Old Blues' Day - what did you think?

[Great Plum]

I was at Old Blues Day this year and thought I would make some comments...

It appeared to be excellently organised again so thank you all! It's a shame I couldn't make it on one of the Tuibe visits... )it would have been good to be able to go down there legitimately!!)

However, I think there were significantly less Old Blues than last year, certainly amongst the younger generation. There were only 5 from my year I think (last year, easily 25/30) - I think that Old Blues Day does need to be pushed towards the younger generation - most people on Facebook didn't know about it until I started an 'event' on there...

It was a shame that there was no Old Blues' cricket match, but with Old Blues' Day a week earlier than the traditional Parents' Day weekend, this meant that a large number of pupils are on study leave and with exams on, the First XI cannot be expected to play two matches in two days... This meant that much of a focal point (and picnic eating!) was lost - although there was a match involving the Feedercricks which started at 2pm.

Is Sunday a good day for holding it? I think this could be one of the reasons that numbers are not as high as one might want... Certainly holding it on Father's Day may not be the best. One of the problems with a Sunday is that people who are driving any distance, have to take Monday off and many aren't able to do that - this makes the event more of a 'South East Old Blues' Day.' My sister, who lives in Manchester, has had to take today (Monday off). I think that Saturdays could work better for the school and for Old Blues:

Saturday lessons could continue as normal - they finish around midday I believe. Tell OBs that they can turn up from 12/ 12.30 onwards; they could watch band parade plus a brief march past and then OB lunch could be taken in Big School. Others could picnic on big side. There would then be a full range of matches; cricket, tennis etc, around the school for people to see. I spoke to a number of teachers about this and they seem generally amenable to the idea - what do people think? This then means that people can then go down the Bax in the evening or go to the wood for the camp etc and travel back to their homes on Sunday if necessary...

Fantastic evensong, I have to say... i had to sight read my way through the Dyson and I had sung the other piece as a treble but it was good busking... good to see the Tenors augmented by two generations of Eastburn as well...

[Jo]

It's the first OB day I have ever intended in the 33 years since I left Hertford. I never went back to Hertford until after it closed (actually I tell a lie - I went back a couple of times just to see friends who were still there, but never for an official reunion). So, I have no yardstick by which to judge, but if it's any guide, I enjoyed the day enormously. Shame there weren't more Hertford Old Girls there but I did talk to the few that I knew. I brought my mother as she had never been to Horsham and had always wanted to see it. She thought it was all marvellous too.

Obviously I'm in the minority, but only having visited Horsham a couple of times before (Speech Day in my UVI year, and then Beating the Retreat the same year) I didn't know my way around the site and thought more signage would have been useful. The A4 map was barely legible and it took a while to find the museum. We didn't really go beyond the quad/boarding houses for anything else. But that's a minor quibble. I think the highlight was probably the band practice - they're amazing, and a real credit to the school. So nice that the girls can now be part of it, rather than just having to march behind the band on St Matthew's Day, etc.

Good idea to have the lunch tables labelled for specific groups. Lunch seemed a bit disorganised though - the vegetable tarts didn't appear until everyone had finished. It was interesting to see the boarding houses, though the effect of the renovations was somewhat lost on me as I hadn't seen them before. I'm not against firm discipline for youngsters, but I don't see any merit in the "we had it tough so they should too" philosophy. It's great that they have smaller bedrooms, and a bit more privacy and dignity than we had. The Deps we talked to in Thorn A were charming girls. Virtual raspberry to the OB chap looking around at the same time, who, when I remarked that the jargon (form names, and some of the other expressions) was all a bit of a mystery to me, responded "well, you joined us" in a "Hertford's gone, Horsham rules, get over it" tone of voice.

I was amazed that it took so long to track down the Hertford Mons' Boards. Full marks to Kerren for knowing where they were Maybe I'm odd, but it meant a lot to me to see my name on something that acknowledged I was a part of something that seems so disconnected from me now, separated not just by time but primarily by location. (Of course, if I'd won a prize for anything during my school career, my name would have been on those boards too - but I didn't ). It made me feel a bit less odd that the staff member on duty in Barnes A (where 5's and 6's boards are) was so accommodating, and didn't mind in the least letting us in to look, even though the house wasn't officially open for visitors. To my shame I can't remember her name (despite it being on a large notice in the window) - Mrs Connell? Cornell? Connor? She was one of the house tutors, a youngish woman who evidently had a young son, as several pupils told her he had been looking for her shortly before. She seemed genuinely interested in hearing about Hertford, rather than just indulging an elderly dinosaur's ramblings.

