Here be graduands

It's an often made remark here that Selwyn is so stingey, you only get a free meal when you arrive, and again when you leave. But regardless of the motive, the other day was the Graduands' Dinner; the final occasion for the graduating cohort to be together as a year-group before graduation day itself.

Because I took a year out, I'm effectively in the wrong graduation year, but the third-years have been so welcoming that it hasn't really felt like it, and there are still a number of fourth-years around to complete the picture. Even more came back for the dinner; both Sacha and Lottie came back from their two-years in Paris to celebrate along with the rest of us, and a lovely night it was too,

The evening started with a leavers' service in the College chapel – the first time I've been inside in quite a long time – which managed to bring tears to the eyes when it ended with the singing of Jerusalem. It's just one of those hymns that can evoke an emotion response without even trying – a really beautiful choice to finish with. We then had drinks in the Master's Garden before heading into Hall for the dinner.

The meal itself was good, and it was really nice to be able to sit down and take some sort of stock of things while catching up with friends who I haven't seen for far too long. At the end of meal, Dr Tilby, the senior tutor, got up and gave the graduands' speech, and while it's now hard to remember exactly what he said it was a really fitting end to our time at Selwyn.