Deb's Digest

We,ve just been soaking up some brain cells in Cambridge. We had three days of lectures and tours for the alumni weekend and we gate crash every year using the second son's name. It was wonderful. We (or should I say I - since I caught my other half's head nodding lower and lower) learned about Renaissance architecture and music in Venice and there wasn't a dry eye in the lecture theatre when a sample of singing from St John's College Choir was played as they sang in a small hospital chapel on a Venetian island. We heard a debate between Sir Peter Hall, Sir Trevor Nunn and Julian Pettifer about Shakespeare at Cambridge; we were shown onto the T.B. balcony (where all the beds were pushed) of the Judge Business School which used to be Addenbrooke's Hospital and we heard Zadok The Priest sung in the magnificent Kings College Chapel.

We went along to the artist son's Masters Degree exhibition the other night. He found out on the night that he's got a distinction - so we're all thrilled and we're now looking forward to yet another graduation ceremony. We never ceased to be amazed by our clever children - especially since neither of us even went to university.

Our daughter starts her Masters Degree this week and she's moved back home for the year. I thought I'd got rid of all that extra washing, ironing and cooking - but I suppose I'm secretly enjoying being useful again.

The London son is now living in a Hamburg hotel room and trying to understand and speak German. The Innocent Drinks newsletter claimed that his favourite word is Guinea Pig (in German). It's his birthday today and last Friday while in Cambridge I posted a birthday cake to him - as luck would have it it arrived today and I've just received this photo - talk about the wonders of modern technology!