OC>65

 Fairly usual start to the day. with Ellie coming in to snuggle up just before 7:00. The Gorse Fox was up first and then, once everything was done, we dropped Ellie at school.

The Gorse Fox had plans. The Silver Vixen dropped him at the railway station and he headed up to London. His lunch appointment was scheduled for 13:00 and he had some time to kill and decided to walk to the venue.

Swinging round past Buckingham Palace, he had planned to cut through Green Park. It was soon clear that Plan B was required. Huge areas around the Palace were blocked off as contractors worked on the preparation for the Queen's Jubilee. Green Park was inaccessible from the Place. The Gorse Fox had to divert down Constitution Hill and then enter Green Park from the far end. This must have added a kilometre or so to the walk, but there was plenty of time. 

He looped up along Piccadilly and then headed north towards Oxford Street, stopping just south, in D'Arblay Street. It had been a lovely walk.

The destination was Vasco and Piero's Pavillion Restaurant. This is a fine Italian Restaurant run by an Old Columban. The event was the Spring Old Columban Over-65's lunch. This was the first time for a few years that we were able to hold this, due to Covid.

As the Gorse Fox arrived another OC arrived and we stood outside chatting and getting to know each other. He was from the year below the Gorse Fox and had spent that last decade or two in Australia, but was now back in England. We made our way in and formed the advance party for the stragglers who were yet to come. There were about 12-15 of us all together.

The most important aspect of this particular get together was that the Gorse Fox's friends Michael N and Charlie W were both present.

Charlie was a couple of years ahead of the Gorse Fox at school, but we had studied together in the monastery and Charlie had ended up teaching at SCC and the at St Benedict's.

Michael (and his brother, Peter) was in the same class as the Gorse Fox and we had actually travelled to the USA together in '68 and studied there for year. Michael now lives in the South of France, but comes over to visit his mum every couple of months.

The lunch was excellent. The Gorse Fox enjoyed a meat platter to start with, then, after much deliberation, chose the tagliatelle as a main course. The meal was washed down with plenty of wine and the odd beer and finished off with a chocolate fudge brownie. Perfect. We carried on chatting until well after 16:00. Michael and Charlie decided to go on to the pub. The Gorse Fox ducked out at this point and headed for the tube back to Victoria.

The Silver Vixen collected the Gorse Fox from Bognor Regis railway station at about 18:30 and that was the end of a lovely day.