a night of contrasts

Isn't it great to enjoy a night out with friends?  The contrast between the start of yesterday's socializing and the second part of the evening was so great, made it feel like two nights out rolled into one.

We started in the Grand Cafe in the city centre, sharing a bottle of prosecco with an Italian photographer and his wife, brought together by a mutual friend who noticed the similarity in the subject matter and treatment of our images. By strange coincidence, Marcello and Erminia were in Oxford, so it was a good chance to meet face to face. Not knowing anything about our backgrounds, the talk was about art and photography, travel and holidays...

....a bus ride and short train journey later, we were at a beer festival in Islip, meeting up with friends with a mutual history that goes back decades and (in the case of one couple) a shared experience of one partner being diagnosed with cancer and going through chemotherapy. Not surprisingly, the conversation was dominated by different matters - what had happened since we last met up, children and mutual friends, health and well being.....

All in all, a well rounded evening in good company - here's to many more!