After leaving Oxford, we went down to London and stayed with my friend Pam in Pimlico for a month before I had to leave to head back to NZ. 'Pimilco Pam' - it has a nice ring to it... I had a great time being a haus frau in London and Adrian especially enjoyed the 20 minute commute to work (as opposed to the four hour saga from Oxford).
We managed to get out and see all sorts of sights and sounds, like the Tower of London and the filming of Never Mind the Buzzcocks with Jeff and Sara, partying with Jeff and Ruth, and lots of markets when Mum and Dad were here - the Columbia Flower Markets, Spitalfields, the Borough Markets, the Up Market...the list goes on!
I would have uploaded a photo to this post, but completely forgot that NZ has capped broadband usage and completely ran down the flat's internet account so have no capacity to play around with big files or anything... So, you can check out the photos here instead!
Thursday, 3 December 2009
Sunday, 22 November 2009
Where's Wally?
Well, Wally #1 (Amelia) is back in Wellington (a Wally in windy Welly, how appropriate...) for the time being (see photographic evidence) and Wally #2 (Adrian) is staying in London to rake in those ££££s... Ah, the long distance relationship, how fun. Not.
But, until the visa fairy decides to bestow on Amelia (a) a European passport of some kind (b) a whopping great PhD scholarship and a student visa or (c) a working visa to the UK, that's the situation we're stuck with... But, to make things more interesting, we've decided to have all sorts of holidays in exotic locations to make the year go by just that little bit more quickly. Holiday #1 is going to be held in the beautiful region that is Northland, followed by a quick jaunt to Wellington and the Coromandel, while Holiday #2 at Easter time is tentatively planned for South America - I can't wait!
So, while the spendthrift and the miser are apart, these blog posts might become a bit sparser as each of us stays in lock-down, saving money mode, but there will still be hopefully at least a post a month whenever the urge to spend $$ becomes too much! (And chances are very, very strong that that will be Wally #1 rather than #2...).
So, to get things started as we mean to continue, I've got some graduation and London photos that I'll put up soon, look out for them before Christmas!
Monday, 5 October 2009
How did 12 months go by so fast??
Well, it was inevitable, as, like sands through the hourglass, the days of our lives must go on... (Not so oblique reference to the not insignificant amount of daytime television I have been watching lately - although, on a complete tangent, why is British television replete with cooking and property shows and absolutely no Bold and the Beautiful etc.??)
But, I digress! To cap off an absolutely brilliant year in Oxford, we had a few farewell drinks at one of our local pubs, the Royal Oak, to say goodbye and also, with fortuitous timing, celebrate getting our MSc marks back. It was great to see everyone and we really felt fortunate to have met such lovely people.
So thanks everyone for making 2008/09 so special and don't forget to keep in touch!
The rest of the photos from the night are here.
But, I digress! To cap off an absolutely brilliant year in Oxford, we had a few farewell drinks at one of our local pubs, the Royal Oak, to say goodbye and also, with fortuitous timing, celebrate getting our MSc marks back. It was great to see everyone and we really felt fortunate to have met such lovely people.
So thanks everyone for making 2008/09 so special and don't forget to keep in touch!
The rest of the photos from the night are here.
Our final visitors
It's the final countdown, da da da dum dum... (Sorry, the title of the post just brought that song to mind...)
In our last month in Oxford we had a flurry of visitors keen to sample the sights and sounds of rural life - well, rural for London dwellers! Amber and Rachael came up for a weekend, followed by Euan another weekend and then finally Pam came up on our very last two days in Oxford and helped me move final bits and pieces back down to London while Adrian was off cycling the approximately 135km to Cambridge just for fun...
We managed to get two more punts down the river in which was great fun - although with the girls getting the windy day and Euan getting the calm, still day, the weather didn't really match up to the brute strength required to not get forced over to the edges of the river! What's that you say about punting being a matter of skill, rather than force? Obviously one year in Oxford does not a master punter make then...
Euan's weekend visit coincided with a flatwarming of some NSEP friends so it was lucky that the (extremely dodgy) spare bike hadn't yet fallen to pieces so we could all head over there for some merriment. Thanks for having us Belvedere Road!
After Pam's visit we headed to a hang drum/bass clarinet concert off Leicester Square and it was absolutely amazing! It was a duo called 'The Living Room' and here's one of them playing the hang drum - it's a new instrument from Switzerland and sounds incredible. They did some more lullaby stuff like this, but also some Nirvana, Queen etc. covers which made everyone laugh out loud.
The photos of Amber and Rachael's visit are here, the ones of Euan's visit are here, and finally, Pam's visit photos are here.
Enjoy!
In our last month in Oxford we had a flurry of visitors keen to sample the sights and sounds of rural life - well, rural for London dwellers! Amber and Rachael came up for a weekend, followed by Euan another weekend and then finally Pam came up on our very last two days in Oxford and helped me move final bits and pieces back down to London while Adrian was off cycling the approximately 135km to Cambridge just for fun...
We managed to get two more punts down the river in which was great fun - although with the girls getting the windy day and Euan getting the calm, still day, the weather didn't really match up to the brute strength required to not get forced over to the edges of the river! What's that you say about punting being a matter of skill, rather than force? Obviously one year in Oxford does not a master punter make then...
Euan's weekend visit coincided with a flatwarming of some NSEP friends so it was lucky that the (extremely dodgy) spare bike hadn't yet fallen to pieces so we could all head over there for some merriment. Thanks for having us Belvedere Road!
After Pam's visit we headed to a hang drum/bass clarinet concert off Leicester Square and it was absolutely amazing! It was a duo called 'The Living Room' and here's one of them playing the hang drum - it's a new instrument from Switzerland and sounds incredible. They did some more lullaby stuff like this, but also some Nirvana, Queen etc. covers which made everyone laugh out loud.
The photos of Amber and Rachael's visit are here, the ones of Euan's visit are here, and finally, Pam's visit photos are here.
Enjoy!
Monday, 21 September 2009
Bits and bobs
Updating the blog has been a bit of a low priority as of late, what with HANDING IN MY DISSERTATION and other administrative matters such as finding a place to live in London and all the other joyful things that come with moving out such as getting final gas readings etc. etc.
But as the previous sentence might have alerted you to, the exciting occasion finally came around when we all handed in our dissertations and officially finished our MSc course. We get our marks back this week which is slightly nerve-wracking, but knowing that we've all passed (well, I'm assuming everyone did enough to pass!) takes the edge off the stress a bit. I took some photos of the relaxing that came afterwards - check them out here.
I also made a photo album of the various bits and bobs of summer, mostly of stuff in and around Oxford, but also including a day trip that I took to Bath to see my friends Sonja and Amy. Deserving of its own album however was the afternoon that Adrian and I spent in the gardens at Blenheim Palace which was absolutely gorgeous and well worth the half hour cycle. (I'm a cycling novice, it seemed like a long way on the map!).
Enjoy the photos!