Just as an aside - now that there are 8 girls' houses, why not twin each one with a Hertford house, put the appropriate Mons' Board in each house, and encourage the girls to learn a bit about the Hertford history? I don't mean beat it into them, but if they felt an affinity with a specific house, and maybe some particular names, it might make it seem more real to them rather than something that was back in the Dark Ages and of no relevance to them today. It would also give Hertford OBs a focus on a particular house, which at the moment of course they don't have. The Housey houses were all just names to me until yesterday, but I feel rather kindly disposed to Barnes A now

Didn't stay for Evensong - maybe we should have done, even if just for the music. I think Mum would have liked to, but it takes a lot to drag me into a church of any kind these days. We compromised on having a look round the chapel during the afternoon, so at least she could say she'd seen it.

Maybe another year, forum members could agree beforehand on some form of additional sticker or badge to make us recognisable to each other? We don't for the most part have the advantage of of knowing what each other looks like, and it seems a bit rude to peer at complete strangers' name badges! I noticed John Hopgood and David Eastburn's names on the list, but I don't know if I saw them or not - not as far as I know.

Anyway, enough..... it was a thoroughly enjoyable day. I'm not sure I'll come every year, but I think I will be back again at some point.

[englishangel]

Shame I couldn't be there, but it WAS Father's Day and as my Dad was widowed at Easter thought I should be with him. Daughter had other ideas and thought I should collect her from Uni. Tried to do both with the result that......



Car from the back,not a small car, a Honda CRV



Daughter in back seat of car

Poor old Dad was in the front seat under a freezer bag, a CD rack and a dish drainer.

[Vonny]

Was that legal?!

[AndrewH]

Was that legal?!

Trying to freeze her Dad - probably not!

[blondie95]

when i left uni it got the point where dad was almost giving me money for the train home! I went 3hours with a bin and plant between my legs a roll of posters and mirror along my side

[blondie95]

dad said there were not many OB's registered to come on sunday but im sure a number turned up.....
I have not been back for an OB's day....i lived there for 10 years and do see it whenever i go to see my parents etc..im sure if most of my friends were going one year i would. I think for many young ob's its a case of going back in groups which can often be difficult to organise. And im sure many yob's were either finishing up at uni or not long done etc

[Foureyes]

"Is Sunday a good day for holding it? "

I have some reservations on OB Day 2008 but the choice of day is not one of them. Having been involved in planning OB Day 2003 I know that the choice of day is incredibly difficult and whatever is decided will fail to please someone. First, the school calendar is incredibly crowded and finding a "window" is a complicated exercise. Secondly, the choice of day of the week is also very, very difficult. The fact is that every day of the week has advantages and disadvantges (except Monday, and perhaps Tuesday, which are no-noes for everyone). I seem to remember that in the 1950s it was on a Thursday (but cannot swear to that) but I do know that Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays have all been tried, with varying degrees of success, and all have been criticised for one reason or another.

Then there are also all the external factors such as Father's Day, race days, Queen's Birthday, etc, etc.

In the end, the planners have to choose a "least bad" day and on this factor at least they have my sympathy.

[Katharine]

I think we had a discussion on day of the week last year and were told that nowadays Sunday is the only possible option. Difficult for me at the moment, perhaps when I retire it may be easier but it is still a long drive.

[J.R.]

Was that legal?!

As an 'Ex', and of the traffic variety, I can categorically say 'NO - IT AIN'T !'

Sorry I coudn't make it this year. Family circumstances stood in the way, but my thoughts were with you.

Did any of you make 'The Bax', to find out if young Plum got kicked off yet another table in the garden ?

[Great Plum]

dad said there were not many OB's registered to come on sunday but im sure a number turned up.....
I have not been back for an OB's day....i lived there for 10 years and do see it whenever i go to see my parents etc..im sure if most of my friends were going one year i would. I think for many young ob's its a case of going back in groups which can often be difficult to organise. And im sure many yob's were either finishing up at uni or not long done etc

Last year (2007), there were at least double the number of young old blues (left 1995 onwards) - I'm not sure why there were frewer this year... a lot of YOBs hadn't heard there was OBs' Day until I posted something on Facebook...

[englishangel]

Was that legal?!

As an 'Ex', and of the traffic variety, I can categorically say 'NO - IT AIN'T !'

That was a bit of poetic license. He was actually correctly strapped in (this IS the man who puts a safety belt on when sitting on the loo) and had the cool bag between his fee with the dish drainer on top and the cd rack laying across his lap.

[J.R.]

? Rear Observation from an internal mirror ?

? Overloading ?

[Vonny]

[wurzel]

Might have helped if they actually informed people.

I actually found this thread while trying to find the date of OB day thinking it must be soon. My brother OB 2001 also knew nothing about the date. Both of us have correct details with the school.

I wanted to go as my son (age 8 but accelerated an academic year) has started expressing a strong interest (not least as he is into drumming and saw an article of Joe (?) Maddren)