Tom events are a blast – fun, affordable and somehow shockingly undersubscribed – unlike the Commemoration Ball which you need a crowbar to get into!

Kicking the day off was a choice of a Harry/Alice tour or a College Gardens tour, both led by guides so switched on you felt brighter just walking next to them. This was followed by a lecture by the truly impressive Dr Chenying Liu who achieved the impossible: an amazing talk for all age-groups entitled “Origami-Informed Robotics: From Paper Art to Machine intelligence”. Fascinating, cutting-edge robotics engineering inspired by the strength and flexibility of folded paper.  Alumni and their offspring even got to fold their own paper birds (with varying levels of flapability).

After that, it was drinks in the Thatched Barn – because why not?  Then down to the Boat House (the recently acquired golden bling raising an eyebrow or two) for a riverside BBQ that dreams are made of – grilled to perfection by the college staff. Feeling fancy? A cheeky gondola ride was on offer for a small fee. All this and the thrill of Summer Eights. 

The Steward, clearly impressed by the Boat House buzz, has promised to generate even more envy from neighbouring Boat Houses next time. I’m imagining bistro style tables, parasols and picnics on the Boat House roof. 

The evening wrapped with a spectacular Boat Club Dinner in Hall, which deserved to be much more than half-full. Rumour has it some alumni may have actually ended the night at a piano bar, but hey, what happens in Sandy’s stays in Sandy’s (or whatever other venue it may or may not have been)!