The Mad Hatter's Tea Party

          There was a table set out under a tree in front of the house, and the March Hare and the Hatter were having tea at it: a Dormouse was sitting between them, fast asleep, and the other two were using it as a cushion, resting their elbows on it, and talking over its head. 'Very uncomfortable for the Dormouse,' thought Alice; 'only as it's asleep, I suppose it doesn't mind.'

          The table was a large one, but the three were all crowded together at one corner of it: 'No room! No room!' they cried when they saw Alice coming. 'There's plenty of room!' said Alice indignantly, and she sat down in a large arm-chair at one end of the table.

          'Have some wine,' the March Hare said in an encouraging tone.

 

I've had a life-long love affair with Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and so when the invitation to a Mad Hatter's Tea Party dropped through my (facebook) letterbox I could not have been more excited. The party was for a friends birthday, and she did not disappoint on the theme. There was croquet with flamingo mallets covers, cocktails in tea cups, and an assortment of mad hats. 

My ridiculous head-gear was home-made, painstakingly hand-painted the night before, only to remember my lack of artistic talent, and swiftly covered in feathers...(the effort paid off though, and I came home with the prize for the best hat!).

Unfortunately in true British style the weather quickly turned sour with torrential rain, and so the garden party was relocated into the house, which could only mean one thing: Party Games! Like Pin the Grin on the Cheshire Cat...

Some were better at it than others...

And the (potentially a bit racist?) 'Be Your Hat Game'...

Followed by many more cocktails, and a pretty fab tea selection of mini afternoon tea staples.

And, of course, birthday cake and champagne!

The drinks continued to flow long into the night, and everyone had an amazing time catching up on our post-uni lives and our plans for the summer. I can't wait for the next reunion. Happy Birthday Hannah!

The Graduate(s)

WOOOO I GRADUATED!!!

After three long years, countless all-nighters (some of them for essays...) and an awful lot of reading it's finally over. I'd like to thank coffee, tequila and sparknotes...

Our graduation ceremonies were hosted on the rather lovely London Road campus, which is probably the best part of Reading. It's the oldest part of the campus, and as such looks like a real old-fashioned university, perfect for Pimms and strawberries on the lawn after a nerve-wracking ceremony (no one tripped on the stairs or lost their hat - I call that a victory).

 This is not my family. This is my lovely ex-housemate (sniff) Eleanor's, but I am awfully fond of them. We could only get two tickets for the ceremony, so I spent most of the day with my dad.

 My Dad is wonderful (even if he does tend to get a bit emotional at these kind of events - there is often a tear or two shed. Sorry Dad...) and he generously provided my dress. It's Karen Millen, in House of Fraser, and it's now on sale (isn't that always the way?). My brother and sister also turned up later for a photo or two, and a celebratory meal at Jamie's on the riverside. I love Jamie's. It's so simple, and so delicious, and the staff are always fantastic. And their Earl Grey Martini? Spectacular. I may have a stab at making it and post the recipe. It's the perfect summer cocktail.

 The day was filled with lots of sunshine, photos and emotional hugging of people we're not sure how we'll live without, like these folks.

Emotional hugs all round...

 That and feeling a bit smug...

 I arrived at uni unsure if it was what I wanted to do. I had the alternative option of running away to Zanzibar (I spent some of my gap year out there and made friends with some people who were setting up their own NGO, and was more than tempted to join them), and whilst I knew university was probably the better life choice, I definitely didn't want to come. This was a feeling that resurfaced a lot in my first and second years, and there were times when I was genuinely about to leave.  Let's face it, who wouldn't rather be here than Reading...

Pure heaven. In the end though I stuck it out, and I'm so glad I did. I have some of the most amazing friends, and have had the best time (despite the lack of beach bars - although I did work at Lola Lo for a while, that's essentially the same isn't it?). I have also, shockingly, learnt a lot. I really enjoyed my course, and had some fantastic lecturers. If it's something you're unsure about, I would bear this in mind; it's only 3 years. There's plenty of time afterwards to do everything else, and it's really worth going when you're young and will really get the whole experience (largely drinking...).

So what now? I still want to travel the world. I'd like to get a job in advertising or PR. I'd like a car, and a house, and a dog that can pull off a bow tie. Maybe not the car if I end up in London like I want to. I'd like a lot of things from the future.

But first, I'd like to sit around reminiscing just a little while longer...