I went back to Oxford on Saturday for "one-off" Gaudy to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the foundation of Brasenose: a chance to meet up with old friends, revisit old haunts and enjoy what I hoped would be a memorable dinner in College. The sky was a brilliant blue and cloudless, the old stone glowed in the sunshine and the city seemed almost mythological: reflecting the shared memories of those attending the Gaudy rather than the mundane reality of the place I come to shop on an irregular basis.
As I made my way down Turl Street a woman stopped me: she had just seen Michael Palin in a DJ, and as I was also wearing a DJ she wanted to know what was going on. I explained about the BNC500 celebrations and this seemed to satisfy her curiosity. She was about to move on, but then turned back to me.
"Excuse me for asking, but are you famous?"
I thought about it for a moment.
"Not yet... but I'm working on it."
