Parents everywhere!

We all love them. And appreciate them, and cringe inwardly at the 4th time they tell that embarrassing story from our childhood, but deep down, we are dead chuffed that they made the effort to come all the way here to witness our final, defining, SBS/Oxford moment. Of course, it is a wonderful opportunity to attend a real Oxford ceremony held in the Sheldonian with all the pomp and ceremony that few institutions can do better than Oxford.

So what do you do with 200 sets of parents who descend on Oxford the day before the End of Course ceremony? You take them to a beautiful old pub called the Trout Inn, in Godstow, near to the spot which was the inspiration for Lewis Carol's 'Alice in Wonderland', let them meet each other then sit back and enjoy the day.

Tim's parents, Marty's parents, my Dad

The weather has been beautiful and it gave us the perfect opportunity to show of the beautiful English countryside at it's best. The two mile walk from the Trout took us along the Isis which is the name for the Thames as it runs through Oxford and provided us with some superb shots.

Then up to my college to show my father my college home. The St. Hugh's gardens were in full bloom which made for a truely memorable time. I only wish that my mother could be here to see it as well...

Dinner was again with more parents and this time at the Head of the River, location of the famous Head of the River boat races and destination of the students after the Torpids and Summer 8's races.


We all had a lovely time.

The Blog
Who would have thought that these musings of mine would have generated so much talk! It's been wonderful to get such positive feedback about a project that was intended to record my MBA adventure to ensure that the experience was not lost in the mists of time. I can't tell you how much it means to me to know that it was widely read and enjoyed and even passed on to other friends and collegues.

The question I keep getting asked is "Will you continue?" and the answer is, I don't know. I have certainly enjoyed keeping the blog this past year and the MBA has provided me with a huge source for material. I can't imagine that the rest of my life will continue at this pace but you never know... I have tended to take life as it comes and try to make the most of every situation so we'll see. I won't sign off just yet though, there's still a bit more left, the ceremony today, the many dinners and celebrations, a viva on Wednesday...