But as the previous sentence might have alerted you to, the exciting occasion finally came around when we all handed in our dissertations and officially finished our MSc course. We get our marks back this week which is slightly nerve-wracking, but knowing that we've all passed (well, I'm assuming everyone did enough to pass!) takes the edge off the stress a bit. I took some photos of the relaxing that came afterwards - check them out here.
I also made a photo album of the various bits and bobs of summer, mostly of stuff in and around Oxford, but also including a day trip that I took to Bath to see my friends Sonja and Amy. Deserving of its own album however was the afternoon that Adrian and I spent in the gardens at Blenheim Palace which was absolutely gorgeous and well worth the half hour cycle. (I'm a cycling novice, it seemed like a long way on the map!).
Enjoy the photos!
Monday, 10 August 2009
Cheese rolling on Cooper's Hill, Gloucestershire
Here's another recipe:
You start with an extremely steep hill.
Then you take a 8lb round of Double Gloucester cheese...
On a count of three, an official rolls it down the steep hill...
And when the count reaches four, a set of racers run down the hill chasing the cheese!
The first to reach the cheese or the bottom of the hill first wins the race and the cheese.
After a lovely, peaceful, serene time in Breacon we headed in Gloucester on the way home to join the crowds for the day watching the traditional cheese roll. No one is to sure what the tradition is all about, but they have been doing it so long now they feel no need to stop.
There was a lot more people there than we thought there would be, and John and I figured out that we were not going to be able to race (only 15 people per race and they were well down the queue), the challenge was to find a spot to watch the festivities unfold.
The day was a bit of a laugh, with people dressed in all sorts of get-ups, mankinis, Spiderman, roller derby, you name it. They would have a race which would take about 2 minutes, then spend 30 minutes clearing off all the hurt and injured people so they could start another race. Of course the crowd would get bored so people would just run down the down in the mean time, giving the huge crowd a bit more of a laugh.
See if you can spot the cheese in this video:
Just to break it up a bit, they do a couple of uphill races, which was almost as funny, as people would start off at an almighty pace only to be huffing and puffing and sliding back down by about a 1/4 of the way up.
At the end of the day they had some unoffical races (read no cheese). I managed to get into one of these (even if it was by jumping the fence), and and even better managed to come out relativly unscathed with just a bunch of scratches and grazes up the legs and arms.
This video shows a different perspective on the hill - you can definitely see how steep it is from this angle.
Check out the rest of the photos here.
You start with an extremely steep hill.
Then you take a 8lb round of Double Gloucester cheese...
On a count of three, an official rolls it down the steep hill...
And when the count reaches four, a set of racers run down the hill chasing the cheese!
The first to reach the cheese or the bottom of the hill first wins the race and the cheese.
After a lovely, peaceful, serene time in Breacon we headed in Gloucester on the way home to join the crowds for the day watching the traditional cheese roll. No one is to sure what the tradition is all about, but they have been doing it so long now they feel no need to stop.
There was a lot more people there than we thought there would be, and John and I figured out that we were not going to be able to race (only 15 people per race and they were well down the queue), the challenge was to find a spot to watch the festivities unfold.
The day was a bit of a laugh, with people dressed in all sorts of get-ups, mankinis, Spiderman, roller derby, you name it. They would have a race which would take about 2 minutes, then spend 30 minutes clearing off all the hurt and injured people so they could start another race. Of course the crowd would get bored so people would just run down the down in the mean time, giving the huge crowd a bit more of a laugh.
See if you can spot the cheese in this video:
Just to break it up a bit, they do a couple of uphill races, which was almost as funny, as people would start off at an almighty pace only to be huffing and puffing and sliding back down by about a 1/4 of the way up.
At the end of the day they had some unoffical races (read no cheese). I managed to get into one of these (even if it was by jumping the fence), and and even better managed to come out relativly unscathed with just a bunch of scratches and grazes up the legs and arms.
This video shows a different perspective on the hill - you can definitely see how steep it is from this angle.
Check out the rest of the photos here.
Nearly there...
I know posting has been a bit light as of late, but it's very nearly the end of my dissertation and I'm trying with all my might not to get too distracted and keep a semblance of concentration through to the bitter end! Adrian's being hounded to write a post about cheese roll so hopefully that appears at some point too ;)
The dissertation's due on the 1st of September, so only three weeks to go. Wish me luck!
The dissertation's due on the 1st of September, so only three weeks to go. Wish me luck!
Monday, 27 July 2009
Not a cooking blog, but...
I occasionally come across recipes that are so gosh darn delicious that I feel I should spread the love and let the one or two of you who have the glorious luck of knowing that this blog exists, share in the good times.
So, recipe number one is for that all-time staple, hummus.
Ingredients:
* 1 can of chickpeas, drained (save the liquid)
* 1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 1 tablespoon tahini
* 1/2 cup plain yogurt
* 1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste)
* 1/2 teaspoon cumin (optional)
In a blender or a food processor combine the chickpeas, tahini, yogurt, garlic, and lemon juice. Blend well. Add salt and cumin and blend until really smooth and creamy. Blend it for at least a minute longer than you think you normally would, it makes it really light and yummy. If it's a bit thick and isn't blending properly, add some of the liquid from the chickpeas until it gets to a consistency you like.
Now, being a good researcher I couldn't plagiarise this without telling you my source. It's basically the recipe from this website with some extremely minor alterations on my part! I've also wondered about whether it's more or less carbon efficient to buy tinned chickpeas, or boil dried ones on the stove. I've found some debates about it, but no definitive answers as yet. Dried are way cheaper, but then the cost of the electricity to boil them? And the time? Maybe in September and October when I'm unemployed I'll test it out the other way...
Anyway, the most important thing is that it tastes good, so enjoy!!
So, recipe number one is for that all-time staple, hummus.
Ingredients:
* 1 can of chickpeas, drained (save the liquid)
* 1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 1 tablespoon tahini
* 1/2 cup plain yogurt
* 1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste)
* 1/2 teaspoon cumin (optional)
In a blender or a food processor combine the chickpeas, tahini, yogurt, garlic, and lemon juice. Blend well. Add salt and cumin and blend until really smooth and creamy. Blend it for at least a minute longer than you think you normally would, it makes it really light and yummy. If it's a bit thick and isn't blending properly, add some of the liquid from the chickpeas until it gets to a consistency you like.
Now, being a good researcher I couldn't plagiarise this without telling you my source. It's basically the recipe from this website with some extremely minor alterations on my part! I've also wondered about whether it's more or less carbon efficient to buy tinned chickpeas, or boil dried ones on the stove. I've found some debates about it, but no definitive answers as yet. Dried are way cheaper, but then the cost of the electricity to boil them? And the time? Maybe in September and October when I'm unemployed I'll test it out the other way...
Anyway, the most important thing is that it tastes good, so enjoy!!
Thursday, 16 July 2009
Famous faces!
