On a Friday afternoon towards the end of April, by car, train and aircraft, we converged on the northern city of Ripon, which I would imagine was not too well known to many of us. Despite road works and an accident, which meant that the writer did only 28 miles in his first hour on the A1 and contrary to received wisdom, a dull and rainy south gave way to a bright and (on Saturday) sunny north. All was redeemed on arriving at the college and seeing buildings of varying decades nestling among trees which were obviously there before the first bricks were thought of some 150 years ago. To complete the pastoral scene were Jacob sheep and many jet black lambs – the clerical members of the Society no doubt noted this illustration for future sermons.