A-punting we will go...

A punting we will go (2)
Hi ho a merry-o, a-punting we will go!
The peas stand alone (2)
Along with some blinky beans, the peas stand alone!


Sunday, October 14th

We went punting today. All the CCT scholars. Well, almost all. We gathered at 12:30 at Queen's college and waited for the others to arrive. People were taken batchwise, five at a time along with a CCT-senior for a punter and dumped on punts and pushed into the river. I was wrenched from the affiliated-student-group boarding a punt (Nandhini, Nandhini, Umang, Girija) as I was told I was needed to book some Trinity college punts, since the number of punts was short. So I went with the CCT-senior-in-charge-of-organising-everything, Sriram Govindan to Trinity and booked a punt. When I reached Trinity, found the affiliated-student-punt waiting there. Merrily got in and pushed off.

We had loads of fun. Each of us took turns punting. All except me got a chance on the down trip. It was a nice sunny day for a change and the ducks followed us on the river, craning their necks for titbits. Umang had fed them a whole muffin by the end of the down journey and thereupon earned flak from several hungry co-passengers on the punt, myself included, for none of us had had any breakfast. I had the oar for some time and the idea was to push away other boats or push at the banks, to prevent collisions. We alighted at Jesus Green, a huge park behind Jesus College and lined up for icecream. We all got cones with vanilla/chocolate icecream and a chocolate 'flake' (looked like a piece of bark to me - managed to convice one of the CCT scholars that it was. Had fun while she was trying to figure out what it was doing in the middle of her icecream.)

After ices, we started on the lazy trip back. Me took the pole this time and got my sleeve all wet with the water that would trickle down the pole it time it was pulled out of water. Mighty heavy pole. Kept making the boat go round to the right and bumping the bank. Nandhini had the oar and was kept busy keeping the right bank away, which had developed a strange afinity for the boat. Girija suggested that we might try racing the ducks. Punted long and hard (shoulders still aching Thursday). Was de-puntered at John's. Joined the gang in singing O-majhi-re tpe of songs. An Indian in a passing punt yelled to us to sing louder :)

Came back tired. Went to Queen's College to attend their evensong and catch hold of their conductor. Found their conductor. Expressed interest in joinging the choir. She called me for an Audition the next day.

Went to Edmund's and practiced the Hallelujah chorus for a bit. Had dinner and came back to room. So was spent the Sunday.