Oxford

Yesterday, which was Saturday, we took the Oxford Tube bus from Lewknor to Oxford which is about a half hour journey. Oxford is of course known for it's mannish academic surrounds, and there are still beadles to be seen closing doors and denying entry on some pretext or other so that I was indeed reminded of the tough road forged by others to ensure accessibility to such hallowed halls. But truly it is another British wonder with beautiful grand buildings oozing with oldness and bricks with character, some cemented together ever so many years ago by roughened Saxon hands. Who, way back then, would have thought their tower would still be standing one thousand years later? Who might have thought those very steps would have been climbed by tourists from lands that would not even be known about for hundreds of years to come? And who would have thought these cobblestones, streets and buildings would be captured on a myriad of electronic devices and flashed around the globe within seconds so that others might share the experience? Life, it is so miraculous and inspiring. All this walking with the past makes one think about the future and what relics we will leave to be similarly ogled in one thousand years hence. But enough of such philosophizing. Holidays are for having fun and blogs are for filling interested people in on what we are doing. So as you can see, we are soaking up the atmosphere in this lovely part of the world. Adie and Michael are wonderful hosts and Max is making the most of his time here to learn more about his family tree. Karl and I went for a run along the Icknield Way, pretending to be roman messengers. It is very picturesque though the roar of the M40 is somewhat overwhelming. However, it is lovely to be running down wooded lanes and past fields, startling pheasants and pigeons pecking through the undergrowth, and bantering with the locals. Max and Karl endeavored to display some good old Aussie blokeness last night by cooking a BBQ. Things didn't go quite as well as they could have, though all was eve tually cooked and eaten under the northern hemisphere starry starry night, washed down with a variety of reds from California, Spain and Australia. Adie surpassed herself with a wild blackberry crumble with berries picked that very afternoon. It was a wonderful steak and sausages evening in the English autumn air, and Michael showed his cooking prowess with a wonderful baked capsicum dish and paprika and chilli potatoes. Today it's Sunday and we are just about to leave for a pub Lu ch in Haddenham to celebrate Karls birthday (and fathers day). So, until the next blog, cheers