October

Although the summer season had finished, Roger was still busy with bowling activities. He has two regular indoor games, one at Malvern, and one at Littleton, taking up one or two mornings a week, and this year has taken on organizing the team for Littleton. He has also been auditing the Overbury accounts. He has been elected captain of the men’s triples team for next year, and the first duty was to attend the triples committee’s AGM, where he accepted the 2008 Runner’s Up shield on behalf of Overbury.

Jay returned to Oxford on Thursday 9. We just about fitted everything in the car. On arrival, her new room proved much closer to the entrance, so unloading and carrying was easier, and she was delighted with her room – a relatively recent conversion with coordinated furnishing, plenty of storage space, and, best of all, en suite facilities. It is in a quiet block and in easy reach of a kitchen and laundry room.

Jay was also delighted to hear that among the ten firsts in Biology Honour Mods she was placed second overall – a brilliant result.

Earlier this year, Teresa had been very quick off the mark and managed to get tickets for the Royal Shakespeare Theatre’s production of Hamlet. Because of the presence of David Tennant in the title role, and Patrick Stewart as Claudius/Old Hamlet’s Ghost, all performances had quickly sold out and more than once we looked wistfully to see tickets changing hands for over £300 on eBay. We resisted the temptation and on Friday 24, Teresa and Roger, joined in Stratford by Helen, presented ourselves at the Courtyard Theatre (the main venue during the refurbishment programme).

We had supper in the restaurant first – an excellent cold platter at a reasonable price, and then saw a most interesting production. The critics generally have given it rave reviews, and David Tennant was an original and very watchable Hamlet – probably the funniest and most energetic ever, if perhaps not quite capturing the brooding presence of some of his predecessors.

All back to Toddington afterwards, Helen having booked leave for a long weekend with us, and on the Monday we looked round Tewkesbury, Teresa wanting to visit the Abbey to book tickets for their Christmas Carol service and a performance of The Messiah.

(left) The Swan Theatre, Stratford – closed

at present during the refurbishment programme

Home Diary 2008