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This is not a very good picture, as it is taken through a window with a mobile phone, but I wanted to memorialise the crush there was in Old College quadrangle today. Unique in my experience.

All comers were invited to the lighting-up of the University's Christmas tree, which ended up only being partly successful, apparently. There are some more lights intended to go around the tree. A metaphor for the state of the University at the moment, probably. And all comers came, in incredible numbers. Every bit of the quadrangle was crammed with people, in ways that this photograph does not entirely convey. But hopefully it gives some sense. I suspect that the university security people were having kittens, and were very glad when people finally dispersed. Thank goodness nothing went wrong or there wasn't an emergency.

I was lucky to get a Royal Box "seat" by going up to Teaching Room 4 at the top of the stairs. A few of my colleagues had thought of popping in there, but it was generally quite easy to get a view in order to take a photograph.

I didn't hang around. We'd had a meeting from 2.00-4.45, and then I had another one from 4.45-5.00 and then someone else wanted to see me. And I needed to get away in order to get down to Treshnish's private view in Leith where I met Mr A. It was another crush, and quite loud. We had a chance to say hello to Treshnish and S, briefly, although they were busy talking to lots of different people, and Mr A and I treated ourselves to a fank picture (needed for the walls of the Tain cottage) and a piece of ceramics.

Afterwards we went for a quick supper at The Ship on the Shore. It turned into a relatively pricey evening!