While I was in London a few days ago (jumping around in time all over the place has obviously become a hallmark of this blog), I had to get from the tube at Piccadilly Circus to Haymarket to head to the school reunion. Looking on the map, one might think that that was a very simple process... However, I managed to walk in completely the opposite direction required until, becoming increasingly sure that I was going the wrong way, a kindly copper put me right.
What is the point of me telling you this story you might ask? Well, if I hadn't gone the wrong way, I would never have looked up and seen this:
And of course, as any good tele watcher would know, that immediately signals one thing: Gok Wan! And even though the chances were slim that he would actually be there in person, there he was!
It was really funny, he had security people to try and push us unwashed and deeply unfashionable masses away and the poor woman he was doing his magic on looked quite vacant like she couldn't actually believe she was there! People were everywhere, spilling onto the streets trying to take pictures and angling to be the next people of whom he asked their opinion. I thought it was quite classic that he was talking to two 'passers by' who just happened to be both carrying Harrods bags - obviously their opinions were worth something!
So, first (real) celebrity sighting: check.
What is the point of me telling you this story you might ask? Well, if I hadn't gone the wrong way, I would never have looked up and seen this:
And of course, as any good tele watcher would know, that immediately signals one thing: Gok Wan! And even though the chances were slim that he would actually be there in person, there he was!
It was really funny, he had security people to try and push us unwashed and deeply unfashionable masses away and the poor woman he was doing his magic on looked quite vacant like she couldn't actually believe she was there! People were everywhere, spilling onto the streets trying to take pictures and angling to be the next people of whom he asked their opinion. I thought it was quite classic that he was talking to two 'passers by' who just happened to be both carrying Harrods bags - obviously their opinions were worth something!
So, first (real) celebrity sighting: check.
Tuesday, 14 July 2009
Walking in Wales
Back in May (sorry for the delay on all these posts, I’ll get better soon I promise!) we decided that we had to get into some of the camping action that gets massively hyped up here during summer, and headed to Wales for a weekend of walking. It also coincided with the Cooper’s Hill cheese roll festival – but more on that in a subsequent post!
We spent the first night in Cardiff checking out the sights and sounds with Adrian’s mate John and his girlfriend Jen. Those lovely girls in Cardiff sure aren’t too keen on wearing too many clothes that’s for sure! The next day we headed up to Brecon which is in the middle of the Brecon Beacons national park in the heart of south Wales. Adrian took inspiration from the Cardiff beauties and showed off his underwear as much as possible...
We started off with a quick walk around a reservoir practising our ‘off path’ skills (not getting too lost in the process fortunately) and then headed up into Brecon itself. The extremely friendly ladies in the tourist office helped us find a campsite for the next two nights (an eco-site walking distance from Brecon, excellent) and then we were back into the wilderness, checking out some waterfalls and sheep hangouts.
The following day it was the big one – the ‘Beacons Circuit’. This was an 18km circuit of the main summits and ridges of the central Brecon Beacons and was definitely deserved of the title ‘epic’ it was given on the map! Unfortunately Jen had to stay in Brecon to do a key changeover so their cat back in Cardiff didn’t starve for the weekend, but John, Adrian and I started off bright and eager at the first hurdle. The first climb was the biggest, right up to the summits of Corn Du (pronounced ‘Corn dee’) and Pen y Fan (pronounced ‘Pen ee van’), the latter being the highest mountain in southern Britain (886m). No Aoraki I know, but still made us puff!
After that it was a series of ups and downs that were killer on the knees and muscles to finally finish nearly six hours later. One of my boots has lost its waterproofing which led to me getting what Adrian lovingly referred to as 'trench foot' which was extremely attractive, and, as we’d brought raincoats and no sunblock, of course it was boiling hot and we got all sorts of terrible tan lines as well! I do have to say though, that night was one of the best sleeps I’d had in ages...
The rest of the photos are here. Check back for a post on the cheese roll!
We spent the first night in Cardiff checking out the sights and sounds with Adrian’s mate John and his girlfriend Jen. Those lovely girls in Cardiff sure aren’t too keen on wearing too many clothes that’s for sure! The next day we headed up to Brecon which is in the middle of the Brecon Beacons national park in the heart of south Wales. Adrian took inspiration from the Cardiff beauties and showed off his underwear as much as possible...
We started off with a quick walk around a reservoir practising our ‘off path’ skills (not getting too lost in the process fortunately) and then headed up into Brecon itself. The extremely friendly ladies in the tourist office helped us find a campsite for the next two nights (an eco-site walking distance from Brecon, excellent) and then we were back into the wilderness, checking out some waterfalls and sheep hangouts.
The following day it was the big one – the ‘Beacons Circuit’. This was an 18km circuit of the main summits and ridges of the central Brecon Beacons and was definitely deserved of the title ‘epic’ it was given on the map! Unfortunately Jen had to stay in Brecon to do a key changeover so their cat back in Cardiff didn’t starve for the weekend, but John, Adrian and I started off bright and eager at the first hurdle. The first climb was the biggest, right up to the summits of Corn Du (pronounced ‘Corn dee’) and Pen y Fan (pronounced ‘Pen ee van’), the latter being the highest mountain in southern Britain (886m). No Aoraki I know, but still made us puff!
After that it was a series of ups and downs that were killer on the knees and muscles to finally finish nearly six hours later. One of my boots has lost its waterproofing which led to me getting what Adrian lovingly referred to as 'trench foot' which was extremely attractive, and, as we’d brought raincoats and no sunblock, of course it was boiling hot and we got all sorts of terrible tan lines as well! I do have to say though, that night was one of the best sleeps I’d had in ages...
The rest of the photos are here. Check back for a post on the cheese roll!
Tuesday, 30 June 2009
Wien!
May weekend mini-break #2 was organised courtesy of the lovely Katy and her new husband Dave, who are currently living the life of luxury in Vienna (those diplomats have it good I tell you - sure, they might have to work hard, but look at the amazing places they get to live!).
We got el cheapo airfares courtesy of Aer Lingus (flying an Irish airline from England to Austria, globalisation in action) and arrived in Vienna on Saturday afternoon. We started with an orientation walk around the city – Vienna is gorgeous! So many parks (apparently the most for any European capital??) and incredible buildings, it was all a bit overwhelming. So after that (admittedly moderate) piece of exercise it was time for dinner, and what a dinner we had... If I didn’t know it yet, the lesson was quickly learned: Vienna is all about the food. Adrian stuck with the traditional Wien Schnitzel (I found it difficult to remember to say ‘v’ for ‘w’ the whole time, even though ‘ween schnitzel’ doesn’t really have the best ring to it really does it), and I got the käsekreiner (sausages stuffed with cheese...mmm...). Dave beat us all though by getting the half metre of ribs and polishing them off in a flash – they did look so delicious I can’t blame him! But we weren’t done there; next it was off to have the biggest icecream sundaes I’ve ever seen in the middle of town sitting out under the stars. Absolute gluttony!
