Boat race

Yesterday we went to the Boat Race. We walked there from our house, a distance of about 12 miles along the towpath (as part of our holiday training), and watched the start at Putney. As the Scotsman said, it's the only sporting event where nobody knows the names of any of the athletes; nobody could tell you who won the last three races; nobody sees the whole event, just the fifteen seconds when the boats are going past their particular vantage point; and nobody cares much who wins anyway. It's an excuse to meet friends and go to the pub. We have two good friends who we sometimes go with, one who went to Oxford, and one who went to Cambridge. I used to vaguely support Oxford, as they gave me a conditional place to read English, which I missed by one A level grade, so had to study at London instead. I'm not really bothered one way or the other now.

Once we saw the start, we dashed into this pub to see the finish, but it was too crowded to get a drink, so we went to The Coat and Badge for a much needed beer. We then went to catch the bus back to Richmond, walking up Putney High Street in the rain. One rather drunk chap had nicked a pub garden parasol as an umbrella!

Oxford won, by the way.