I'm not quite sure where the last 5 months have gone and I'm even more amazed at how quickly yet another banquet has rolled around again, but on Friday night we boarded a plane and I headed back to the UK for the first time since taking up the new job in Rome.
It was a big night for the Company of Chivalry: for the first time, a woman made the rank of Lady in her own right (equivalent to knight, of which the company has had 6 in 21 years). We are all hugely proud of Hannah, they haven't made it easy for her but after so many years of service and expertise, in the end it was impossible to deny her, so they didn't.
It was a big night on a personal front too - me, Liz, Dawes and Will, all newbies the year before last, were promoted to yeoman; Anthony and our good friends Kate and Steffie made retainer. Liz and Steffers graciously let me take over their kitchen to make honey saffron quiches and roast bunny (or lentils, if you're a vego) in a sweet and sour sauce, and they went down a treat.
It was good to see people and hear their news, and to get about in kit.
The weekend wasn't without drama though... suffice to say we learned that it IS possible to enter the UK without a passport, as long as you have a story so mad it could only be true... in this case: "I had my passport with me when I left Italy but I appear to have left my jacket on the shuttle bus between the departure gate and the aircraft, so to the best of my knowledge it is still in international airspace at Ciampino airport".
So on Monday I'm back at work and Ants is catching a train to London to see how quickly he can get a replacement passport. I'm sworn to secrecy, but you all know I'm writing this months later, right? So cat's outta the bag now...
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