Sunday was another gorgeous day and we made the most of it by visiting the Belvedere Palace near Katy and Dave’s apartment and seeing the gardens and an Alfons Mucha exhibition, and then heading out to Schönbrunn which is Vienna’s version of Versailles. It is massive! We took in a strudel making demonstration (they soak the dough in oil for 30 minutes...no wonder it tastes so delicious!), ran around the maze, checked out the interior, and walked up the hill to the Gloriette and a beautiful view over the city.
Adrian reckoned that he could top my floor piano performances from Malmo and New York with his own rendition. Check it out and see what you think!
Sunday night was topped off by a visit to the Wiener (Vienna) Prater, a giant fairground with fantastic rides. We went on one called the ‘Admiral’ which pulled you up so fast you left your heart on the ground and then once at the top, suspended you there for a couple of seconds (which felt like an eternity!) and then plummeted you down leaving your stomach at the top – and after this happening three times in a row you had no idea where you were or how you were ever going to put your insides back together again! In a word: brilliant.
Monday was our last day and after heading back for another look at some of the buildings (the town hall, parliament etc.) we headed out to Kunst Haus Wien (Vienna Art House) which was built by Hundertwasser – better known to NZers as the designer of the green koru flag and the Kawakawa public loos! It was fascinating, his art is all about organic forms, and there was so much information explaining his intentions, it was great. Watching a 1990 TVNZ ‘Living Treasures’ video there was hilarious too, almost as if NZ didn’t really know what to make of this internationally renowned artist living in its midst.
There was so much we didn’t see – the opera house, or anything to do with music at all really which was a bit of a sacrilege, the main art galleries, or any of the city outside the very centre. It is definitely on the re-visit list. Thanks again so much to Katy and Dave for having us, we had a brilliant time! The rest of the photos are here.
Sunday, 7 June 2009
Canterbury (the original one)
In an attempt to see as much of this fair country (and Europe) as possible, we've started on a rigorous programme of weekend mini-breaks. It's all about the cheap rail ticket (love the student rail card) and, despite my conscious telling me NOOOOOOOOO, the occasional cheap airfare.
So, in May, we started things off locally, with a 48-hour sojourn in Canterbury. We didn't even know where it was, so after a quick check on the map (it's near Dover) we booked our train tickets and were off. We stayed in one of the highest rated hostels in the UK (Kipps Independent Hostel) which was fantastic! They have a bbq on Saturday nights which is only £3.50 for a hotdog in a bun, a hamburger, and a beer! Nice one. But, Canterbury's all about culture with a capital C so I really should stop talking about food! We started off with the big daddy, the cathedral. It's enormous! Just keeps going on and on and on and so much history everywhere you turn. I particularly liked the cloisters and some of the newer stained glass windows. While we were in there the Polish Radio Choir were practising for a concert they were performing later that night - it was some very dischordant, jangly operatic stuff and sounded incredible in that space. We were lucky to get a sneak peek!
After gorging on culture it was time to gorge on lunch (yes I know, back to food, inevitable really isn't it...). The main street was home to a food festival which gave us a delicious Thai lunch and then a vegan blueberry tart...mmmmmm.... Fully refueled it was back on the tourist trail. That led us to a river boat trip and the Canterbury Tales - the latter's this fantastically kitsch Madame Tussauds-esque trip through Chaucer's stories. We were really lucky that we were the only people in there and could prance around making fun as much as we liked! We also checked out some gardens, (other) old churches, and op-shops. The shopping was actually pretty successful - Adrian picked up this brilliant long grey suit and waistcoat at a huge discount and has since proceeded to make everyone else in Oxford look underdressed - a pretty hard task actually!
After a night out on the town checking out the local chavs (sorry Canterbury, but it's true), we spent most of next day at St Augustine's Abbey. It was one of the largest Benedictine abbeys in the UK, but was destroyed in the Reformation. We've been learning all about Henry VII's role in the history here, man, that guy was pretty incredible (in the literal sense of the word!). But, I have to say, the highlight of Sunday was coming across these guys:
Did you see the amount of greenery on their heads?! And that one particular guy in the second row - like an entire garden growing on top...
So, Canterbury mini-break gets a big thumbs up from me. I may even go so far as to say it's very nearly as pretty as Oxford! The rest of the photos are here.
So, in May, we started things off locally, with a 48-hour sojourn in Canterbury. We didn't even know where it was, so after a quick check on the map (it's near Dover) we booked our train tickets and were off. We stayed in one of the highest rated hostels in the UK (Kipps Independent Hostel) which was fantastic! They have a bbq on Saturday nights which is only £3.50 for a hotdog in a bun, a hamburger, and a beer! Nice one. But, Canterbury's all about culture with a capital C so I really should stop talking about food! We started off with the big daddy, the cathedral. It's enormous! Just keeps going on and on and on and so much history everywhere you turn. I particularly liked the cloisters and some of the newer stained glass windows. While we were in there the Polish Radio Choir were practising for a concert they were performing later that night - it was some very dischordant, jangly operatic stuff and sounded incredible in that space. We were lucky to get a sneak peek!
After gorging on culture it was time to gorge on lunch (yes I know, back to food, inevitable really isn't it...). The main street was home to a food festival which gave us a delicious Thai lunch and then a vegan blueberry tart...mmmmmm.... Fully refueled it was back on the tourist trail. That led us to a river boat trip and the Canterbury Tales - the latter's this fantastically kitsch Madame Tussauds-esque trip through Chaucer's stories. We were really lucky that we were the only people in there and could prance around making fun as much as we liked! We also checked out some gardens, (other) old churches, and op-shops. The shopping was actually pretty successful - Adrian picked up this brilliant long grey suit and waistcoat at a huge discount and has since proceeded to make everyone else in Oxford look underdressed - a pretty hard task actually!
After a night out on the town checking out the local chavs (sorry Canterbury, but it's true), we spent most of next day at St Augustine's Abbey. It was one of the largest Benedictine abbeys in the UK, but was destroyed in the Reformation. We've been learning all about Henry VII's role in the history here, man, that guy was pretty incredible (in the literal sense of the word!). But, I have to say, the highlight of Sunday was coming across these guys:
Did you see the amount of greenery on their heads?! And that one particular guy in the second row - like an entire garden growing on top...
So, Canterbury mini-break gets a big thumbs up from me. I may even go so far as to say it's very nearly as pretty as Oxford! The rest of the photos are here.
Peter Pan and Wendy
One of the must-do things in any Oxford student's life is to go to a ball. Those of us with £££ to spare would obviously choose the Magdalen College ball, but at £195 for one night it's a little on the steep side! A much more reasonable choice was the Keble College ball for £70, so a whole group of us from my course decided that a fun and frivolous night out on the town was definitely in order.
The theme was Neverland and it was definitely a fantasty paradise! Entertainment on offer included a silent disco, a chocolate fountain with cream filled profiteroles to dip into it (!!), a bouncy castle, a photo booth, a casino room, shisha pipes, and even sumo suits to play with! All that and unlimited food and drinks until 5am... We most definitely got our money's worth!
