The time we met a Russian delegation

Unexpectedly and delightfully, a friend who I was at school with came to stay! Gosh what a lot we had to talk about and catch up with – even though we are in regular contact with each other. She lives on the west coast of the USA and I had a memorable holiday with her, many many years ago! In the style of a well-known TV show, here’s what we remembered, laughed about, were intrigued by, amazed by:

• the time a friend of ours set fire to the school hall, having a cigarette between the dividers which separated it from the boys school hall
• the time when we suddenly decided to go to Greece one Saturday afternoon in the pub, hired a car to drive to Halifax or Huddersfield (we can’t remember which) to pick up the tickets, drove to Cambridge and begged beds from a kindly cousin, then caught the flight from Luton to Crete
•  the time she and my sister went for a midnight swim in the River Cam; the two lads they were with (friends not boyfriends) turned their backs while they stripped and dived in – not realising that they were illuminated by car headlights sweeping past. One of them was wearing Aunty’s hat, which got lost in the river
• Aunty’s hat – whose aunty? We don’t remember, it was pink and satiny and looked rather like a cushion
• the time she got married, and I was one of the bridesmaids carrying a white parasol instead of flowers, and her amazing dad walked her down the aisle in a Charlie Chaplin totter
• the time we went to a soirée at my dad’s scientific research station where his unit was entertaining a Russian delegation who went round in groups of three, no doubt checking that the others weren’t giving away state secrets or fraternising with the enemy. We were about 20, and it was at the time of mini-skirts… I must find the photo!
• the time I went to visit her in the States and we went to a beach and dug up geoducks – massive burrowing clams, which they called horse clams, I won’t mention the explanation I was given as to why they were called that
• the time  we looked after a corner shop while the owners went away – it was infested with cockroaches, but we managed to have a great time, going out every evening once we had shut up shop!
• the time we met an Iranian lad in Bristol, and we went back to his flat for coffee (yes, actual innocent coffee) and he offered to cook us eggs for some reason, but unfortunately he had adjusted the temperature of the fridge and the eggs were frozen solid
• the time she had a party and made massive jugs of Harvey Wallbanger cocktails, but ran out of vodka so substituted gin and called them Wendy Wallbangers
• the time she had a netball match in the gymnasium of a local prison – we arrived there to find it was the wrong prison, so she drove like a maniac to the correct prison to play and win the tournament (it was the only time I’ve been in a prison and it was very scary)
• the time in the States when she took me to a wonderful party and I spent a long time talking to an elderly gentleman who was telling me about his poet friend Tom, and I belatedly realised he meant Thomas Stearns Elliot. The old gentleman described the hills we could see across the valley as ‘feminine hills’  – a most perfect description
• the same time in the States when the person whose party it was taught me how to make the most amazing potato salad, whose recipe I have used ever since
• oh and so many other times, and now the weekend we have just spent together will also be ‘the time when she unexpectedly came to stay…’

As you see, I found the photo! No Russians in view.