At the end of the tea, a bevy of young women cleared the tables, the winners collected their prizes and the rest of us listened to speeches of appreciation for everything and joined in congratulating a regular supporter for reaching her 103rd birthday.
(Ben Affleck gave an almost frenzied speech of stunned appreciation. Even he seems gob smacked by his redemption of the past few years). Argo is a great film.
Speak uplifting words of appreciation.
And this is not just a figure of speech, a metaphor of appreciation, because it really does taste of ripe summer fruit, albeit mingled with the sun-bleached heat of Spanish summer sunshine.
Oh, I could list Calvin Trillin's remarks on the generic "Continental cuisine" at "La Maison de la Casa House" as the introduction to Wendell Berry's after-dinner speech in appreciation of real food's loamy, oinky provenance: "Eating ends the annual drama of the food economy that begins with planting and birth.
In it, host Sarah Murdoch (wife of Rupert's oldest son, Lachlan) announces to the two remaining contestants that: "It's you, Kelsey!" Kelsey duly embarks on an emotional speech of gratitude and appreciation; the loser, Amanda, smiles, claps and graciously thanks the programme-makers for the opportunity and then, off screen, you can hear Murdoch give a tiny gasp.
The principal thrust of his speech was an expression of appreciation for the support Israel receives within the Obama administration.
Mr. Pierce's appealing, low-key play may be less substantial and emotionally rewarding than Ms. Herzog's, but he displays a similar gift for capturing the herky-jerky rhythms of contemporary speech, and an appreciation of how deliberate pacing can invite an audience more deeply into the theatrical experience.
Prof. Fawu Wang, on behalf of ICGdR, gave a closing speech and appreciation to the organizer and co-organizers.
Moore recommends, "ending with a note of appreciation and gratitude". She's not suggesting a drawn-out syrupy Oscar speech.