Adrian was particularly enamoured with the sumo suits (at about 4 in the morning) - see if you can tell which one he is in the video! I got into them as well after this scene was shot, man, are they heavy! I could hardly lift myself up again once I'd fallen over. Enjoy the video and the rest of the photos here.
The luxury of a taxi (for the mammoth one kilometre walk home...) at 5am was well worth it, as was the greasy fried chicken in bed the next day - so classy.
A brilliant night out!
The theme was Neverland and it was definitely a fantasty paradise! Entertainment on offer included a silent disco, a chocolate fountain with cream filled profiteroles to dip into it (!!), a bouncy castle, a photo booth, a casino room, shisha pipes, and even sumo suits to play with! All that and unlimited food and drinks until 5am... We most definitely got our money's worth!
Adrian was particularly enamoured with the sumo suits (at about 4 in the morning) - see if you can tell which one he is in the video! I got into them as well after this scene was shot, man, are they heavy! I could hardly lift myself up again once I'd fallen over. Enjoy the video and the rest of the photos here.
The luxury of a taxi (for the mammoth one kilometre walk home...) at 5am was well worth it, as was the greasy fried chicken in bed the next day - so classy.
A brilliant night out!
Monday, 11 May 2009
Oxford takes on Paris
One of the most alluring parts of the structure of each of the four MSc courses in the Geography department is the annual field trip. Barcelona, Brussels and Amsterdam were on offer for the other courses, but I think we got the best choice of the lot - Paris!
After having lunch with a newly arrived Alexandra fresh off the plane, we all met up at the train station to get the Eurostar across to Paris. I'd never caught the train before, always going for the ferry because of the price differential, and becasue I was worried about ruining myself with the luxury of the train compared to the budget train/ferry/bus combo! It was pretty incredible, you only spend about 15 minutes in the actual tunnel itself, and then, hey presto, you're in France! Coming from an island it's definitely always a bit of a thrill to be able to go 'overseas' so easily...
On the work side of things we had a visit to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a study of how nature/culture is represented in Parisian parks, a presentation on some research on Paris's transport policies, and then a presentation of our work on knowledge controversies at Sciences Po (one of Paris's universities). I was also lucky enough to schedule one of the interviews for my research while I was there and, as a result, to be invited out to a gathering of ex-pat Kiwis on the Pont des Artes to celebrate ANZAC day! (The guy I was interviewing was a NZer) It was great fun and made me incredibly jealous of all these people doing wonderful things in such a beautiful place.
On the fun side of things we hung out on the steps of Sacre Coeur watching the amazing fire poi guy, went to the flea market at St Ouen, had dinner at a great Brazilian restaurant in Belleville, took loads of photos of all the lovely Paris icons, and other such frivolity. Every time I go to Paris I want to live there more and more...one of these days!!
Enjoy the rest of the photos!
After having lunch with a newly arrived Alexandra fresh off the plane, we all met up at the train station to get the Eurostar across to Paris. I'd never caught the train before, always going for the ferry because of the price differential, and becasue I was worried about ruining myself with the luxury of the train compared to the budget train/ferry/bus combo! It was pretty incredible, you only spend about 15 minutes in the actual tunnel itself, and then, hey presto, you're in France! Coming from an island it's definitely always a bit of a thrill to be able to go 'overseas' so easily...
On the work side of things we had a visit to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a study of how nature/culture is represented in Parisian parks, a presentation on some research on Paris's transport policies, and then a presentation of our work on knowledge controversies at Sciences Po (one of Paris's universities). I was also lucky enough to schedule one of the interviews for my research while I was there and, as a result, to be invited out to a gathering of ex-pat Kiwis on the Pont des Artes to celebrate ANZAC day! (The guy I was interviewing was a NZer) It was great fun and made me incredibly jealous of all these people doing wonderful things in such a beautiful place.
On the fun side of things we hung out on the steps of Sacre Coeur watching the amazing fire poi guy, went to the flea market at St Ouen, had dinner at a great Brazilian restaurant in Belleville, took loads of photos of all the lovely Paris icons, and other such frivolity. Every time I go to Paris I want to live there more and more...one of these days!!
Enjoy the rest of the photos!
Tuesday, 5 May 2009
Pudding monsters
So, you've been hanging out in anticipation long enough, wondering what on earth is this wonderous Pudding Club that I spoke of in the previous post. Well, let your salivating commence!
The Pudding Club is one of those random British institutions that you are never going to find anywhere else (although I might just set up an Icecream Club when I get home) and you just absolutely have to experience while here. In 1985, a group of friends were looking at the choices on the dessert menu and bemoaning the loss of traditional British puddings like 'Spotted Dick', and 'Jam Roly Poly', not to mention the illustrious family of puddings that are the crumbles. So, they started a tradition of getting together each Friday night and trying out a set of puddings (served, of course, with lashings of custard). One thing led to another and now about 50 people go each week, paying £30 for the privilege of a small main course and then seven, yes that's right, SEVEN helpings of pudding. You're not allowed to try a new pudding until you've eaten your last helping - and that's no easy task I can assure you when you're looking down the barrel of pudding #5...
The Pudding Club is one of those random British institutions that you are never going to find anywhere else (although I might just set up an Icecream Club when I get home) and you just absolutely have to experience while here. In 1985, a group of friends were looking at the choices on the dessert menu and bemoaning the loss of traditional British puddings like 'Spotted Dick', and 'Jam Roly Poly', not to mention the illustrious family of puddings that are the crumbles. So, they started a tradition of getting together each Friday night and trying out a set of puddings (served, of course, with lashings of custard). One thing led to another and now about 50 people go each week, paying £30 for the privilege of a small main course and then seven, yes that's right, SEVEN helpings of pudding. You're not allowed to try a new pudding until you've eaten your last helping - and that's no easy task I can assure you when you're looking down the barrel of pudding #5...
But, we made it through! Jeff and I (congratulations to Jeff also for organising this whole thing) made it through all seven of our puddings, while Sara managed a very honourable five helpings. My favourite of the night (and the crowd favourite also) was the rhubarb crumble, with the sticky toffee coming in at second place. Spotted Dick was stodgy and the idea that it was made with 'suet' just kind of didn't work - I don't even really want to know what suet is, it just sounds a little too odd for my liking... Lord Randall's (marmaladey) was quite yum, as was the Squidgy Chocolate (how could it not be with a name like that), but I'd definitely be keen to go back during the summer when they add four summer-weight puddings to the repertoire, such as Gooseberry Fool! Mmmmm...
Check out the rest of the photos here.
Tuesday, 28 April 2009
Cotswolds invasion
To celebrate the prettiness that is England in the springtime, it was only right that a small Easter excursion was planned to see (arguably) one of the prettiest regions of them all - the Cotswolds. Jeff, Sara and I hired a car and used Oxford as a base to head out into the myriad of impossibly cute villages and windy country roads that make up the Cotswolds.
It's basically an amalagam of Oxford and Gloucestershire with bits of Warwickshire and other counties thrown in for good measure. It's been designated as an 'area of outstanding natural beauty' and I'd definitely agree having seen it!
