Cor ad Cor Loquitur

It was an early start. The Gorse Fox had to get the bus to Bognor Regis and then the train, via Barnham and Brighton up to St Albans. Somehow the ST Columba's Over 65's lunch made the journey much of an adventure than a commute. The Gorse Fox plugged in his earphones and settled down to his latest audio book as he watched the countryside rush by.

He arrived at the school just before midday and signed in. He was soon chatting with old friends for 50 years ago: John Fox, Chris Jone, Tom Carol, David Nash, Paul Tominey, Laurence Rossiter, and Rob Hindley, to name but a few. He also got a chance to chat with Brother Clement who, at 90 years old, is still the school archivist and was interested in some the Gorse Fox's old photos.

Before we start down to lunch we had a brief concert from the barbershop singers. Last year they were rather average, but this year they really were superb and are clearly keeping up the school's long tradition in music. The Gorse Fox met and chatted with the Headmaster, who is also a Governor at Worth (where the Gorse Fox's cousin went to school, and his other cousin runs the Alumni Association). Lunch was a tasty affair with plenty of wine and beers available to ensure that everyone was suitably hydrated. Brother Paul popped in to have a chat with the Gorse Fox. We had studied together in the US back in 1968-69 and he has just celebrated his Golden Jubilee. He was able to bring the Gorse Fox up to date with several of our contemporaries, which was nice.

All too soon it was time to leave. The Gorse Fox tapped on the Uber app and 6 minutes later the car was waiting by the entrance.

Deposited at the station, the Gorse Fox caught the 15:58 train. The various railway apps show that the preferred route is via London, the tube, Victoria and onwards. The Gorse Fox eschewed the advice. It is far more convenient and comfortable to get on an empty train in St Albans and not have to stir until we arrive in Brighton, avoiding the nausea of fighting through the London stations on a Friday afternoon. It may have been slightly longer, but it was certainly more comfortable. He was back in Bognor Regis at 19:00, hopped on a bus and walked in the door at home at 19:20.

What a lovely day.