Between blotch and blok

Standing around waiting to form the ring round Great St Mary's in the midst of a host of white clad folk (it looked like a delayed May Day celebration, lacking only the Morris Men), I watched the graduands and graduates coming and going outside the Senate House. They're always an odd sight, uncomfortable generally in their gowns and hoods. I wondered if any were going to throw off their robes and come and join the circle. It must've made for an odd sight for them too. Hardly a town versus gown moment, since I'm sure any number of the protesters are, or were, part of the university. It was more a case of two sets of institutional wheels--the CU year and the cycle of world summits--spinning past one another for a few minutes in the July sunshine.

For the record, 17 years ago, I was wandering around uncomfortable in high heels and smart suit dress. I'd opt for the hand-holding round Great St Mary's any day.