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The fifth reunion of my year at secondary school started March off on a very good note. This was held at Woodstock, in Oxfordshire and is reported elsewhere.

Mid month, and three cousins, my brother, a friend and a first cousin once removed all managed to arrive at Euston within ten minutes of each other. For this was a 'family' outing to see the 'terracotta army'.

Before doing so we drank coffee and inspected the new International Rail terminal at the magnificently restored St. Pancras station. Then we subjected the British Library to a similar ordeal. Here the highlight for me was the Magna Carta display, though you are greeted as you enter by the King's Collection - the private collection of books acquired by King George III.

In beautiful sunshine we made our way across Russell Square and into the British Museum at just about the time designated by our pre-purchased (timed) tickets. The setting for the exhibition, more correctly entitled 'The First Emperor', was the world famous Reading Room, though the subdued lighting prevented the crowds from admiring its restored splendour.

No exhibition can ever hope to rival the site itself in China but, as usual, the British Museum had done a magnificent job of displaying the small number of exhibits released for the purpose, as well as providing the most thorough explanation of what we were seeing. This greatly aided my enjoyment of these remarkable artefacts.

We couldn't leave without seeing the 'Elgin' marbles, just in case they're not there next time we hit London!

A meal at Garfunkel's near Leicester Square fortified us for the journey home, though this was not permitted by our energetic leader, my cousin Margaret, until we had glimpsed the other major sights in and around Westminster: Trafalgar Square, Whitehall, Horse Guards (at my brother's insistence), Downing Street, Parliament (on Budget Day!), the river Thames, and the London 'Eye'.

The weekly stint in the archive centre at my old school continues to be largely unproductive, though I am seeing lots of material interesting to me. Perhaps because this is not achieving the reason I am there, I have come up with four other ways of celebrating next year's 125th anniversary. I know that sesquicentenary is the name for 150th., but what is this one?

One of the 'four other ways' mentioned above involves transcribing some World War II letters, which I am able to do at home. This is time consuming but not very demanding, so every spare moment has been spent doing this, until fatigue and an increased error rate sets in. Once complete, I have to persuade the school to publish them.

Friends continue to read the proofs of vol. 3 of my memoirs, with some unexpected but nonetheless welcome comments.

I attended what proved to be the last annual meeting of one of my pension funds, where I was heavily outvoted in my attempt to stop its assets being transferred elsewhere. The vote at the meeting was 66-7, and the proxy votes 589-24. Now I know how King Canute felt!

It seems at the moment as though every available moment is spent 'scribbling' on one subject or another. I have even had a go at poetry!

An official from the Council turned up unannounced, complaining that hardly anyone was in when she called! After three photographs and a 'nose' round, she professsed herself satisfied with my proposals, so it looks as if I will be able to go ahead with the project to add a conservatory/greenhouse to my home. That went unexpectedly well!