Throwback Thursday

On this day in 1993...

Today was a day designated for skiving (1). We had the first lesson - in which I wrote my "Chapman's Syndrome" (2) - and then we went on a coach to St Mary's to "practise" ringing! (3) We rang a few things and had visits from Mrs Dawtrey, Mr Campbell and Mrs Fothergill (4). This evening we played charades and wink murder and Beccy's dad bought me a fish cake on the way home. So I didn't actually go to the carol service. In the afternoon, I made the teachers' cake, Michelle's truffles (5) and a guitar brooch for Tim's friend. All in all a rewarding and busy day. 

(1) It was the annual carol service. We always tried to get out of it. It was compulsory. In a delicious twist of irony, tonight was my current school's 'compulsory' carol concert. "Do we have to go?" whined my tutees. "Why wouldn't you want to?" I eventually started responding (in spite of Tuesday's resolution), genuinely surprised. Oh, the difference 25 years makes.

(2) No idea, but Miss Chapman was my History teacher so it must have been something History-based.

(3) A small group of us ringers rang the bells for the carol concert and were therefore allowed to stay in the tower for the entire service because it was too distracting for us to come down partway through. An exceptionally good ruse, although you always have to be very quiet in the tower unless you're actually ringing.

(4) The Head, the Deputy Head, my tutor. Anybody would think they didn't trust us.

(5) Michelle was a wealthy girl who constantly offered people money to do things for her. In 1993, she paid me to make her truffles.

Just fell down the usual diary hole. The week before this, I'd gone to a concert at the Guildhall on my own, followed by a bar with my friends, and then walked to one of the seafront clubs to spend the rest of the night. I'm horrified that (a) I managed to get away with this at 15 and (b) I thought walking that distance was OK. That is FAR. Google Maps says it is two miles. I'd definitely uber it these days.