Hymn No. 311.

Disclaimer: The recently introduced legge Alfano lays down that a blog must rectify a contested statement within 48 hours on pain of a 13,000 euro fine. There are, of course, various scurrilous suggestions flying around as to why il Cavaliere’s government should have introduced such a law. However, I would like to place on record that I have an enormous respect for sig. Berlusconi as a politician and a man, one equalled only by my admiration for the late Michael Jackson as a musician and a parent.

My favourite hymn at QEH was no. 311 in The Public School Hymn Book, ‘Lord Dismiss Us With Thy Blessing’ sung in Prayers on the last day of term. The only verse I can recall in full runs as follows: 

                                        “Lord dismiss us with Thy blessing

                                         Thanks for mercies past received

                                         Pardon all their faults confessing

                                         Time that’s lost may all retrieve

                                         May Thy children, may thy children

                                         Ne’er again Thy spirit grieve.’

Unfortunately, I can only remember two lines of the hymn’s best verse:

                                        ‘Those returning, those returning,

                                         Make more faithful, than before.’

Those words imply what the lines I no longer recall explicitly stated: some lucky sods who are singing this are doing so for the last time, as they are about to leave school for university or the wider world. Which brings me to last night.

    Yesterday evening Maggie and Phil came round for pre-prandial drinks before we all set off to Lupo’s for supper. Like James Hamilton-Paterson’s Gerald Samper. I’ve never considered having a passport in common sufficient grounds for striking up an acquaintance. My socialising with Montefalcone’s other English boarders is largely confined to a chat with Tony Weaver after mass, and an annual visit to the opera at Ripatransone with Gordon. We used to see a lot of Penny and Warren, but she moved to Amandola and Warren left School for the wider world - in his case back to the UK. However, Maggie and Phil are different - we used to see them fairly often and have gone to several of their memorable New Year’s Eve’s parties. But last night’s meeting was to get more detail on the information they’d emailed us: they too are leaving School - in their case for France - having sold their house to a retired pilot. Henceforth, we’ll be more reliant than ever on the day-boys for what passes as a social life.