Nothing to grouse about

Yesterday I went up to London to attend the annual Grouse Dinner at the Oxford and Cambridge Club.

Having travelled up by coach myself I met up with my host at Victoria Station and then, walking along by the side of Buckingham Palace managed to trip over my feet on the pavement. Fortunately I was unhurt if alittle shaken and had afriend with me. A passer-by was all for calling an ambulance - no wonder the NHS is at full stretch - but I got to my feet and continued along our journey, reflecting that I had, perhaps, managed to seemingly perform a proskynesis to the Sovereign...

London being London we managed to meet acquaintances in The Mall by pure chance before going to meet another friend at the Red luion pub opposite St James' Palace before going to the O and C.

We sat in the roof garden overlooking Marlborough House before the reception and dinner, which was in the Princess Marie Louise Room - that part of the Club was formerly the residence of H.H. Princess Marie Louise. This was a suitably opulent setting for such an occasion and a good opportunity to meet up with many old friends from Oxford and to catch up on their news.

Afterwards we adjourned to the bar and then back to the roof garden for more drinks and a cigar, before I made my way back to the coach pick up point and my host returned to south London.

An excellent and enjoyable evening - and nothing to grouse about ( save perhaps two more than usually sore knees).