h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

As some of you know the Snowy family spent the weekend taking Middle Daughter (MD) to Cambridge. While there I met Annie MS [or annie_cambridge as she is known in here]

Eldest Daughter, MD and I flew to Stansted and took a train to Cambridge in the morning and O/H and Youngest Daughter followed on in the evening. ED, MD and I spent some time buying some of the necessities of student life before having lunch in a pub called The Vine and from there I contacted Annie and arranged to meet her at her college. She showed me around [and very beautiful it is too] and then took me for a coffee to the University Centre which has wonderful views of Cambridge from its top floor. Thank you again, Annie.

YD and O/H arrived just after 8 and we went to Bruno's for dinner. There's a good mix of meat, fish and vegetarian dishes on the menu and the food was delicious. My only quibble is that they charge 10% service for parties of five or over. This may be common in Cambridge but it's new to me and I don't think our family party were particularly demanding of service.

On Saturday we went shopping to buy a few more things for MD before us parent took her to her college. When we arrived at her room someone else was occupying it. They had been given the key of 10 instead of 10A so when the key didn't fit they just tried another door instead of going back to the Porters' Lodge. The mother was very reluctant to move despite it being quite clear from the names on the staircase that it was MD's room. It took a few trips to the Lodge and back before we could take possession of the room. I sat for almost an hour outside looking after MD's stuff which gave me a great opportunity to wonder at the amount some people bring to college. We'd probably be the same if it were a matter of dumping it all in the back of a car.

By 7.00pm every eating establishment in Cambridge was packed or booked out and we were exhausted so, after leaving MD to head off to some meeting followed by a staircase party, we headed back to our hotel and had a meal there and I was in bed by 9.00pm intending to watch that "I See Dead People" thing on ITV but fell asleep half-way through.

On Sunday MD met us at the bus station where ED was taking the bus to Oxford where she's about to start her final year. It was just a brief good-bye. I've been saying for the past few weeks that I'd be rather relieved when the eventually went to University but it was rather emotional as we saw ED on to the bus, bid farewell to her and MD and O/H, YD and I got into a taxi for the railway station. The family just separated then and there.

Thankfully we had arranged to take a train which would leave us at Stansted early because when we'd sat on it for 10 minutes there was an announcement that it had no conductor and therefore we would have to change to the Liverpool Street train, get off and Bishop's Stortford and take another train back to the airport. Annie had warned me that this could happen.

So now it's just the three of us at home and YD is missing her sisters. So I've been trying to spoil her just a little since [well, I bought her the new Franz Ferdinand CD yesterday!]

It occurred to me that I may well have passed Stephen in the street as we were back and forward past his college a number of times. By chance we met the families of two other students from here and ED met a girl from her Oxford college who lives in Cambridge. So it's a small world!

Eilis

Hi Eilis - glad you got back safely, in spite of the delay on the Stansted line. Hope I didn't wish it on you by mentioning it! Another time, if the Liverpool Street train is a stopping one, you can get off at Stansted Mountfitchet, walk down the street a little way and get a taxi to the airport, although having said that, the taxi office is not very obvious and the first time I did it, I had an anxious moment or two, thinking I was going to miss my plane!

Glad to hear Bruno's was a success - I haven't been there yet, although it's been open a couple of years. We keep saving it for a special occasion ... I hadn't noticed the 10% service charge for parties of 5 at other places, but now that you've mentioned it, I think a couple of the places we are considering for our office Christmas dinner also do it.

It was really nice to meet you, and I'm sure we'll have other opportunities during MD's time here. Hope she is settling in well - I've been at the Freshers' Feast at Newnham tonight and it was great to see them all (and try to identify them from the photos on their application forms!).