TheBanyanTree: The ceremony and after

[JMoney]

He's arriving tonight at 20 to 9.  I've made the bed, cleaned out the
wardrobe and dusted all the surfaces in Sean's room.  There are little bits
of Eukanuba scattered over the floor from Taffy's breakfast this morning but
as far as I'm concerned they can stay.  They can be for dog snacks in the
middle of the night.  They might work as a little stomach comfort to help
him bear a new invasion of his space.

This morning I framed Christian's testamur.  I think it's his testamur.
That's what they called it at the ceremony.  But just now, when I looked the
word up in my dictionary, it wasn't there.  That surprised me.  Anyway, it's
the piece of paper he was given.

The James Cook University crest has some darkish grey-blue elements so I
chose that colour for the underneath mat and a pale cream for the top mat.
The frame is a narrow one, mid-brown with a thin gold stripe towards the
inside.  Altogether the completed effect was so pleasing that I signed it on
the back.  "Lovingly framed for Christian by Mum, XXXOOO", but only in
pencil.  He can rub that off if he wants.

The ceremony itself was very long.  It started with a video presentation in
which the university's many merits were fulsomely extolled.  Next was a
speech by the Chancellor and then came the giving out of the awards.  There
were hundreds of them and, for many, the announcement of their name prompted
a burst of yeehaaing from family and friends in the audience.  On and on it
went.  I was particularly interested to see that out of around 200 Bachelor
of Education graduates only 25 were male.

Christian's friends were with us and when his name was announced (oh, joyous
day!) they yahooed and whoop de dooed very creditably.  I didn't because I
was trying to get a photo and because, well, I'm a bit too reserved for
public whoop de dooing.

There were four or five Doctor of Philosophy awards; one  recipient had come
all the way from Canada.  As each was presented their research topic was
described in some detail.  Then there were two honorary doctorates awarded.
Both of these people gave speeches, one being the Occasional Address, and
then the Vice Chancellor rose and gave a speech of his own.  Finally it was
all over.  We gathered outside to take photographs then he returned his gown
and mortarboard and off we went for sushi.

At dinner I got to know the friend I've heard about for so long, and most of
his family.  It was small world time again because this friend had attended
the same primary school that Christian attended.  He just started there a
year after Christian had left.  This friend's grandmother lives in the
suburb next door to the one where my mother lives.  This friend's mother's
name is Janice.   In my whole life I have only known two other women with
the same name as me and one of those I met only by email.  It feels peculiar
to say, "Hello Janice.  My name's Janice."

But Janice and George and Justin and the others were lovely people with whom
I immediately felt comfortable.  No fuss.  No bother.  No airs.  No graces.
No competition.  No condescension.  Just down-to-earth, kind, ordinary
people.  There ought to be more of them.

Janice