Oxford Earth Science Dinner

When old geology classmates Anna and Hugh suggested a meet up of the 1989 Earth Science group  to "celebrate" 25 years since our first field trip I made an excuse.

It would be in the middle of Megs AS levels - and the Sunday was the FMC Anniversary.
No - I wouldn't be attending.

Then Lee announced on Facebook that she had booked her flights from Australia - 

and my excuses were rather pathetic.

So it came to pass that we left Megs at home revising 
{and sleeping over night at Gma's}
while Al, Ben and myself went to Oxford.

When I was organizing the weekend I contacted my lovely old friend Clare -
hoping that we would be able to meet up after far too long.
When Clare texted me a couple of days before the weekend I was delighted -
and so we spent a Saturday afternoon in the University Parks - 
walking in the sun
watching the punting
{and the quidditch!}
eating ice creams
 and of course chatting with friends.

We've made plans to meet up again this summer - 

I'm never leaving it this long again.

And then there was the dinner - 

a typically Oxford affair at St Cross College.

 The last time I saw most of these people was in July 1992 when we sat finals -

or perhaps on the afternoon when we got our results -

{I remember walking down the High to the exam schools with Al and Cath to look at the boards - and then sitting outside the Kings Arms - and being told off for being too loud by students who were still studying across the road in the Bodleian} 

so it was an interesting and slightly odd evening

with lots of catching up and reminiscing.

There are photographs -

but I missed the pre-dinner drinks {parking issues on St GIles}

I left at midnight {the group shots were done quite some time after that}

and the best shot of me during dinner is of the back of my head!

BUT - there is a picture of me and Bob Spicer - 

and anyone who has heard my 

"there was no grass in the Jurassic - so why is there grass in this dinosaur movie" rant

knows that his palaeobotany lectures must have made an impact with me!

And finally - the 1992 Finalists -