We started off with a trip to Minster Lovell via Woodstock to see the ruins of Minster Lovell hall, the still existing church and old dovecote. There's a rather eerie story about the last Lord Lovell hiding in a secret passage but no-one ever finding him and his skeleton only being discovered years later... After that we went to the picture postcard Slaughters (Lower Slaughter being especially cute with all the daffodils, lambs, river, working water mill etc.) and Chipping Campden which had a very lovely main street with lots of shops and places to have a Pimms and cream tea! I even found a brand new board game at the local op-shop for only £3 which has got to be a good end to any day!
Day two was spent mostly at Kenilworth Castle in Warwickshire which has had a very fascinating pedigree, particularly when Robert Dudley owned the castle and hosted several elaborate festivities for Elizabeth I in the late 1500s (said to be the inspiration for 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' even). There was a great amalgam of styles as the castle was built over several centuries and they're building a new Elizabethan garden too.
I got completely sucked in by the tasting of all the jams and things and came away with some lemon honey, gooseberry and elderflower jam, and honey mead! Mmmm... We also had great fun listening to the audio guide's medieval dance music, jigging our way across the castle and dressing up in the old clothes!
After Kenilworth we popped into Stratford-upon-Avon briefly, visiting the (outside of) Shakespeare's birthplace and having a drink by the river. Not much really to report from there other than that it was full of people and a nightmare finding a park! Oh, no, the church was pretty stunning but unfortunately closed... Stratford was a brief stop because we were on the way to the PUDDING CLUB! More on that in a later post...
Day three was all about getting out and about into the fresh air (and to work of the massive amount of pudding just consumed). We had lunch at a great old pub called the Falkland Arms in Great Tew and then joined in the great British tradition of going for a ramble across the bridle paths and fields, getting in tune with nature. We passed a great church there as well which had some brass pictures from 1410, pretty impressive! We rounded off the afternoon by going to see the White Horse in Uffington, south of Oxford and hanging out with some very non-plussed sheep. You can't see it fully from the ground which makes its original meaning all the more interesting, with theories ranging from an offering to the gods or a picture drawn by aliens!
The last day of Easter was spent in Oxford, visiting the hall at Christ Church (the inspiration for the hall in the Harry Potter movies), the annual literary festival, and getting an extensive tour around Oxford cathedral (also the college chapel at Christ Church) by an expat New Zealander who could definitely talk the hind legs off any animal of your choosing!
All in all, a great Easter weekend with big ups to Jeff and Sara for organising everything! Check out the rest of the photos here.
It's basically an amalagam of Oxford and Gloucestershire with bits of Warwickshire and other counties thrown in for good measure. It's been designated as an 'area of outstanding natural beauty' and I'd definitely agree having seen it!
We started off with a trip to Minster Lovell via Woodstock to see the ruins of Minster Lovell hall, the still existing church and old dovecote. There's a rather eerie story about the last Lord Lovell hiding in a secret passage but no-one ever finding him and his skeleton only being discovered years later... After that we went to the picture postcard Slaughters (Lower Slaughter being especially cute with all the daffodils, lambs, river, working water mill etc.) and Chipping Campden which had a very lovely main street with lots of shops and places to have a Pimms and cream tea! I even found a brand new board game at the local op-shop for only £3 which has got to be a good end to any day!
Day two was spent mostly at Kenilworth Castle in Warwickshire which has had a very fascinating pedigree, particularly when Robert Dudley owned the castle and hosted several elaborate festivities for Elizabeth I in the late 1500s (said to be the inspiration for 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' even). There was a great amalgam of styles as the castle was built over several centuries and they're building a new Elizabethan garden too.
I got completely sucked in by the tasting of all the jams and things and came away with some lemon honey, gooseberry and elderflower jam, and honey mead! Mmmm... We also had great fun listening to the audio guide's medieval dance music, jigging our way across the castle and dressing up in the old clothes!
After Kenilworth we popped into Stratford-upon-Avon briefly, visiting the (outside of) Shakespeare's birthplace and having a drink by the river. Not much really to report from there other than that it was full of people and a nightmare finding a park! Oh, no, the church was pretty stunning but unfortunately closed... Stratford was a brief stop because we were on the way to the PUDDING CLUB! More on that in a later post...
Day three was all about getting out and about into the fresh air (and to work of the massive amount of pudding just consumed). We had lunch at a great old pub called the Falkland Arms in Great Tew and then joined in the great British tradition of going for a ramble across the bridle paths and fields, getting in tune with nature. We passed a great church there as well which had some brass pictures from 1410, pretty impressive! We rounded off the afternoon by going to see the White Horse in Uffington, south of Oxford and hanging out with some very non-plussed sheep. You can't see it fully from the ground which makes its original meaning all the more interesting, with theories ranging from an offering to the gods or a picture drawn by aliens!
The last day of Easter was spent in Oxford, visiting the hall at Christ Church (the inspiration for the hall in the Harry Potter movies), the annual literary festival, and getting an extensive tour around Oxford cathedral (also the college chapel at Christ Church) by an expat New Zealander who could definitely talk the hind legs off any animal of your choosing!
All in all, a great Easter weekend with big ups to Jeff and Sara for organising everything! Check out the rest of the photos here.
Monday, 27 April 2009
Spring babies
There are loads of spring babies in my class here at Oxford so we've been having birthday bbqs/drinks/picnics/lunches out galore. It's been a great excuse for enjoying the fact that there are actually four very defined seasons in this country - and spring is arguably the prettiest of them all!
I've also been snapping a few pictures here and there which are a bit disconnected so I've whacked them all into the one album for your viewing pleasure.
Check them out here!
I've also been snapping a few pictures here and there which are a bit disconnected so I've whacked them all into the one album for your viewing pleasure.
Check them out here!
Saturday, 18 April 2009
The boat race
One tradition that any self-respecting Oxford student would never miss is the 'boat race'. What is this mythical boat race you ask? Particularly considering that the sea is approximately 60 miles away from here! Well, it all becomes clear when you understand the absolute mania for rowing here - which renders all other forms of 'boats' irrelevant!
So, the 'boat race' is the annual race between Oxford and Cambridge along the Thames in London. The calibre of the rowers is insane - lots of Olympians and world champions who are taking a year out from rowing full time to get some qualifications but who are also able to keep up a really high standard of racing. Not only is it a huge deal for the two universities involved, but is also a great day out for people in London because the whole place has this big party atmosphere - even though the whole thing is over in a matter of minutes! Kind of like waiting for the Tour de France to pass by in about 20 seconds after having waited for five hours...
I headed down with some friends from uni and met up with some other London-based friends who managed to brave the crowds and push through to the front where we had been patiently staking out our place for hours. But, the numb behinds from the cold wall were well worth it when we were on the front row with about 12 people deep behind us!
