It's the end, but the moment has been prepared for...

2.24pm. After a reasonable and relaxed lunch, we wandered over Holgate. Paul rang his fiancee, I rang Alan, and Roy and Kirsten sat in the Land Rover. Kirsten waved, and I walked up intending to climb in, but then I saw Roy was on his mobile phone. More solicitor's calls I guessed, so I walked on and left them to their privacy.

Roy and Kirsten in the Land Rover, sharing a moment

I decided I would take an early walk up to the Holgate conference room, and bag some good seats. I was a little shocked to be met by David Keen, who was opening the other doors . I asked him if it had started yet, he said it had, only just, so I quickly found somewhere at the back to stand, and quickly texted Roy, Kirsten and Paul to tell them that the lecture was underway.

None of us remembered being told that the lecture would start early, and when Kirsten questioned David Keen about it, he made some vague reference to this information having been put out by word of mouth. Erm, I am on the phone, I have at least three email accounts that this could have been sent to, or they could have perhaps got the lab tutors to announce it. Shoddy organisation unfortunately.

Lame songs in the finest residential school tradition.

Afterwards, the tutors sang an exceedingly lame song, which used the music from one of the songs from a Gilbert and Sullivan. It was funnyish but not brilliant, but better than a clip around the ear. It seemed to go on too long, and we did comedically attempt to make a discrete exit before the end, but Kirsten's rucksack pushed open the left hand door loudly, so we stayed put until the end.

When I was last in Durham for academic stuff, in 1995, the tutors did the same then, but it was actually very funny. I just wish there had been such a thing in my possession as a digital audio recorder, as I would have liked to replay it.

Cat in a Hat!

We shook Andy's hand, and a quick drive later, dropped Paul off at the railway station . After his bags were retrieved from the Land Rover, he was saying his goodbyes. We exchanged big man hugs -- I have come to regard Paul as not only my wing man but as a brother I've never had -- and he was gone. He's great fun, a really bad influence (but I like it) and I will miss his company.

We're on the road. Bye bye Durham. We loved you and you took good care of us.

Sadly, the end of the Mad Phycists' Tour. Paul, Me, Kirsten and Roy. Can't wait until the next time we are together!