Oxford Byron Society Dinner, July 91

Sent with Invitation: Filopastry, Queen of the Sherwood Forest and District Flower Fairies

Present:

Sue Campion
Dee Hartland-Swann
Piers Hartland-Swann
Danny Henrey
Steven Hoey
Jenny Krasner
Chris Oakley
Andrew ?? (friend of Jenny)
Karen ??? (from New York)

Poems presented:

• The Budgie , by Danny Henrey . Danny's conscience, in budgie form, comes to trouble him while he is sitting in contemplation on the throne.
• Robin's Way , by Steve Hoey . A coach containing Byronists is ambushed by Robin Hood.
• The Balliolite , by Jenny Krasner. A Jabberwocky variant, with a Balliol creature as protagonist.
• Childe Harold's (Further) Pilgrimage , by Chris Oakley . An account of a visit to the U.S. with the Shamen in June 1991.

We drove up from London in a rented yellow minibus, like the Partridge family. Many of us were meeting for the first time, and we enjoyed each other's company and had fun doing the tour of the abbey. One comment, though: in Lord Byron's bedroom - instead of all these pointless knick-knacks, why not have a waxwork of His Lordship doing the twin-backed beast with a serving maid? This would give it an authentic Regency flavour.