I really should have explained "H'ordeuvres" when I posted it a couple of days ago. Well this is the reason for being there, it was for AM's Open University graduation ceremony at The Bridgewater Hall in Manchester. AM is the lovely young lady in the lower left who seems to want to make eye contact with me. Well done her and all the other graduates. The collective amount of effort in that hall needed to not only acquire a degree, but to do it at home, away from the four walls of academia, often alongside a full-time job and family commitments is quite staggering. It was a nice day, it has to be said.

...consisting of delicate shavings of form served over a soft pool of golden light

Today is a good day. Not specifically for me you understand, but I am happy to bask a little in the reflected glory on this one. I may have mentioned somewhere that AM has been studying through the OU for the last 6 years. This morning I took an unexpected phone call from her - she's in the UK at the moment, whilst I'm here. The call was to let me know that the course result for her final module had been released and she had passed (as I thought she would). Not only did she pass the module though, she also got a 'Distinction' in her end of course assessment. I got the impression she'd surprised herself more with that than passing the module itself, or the important bit - she can now put LLB(Hon) after her name, she's passed her law degree!

It's been a long hard slog for her wading through many days and evenings of work, long distance, with at times rather scant support from her tutors. It's hard enough doing OU study in the UK when at least you can attend the tutorial sessions, or call the tutors at sensible cost, but doing it this way takes some doing - I know, I've been there, and on my last attempt managed to blow it rather.

Suffice to say that I'm immensely proud of what's she's done and love her to bits for it. Whilst she's not yet decided what she wants to do with it, or whether she'd like to take it further, I'm sure she has at last proved to herself and others exactly how capable she is - I always knew that of course. I'm hoping she'll find this a useful springboard to doing whatever she wants, as it's no less than she deserves.

VPH*

* Very Proud Husband