There are two races on the day, the first is between Isis (Oxford 2nds) and Goldie (Cambridge 2nds) which we won by miles. We were sitting at the Hammersmith Bend (at the top of this map, in front of the Dove and Old Ship pubs) which meant we had a great view of the two boats coming around the corner and then heading towards the finish. Isis were leading the whole time in their race, but in the firsts race between the Oxford 'Dark Blues' and the Cambridge 'Light Blues' it was much more neck and neck as they came around the bend. But, then apparently they clashed blades and Oxford pulled away, eventually winning by three boat lengths in a stylish time of 17 minutes flat! Go Oxford!!!!
If you're keen to watch it next year, keep the afternoon of the 3rd of April 2010 free! Lots of photos here.
So, the 'boat race' is the annual race between Oxford and Cambridge along the Thames in London. The calibre of the rowers is insane - lots of Olympians and world champions who are taking a year out from rowing full time to get some qualifications but who are also able to keep up a really high standard of racing. Not only is it a huge deal for the two universities involved, but is also a great day out for people in London because the whole place has this big party atmosphere - even though the whole thing is over in a matter of minutes! Kind of like waiting for the Tour de France to pass by in about 20 seconds after having waited for five hours...
I headed down with some friends from uni and met up with some other London-based friends who managed to brave the crowds and push through to the front where we had been patiently staking out our place for hours. But, the numb behinds from the cold wall were well worth it when we were on the front row with about 12 people deep behind us!
There are two races on the day, the first is between Isis (Oxford 2nds) and Goldie (Cambridge 2nds) which we won by miles. We were sitting at the Hammersmith Bend (at the top of this map, in front of the Dove and Old Ship pubs) which meant we had a great view of the two boats coming around the corner and then heading towards the finish. Isis were leading the whole time in their race, but in the firsts race between the Oxford 'Dark Blues' and the Cambridge 'Light Blues' it was much more neck and neck as they came around the bend. But, then apparently they clashed blades and Oxford pulled away, eventually winning by three boat lengths in a stylish time of 17 minutes flat! Go Oxford!!!!
If you're keen to watch it next year, keep the afternoon of the 3rd of April 2010 free! Lots of photos here.
Friday, 27 March 2009
Martin Society reading party
What is a reading society I hear you ask? (I have supersonic hearing obviously). Well, because when you go to uni here you ‘read’ Geography (or whatever else it is that you study), when you go out in the field you go on reading parties (because we’re in groups and because it’s all a whole lot of fun). The geography society at St John’s is called the Martin Society and this year’s reading party was to Norfolk. We stayed in the most charming hotel in King’s Lynn’s industrial estate, just on the edge of the motorway. Very conducive towards convening with nature I’m sure. ..
The group consisted of 9 undergrads, 5 of us postgrads and 3 staff. We spent the first half day hearing about everyone’s research (mine is currently tentatively titled ‘Biofuels backlash? Evidence, politics and the EU Renewable Energy Directive’ - catchy eh...) and continued it on the morning of the third day. But, on the far more interesting second day we went out exploring and managed to cover most of Norfolk, as well as taking a look at parts of Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. Our two main destinations were the north Norfolk coast (with some incredibly (read, aggressive) ducks who ate biscuits out of my hand) and Wicken Fen. The fens are drained marshlands which contain 50% of the grade A1 soil in the UK over a comparatively pretty small area. Wicken Fen is a nature reserve that preserves the fens as they would have looked in medieval times, replete with reeds, lots of mud, and all sorts of birds. Having gone to an extra special effort to make sure I remembered to get my gumboots (or wellingtons as I should call them here) up to Norfolk, the joy in being able to sink down into all the lovely squelchy mud was brilliant!
Overall a very successful trip, particularly considering I could pack two visits to London around it (all the trains and motorway systems here fan out from London as a central radius, there’s pretty much no way to easily go across the country). I’ve got more photos here.
The group consisted of 9 undergrads, 5 of us postgrads and 3 staff. We spent the first half day hearing about everyone’s research (mine is currently tentatively titled ‘Biofuels backlash? Evidence, politics and the EU Renewable Energy Directive’ - catchy eh...) and continued it on the morning of the third day. But, on the far more interesting second day we went out exploring and managed to cover most of Norfolk, as well as taking a look at parts of Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. Our two main destinations were the north Norfolk coast (with some incredibly (read, aggressive) ducks who ate biscuits out of my hand) and Wicken Fen. The fens are drained marshlands which contain 50% of the grade A1 soil in the UK over a comparatively pretty small area. Wicken Fen is a nature reserve that preserves the fens as they would have looked in medieval times, replete with reeds, lots of mud, and all sorts of birds. Having gone to an extra special effort to make sure I remembered to get my gumboots (or wellingtons as I should call them here) up to Norfolk, the joy in being able to sink down into all the lovely squelchy mud was brilliant!
Overall a very successful trip, particularly considering I could pack two visits to London around it (all the trains and motorway systems here fan out from London as a central radius, there’s pretty much no way to easily go across the country). I’ve got more photos here.
Springy spring spring spring!
From snow to sunshine! We've had the most glorious weather here over the last week, although it's starting to get a bit cloudier and cooler again now - it doesn't want to trick us into thinking that we'll actually get a summer... But, while all the blossoms started appearing it was absolutely magnificent. I can't get over how it all suddenly bursts into life at exactly the same time! The clumps of daffodils everywhere are stunning, as are all the trees completely covered in flowers. We just don't have anything like it at home!
We finally discovered University Parks the other day too, making the most of the sunshine. It's a big sports fields/park/river area really close to the science part of the university where I spend my days. Here are the rest of the photos.
We finally discovered University Parks the other day too, making the most of the sunshine. It's a big sports fields/park/river area really close to the science part of the university where I spend my days. Here are the rest of the photos.
Tuesday, 24 March 2009
(Finally!) some photos of the snow
Having not yet managed to transport all my files over from my nearly dead old laptop to my bright, spanking, amazing, lovely, so fast I can't believe it, incredible in every way new laptop, I realised that I forgot to put up the photos from February online.
We had a HUGE dump of snow here in Oxford in February and I went a bit crazy taking photos of everything I could see! We made a fantastic snowman in Port Meadow, but those photos are still on Adrian's camera (which he has taken away with him on holiday obviously so I'll have to add them to the album at a later date).
We had a HUGE dump of snow here in Oxford in February and I went a bit crazy taking photos of everything I could see! We made a fantastic snowman in Port Meadow, but those photos are still on Adrian's camera (which he has taken away with him on holiday obviously so I'll have to add them to the album at a later date).
The other photos are of Duncan's visit to Oxford and our excursion to Christ Church college.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Monday, 23 March 2009
The Bathers come to visit
The other weekend we had Henry and Sonja come and visit us from Bath. Oxford was gracious enough to put on a good show and we were able to spend most of the weekend out and about enjoying the lovely spring weather. We’ve also been rather sneaky in attempting to spread out all the touristy things in Oxford so that we always have something new to do when visitors come. Our evil master plan has been working out just fine so this time Sonja got to go up to the top of St Mary’s Church with me and Henry got to watch the SJC MCR football team in their victorious final league-winning match (well, it was a draw but they ended up winning the league anyway...). St Mary’s is a stunning gothic church in the middle of town and it was great to head up and see the views over lots of the colleges. I had no idea that sundials were such a predominant feature so I think I will have to make a comparative study so I can actually work out how to read them all!
