Class of '87
Sat up till 2 am writing my article for the college newsletter.
When Colin came down to reception to meet me, he said proudly "Look what I've found." It was an advertising poster for the college from 1987. I had to sit on a bench in the Quad holding the poster - "Keep it flat," instructed Colin, but that wasn't easy in the strong wind - while Colin took several photos of me with the famous clock tower in the background. After about a dozen shots, we made our way up to Colin's office.
En route, Colin asked me when I'd last been back at the college.
"Last night."
He was delighted that I was now back there as an evening class student, and insisted I work that into my article.
Colin shares an office with a lady called Wendy, who did a double take when she saw me - she remembers me from my student days and hadn't seen me in the intervening 18 years! Wendy kindly vacated her desk to allow me to use her computer to type up my article. Colin and I briefly exchanged football chat, then I got on with my article while Colin carried on working on the rest of the newsletter. He was amused by my first draft, most of which comprised anecdotes from my student days, but asked me to insert a bit about 'what to me was the spirit of the college'. I thought for a while, before going for 'learning in a friendly and happy atmosphere' - that tied in with the rest of the article. Colin also insisted I add in that I'm the current Mayor's Consort.
With the final version printed, I waited while Colin battled against Wendy's slightly cantankerous computer to transfer it onto his disk, then he told me to watch out for the newsletter in early April and led me back down to reception (quizzing me about Hawks' prospects for the big match at Histon tonight, and saying he hoped we'd make it to Conference National), where he thanked me, shook my hand and said goodbye. And that was it.
