer Ball are going like a steam train. Alice and Richard have done an outstanding job to organise such a stylish and ambitious event. I am crossing all fingers (and toes) in the hope that the news will be good, and everything can go ahead exactly as planned. Without the Ball, fond as I am of champagne, I could not drink all our supplies unless I scheduled formals every night for a month. Perhaps I should tell the Prime Minister that the survival of my liver requires him to lift Covid restrictions as scheduled on 21 June.
Have a great weekend - and to those who still have exams to sit, very good luck.
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