Chester

Today I travelled down to Chester to join the 2022 Archives and Records Association conference. I had a wonderful journey, largely because the train between Edinburgh and Crewe was almost empty. I shared my carriage with a maximum of just two other people at any one time. This is because my train had been cancelled last week, those with bookings had been informed (though not me, strangely), and then the service was reinstated at the last minute.

After checking into my hotel and taking a quick tour of the conference exhibition, I met the Foxes in town for lunch at the Yard, followed by tea and cakes at the Jaunty Goat. It was wonderful to see my dear friends, but we missed Mr hazelh.

This evening I enjoyed the conference drinks reception and dinner. At the meal I sat between someone just at the start of her career - her first memory of a news event is the 2008 financial crash(!) - and a civil servant at the end of his (he remembers the news of the last hanging in England in 1964). There was dancing after the meal. It was a bit like a freshers disco for me when I joined in because I knew none of the other dancers. The band was fabulous, but I felt old again when they sang a Tears for Fears song from 1985 and someone declared 'This was number 1 the day that I was born!'

My blip is of the beautiful architecture and sunshine in Chester.

Exercise today: walking (14,515 steps).