[imported_Fluffy_Bunny]

My school is pretty old, 1400 years, & it celebrated its 1,400th in style...

I wasn't planning to go as the tickets were rather pricey, about $200 for a five course meal &tc. It was a tuxedo event & highbrow is an understatement. At the last moment my old school gf rings me up & asks me if I wana go as she has been let down by this other guy at the last moment because he had exams. I say sure & go out & buy a tux etc at the last moment...

First we got on a 100 year old paddle-steamer, we were given champagne & we sailed up the river to the Royal Engineer Barracks. I walked in the door & came face to face with a tiger. There were two of them, skinned & hanging on the wall with numerous other tapestries & historic memorabilia including some cool stuff from ww2. The place was quite fancy, it had big portraits & high celings etc. Then this guy came along wearing tails & a big red sash, he opens these big oak doors & then stands at the side.

The people walk through the doors, hand him their card & he actually reads out their name as they enter, & now ladies & gentleman, Mr & Mrs so & so. I was beginning to think it was something out of Jane Austen eek:

We enter this huge dining hall, with massive paintings of old generals like Kitchener &tc. There are huge long tables with silver service & candlelights. When everyone was seated the guy with the tails & sash gets out a big wooden hammer & starts banging it on another piece of wood. Everyone stands up and a Gurkha comes in playing the bagpipes stupid: He is followed by a Brigadier & a Commodore & a bunch of other people. Everyone gives a toast to the Queen et al & the honoured guests. Then the Royal Signals band starts playing. They have their full redcoat uniforms on & look kickazz rock: This guy starts going around with a Royal trumpet, like the ones you see at medieval tournaments, & he starts playing post horn gallop. [famous brit cavalry charge music thing] A bit later this old guy drinks too much port & gets completely wasted. As the headmaster is making a speech he keeps shouting out "GOOD SHOW OLD BOY & HEAR HEAR, RATHER" happy:

The night was absolutely mad, in an extravagant way full of pomp & circumstance. I've never seen anything quite like it
biggrin: