Understandably No Smoking in this room!
This was definitely because of the odd 400 year old book that surrounded the place. This was no less than the reading room of the Science Museum where was held the magic event that was a launch of a certain initiative.
Having arrived at Victoria and beaten up a certain individual who was determined to queue jump, I found my way to the wrong entrance of the museum before arriving at the correct venue area. Now shag is definitely the word that applies to this carpet. I mean it must have been about four inches thick at its tallest and no less than two inches anywhere! This was before discovering the Gents where there was real, I mean serious class to the facilities. There was even more class to many of the delegates and quite a few high level discussions were to be had around the congregational areas.
The machine that turns computer images into slides was about the only interesting thing worth hearing in the lectures themselves; no this is unfair; there was certainly an interesting debate about the use of medicines that cause determined harm to some of us who are in need of them! Of course yours truly was the banana in the sandwich that gave a respite and allowed my hands to shake themselves free of recent tensions.
Some of the pre-event lunch was noticeably worth partaking and reflected further the style and prestige of the delegates (in particular yours truly without doubt). There were also wonderful touches of technology meets history in the way the room was laid out and the subtly placed notices reminding everyone of why we were there although we didn’t of course particularly need reminding.
I’m just looking now at about five business cards that have been assured to give me a chance of further niches of sessional work having repeated five times to the organising people that I would be available to themselves also should they require a complete psycho at another venture. So I could be busy once those emails start to hammer at my Inbox!
Mama definitely enjoyed herself mixing with a few of the well top, top brass and swapping the occasional story about past times and present issues. I also found that there was the sort of discussion available that allowed me to complete further dissertations about some of shared views regarding the scope of people’s journey with things that are ghosts of the mind!
And because one of the most key speakers did not manage to attend it allowed a very, very long discussion about the future of the initiative (not to be named) so that people were altogether completely confused about what the outcomes would be. The more things change the more they remain the same I suppose. This allowed an early break for the essential tea and as for those biscuits, man! Well worth it all suddenly!
So having watched people dissipate towards their further coffee and biscuits (probably in the odd lounge at the palace of Westminster itself), Mum and myself headed off for a drink to celebrate what truly is quite an achievement; to lecture in this most historical surrounding to an all senior audience and still hold the right amount of pauses and distinction that befits myself becoming slightly adept at this kind of speaking. Quite surprised myself I did?
Shame the train home only arrived to leave ten minutes after 3 announcements it was leaving!