I took them on a tour of St John’s as well (once all the kerfuffle over the Thai Prime Minister’s visit died down – we’re in pretty good company of some illustrious personages here!). Sonja pointed out to me in the little garden to the side of the library that there was some flax, a kowhai and even a feijoa tree!! There must be a New Zealander on the gardening staff... I was very excited about the whole feijoa thing until Sonja told me that you need a boy and a girl plant to have fruit. I think I’ll have to find that NZer and see if there are any extra stocks they can plant somewhere! Henry, as a good architecture student, also pointed out all sorts of interesting architectural elements in college that I would never have noticed before, and I now know the difference between all the brick types (just don’t quiz me on it!).
Lisa’s flat had an early St Patrick’s day party which was great fun on Saturday night and we managed to find some interesting beer from the Grog Shop down the road (I kid you not, that is it’s actual name) to celebrate with. Not exactly Irish, but I think the chilli beer with a massive whole chilli inside it was my definite favourite.
The following day we met up with two of Sonja’s friends from Wellington (one of whom is in some of my classes! Small world...) and went for a big long walk in Port Meadow. I’ve talked about that before, but it’s a big common area of mainly pasture near to our house. We walked along the Thames path up to the pub at the other end and joined the throngs of Oxfordonians (or Oxfordites? I will have to find that one out) who were out enjoying the spring weather. It was even warm enough for shorts and t-shirts!
I took lots of photos, so check them out.
I took them on a tour of St John’s as well (once all the kerfuffle over the Thai Prime Minister’s visit died down – we’re in pretty good company of some illustrious personages here!). Sonja pointed out to me in the little garden to the side of the library that there was some flax, a kowhai and even a feijoa tree!! There must be a New Zealander on the gardening staff... I was very excited about the whole feijoa thing until Sonja told me that you need a boy and a girl plant to have fruit. I think I’ll have to find that NZer and see if there are any extra stocks they can plant somewhere! Henry, as a good architecture student, also pointed out all sorts of interesting architectural elements in college that I would never have noticed before, and I now know the difference between all the brick types (just don’t quiz me on it!).
Lisa’s flat had an early St Patrick’s day party which was great fun on Saturday night and we managed to find some interesting beer from the Grog Shop down the road (I kid you not, that is it’s actual name) to celebrate with. Not exactly Irish, but I think the chilli beer with a massive whole chilli inside it was my definite favourite.
The following day we met up with two of Sonja’s friends from Wellington (one of whom is in some of my classes! Small world...) and went for a big long walk in Port Meadow. I’ve talked about that before, but it’s a big common area of mainly pasture near to our house. We walked along the Thames path up to the pub at the other end and joined the throngs of Oxfordonians (or Oxfordites? I will have to find that one out) who were out enjoying the spring weather. It was even warm enough for shorts and t-shirts!
I took lots of photos, so check them out.
Monday, 23 February 2009
Dancing with the stars
We’ve been learning to ballroom dance for several weeks now and at our last class we were asked if we would be available that weekend to go up to Blackpool to help out as volunteers at the University DanceSport Championships. It’s the biggest event of the year for all the uni teams and this year it was taking place at the Winter Gardens, a big venue in the middle of town.
The volunteering itself was a bit intense, as the day lasted from 8am to midnight (we didn’t know that it would be longer than working hours), but it was great to see the standard that we’re attempting to get up to! I think we’d actually need to practice rather than saying we were going to if we ever want to impress anyone...
We managed to escape a couple of times during the day for some food and to see a bit of Blackpool, but the following morning we had a few hours before the drive back to explore. It was great to be wandering around in the morning with hardly anyone else up (it was Sunday morning in a big party town so that wasn’t surprising!) and the tide was low so we could explore under the pier and all along the beach. It was brilliant to be by the sea again – even though Blackpool’s beach doesn’t really rate compared to NZ beaches!
The most fun was going to the pier though; we were the first on the Ferris wheel and laughed ourselves silly at the funny faces to stick your head through. We also spent £4 (although I was totally suckered in and would have spent a fortune!) on the dart throwing – man, those guys are good at what they do! We came away with two of the very cheapest toys, but they are some of the best airplane toys I’ve seen and have provided us with endless hours of amusement!
Check out the rest of the photos.
The volunteering itself was a bit intense, as the day lasted from 8am to midnight (we didn’t know that it would be longer than working hours), but it was great to see the standard that we’re attempting to get up to! I think we’d actually need to practice rather than saying we were going to if we ever want to impress anyone...
We managed to escape a couple of times during the day for some food and to see a bit of Blackpool, but the following morning we had a few hours before the drive back to explore. It was great to be wandering around in the morning with hardly anyone else up (it was Sunday morning in a big party town so that wasn’t surprising!) and the tide was low so we could explore under the pier and all along the beach. It was brilliant to be by the sea again – even though Blackpool’s beach doesn’t really rate compared to NZ beaches!
The most fun was going to the pier though; we were the first on the Ferris wheel and laughed ourselves silly at the funny faces to stick your head through. We also spent £4 (although I was totally suckered in and would have spent a fortune!) on the dart throwing – man, those guys are good at what they do! We came away with two of the very cheapest toys, but they are some of the best airplane toys I’ve seen and have provided us with endless hours of amusement!
Check out the rest of the photos.
Tuesday, 10 February 2009
Bits and bobs from January
Here are some photos from around the place in January. The day we got back from New York we went to the pantomime in Oxford with Lisa which was absolutely brilliant (altogether now: 'Boots and cats and boots and cats!') and we had a whole heap of snow which was so much fun. We built a snowman out on Port Meadow (named Edward Lucas) who was taller than the both of us and had devil horns! I hope he's enjoying himself now in the big snowman heaven in the sky...
I went to Stowe Landscape Gardens with my class (to discuss issues around nature conservation etc. etc.) and we also headed down to London for a night out for Duncan's birthday.
I went to Stowe Landscape Gardens with my class (to discuss issues around nature conservation etc. etc.) and we also headed down to London for a night out for Duncan's birthday.
Sunday, 25 January 2009
Noo Yawk
'Would it all be worth it?' I wondered as we dutifully offered up our fingers and irises to be scanned at the customs desk (do not under any circumstances annoy a US federal officerrrr). Thankfully, the Gattaca-esque interlude didn't last long and there we were: New York! (The Big Apple, City of Dreams...etc. etc.).
We were in town to visit Adrian's brother and his family, as well as other parts of the family who had trekked from the UK and NZ to attend baby Katerina's christening. Thanks to a whole lot of free airpoints this was remarkably less painful than it may otherwise have seemed! The only painful thing was my sickness (cough, general flu-like blah) which hung around like a bad smell for the first half of the holiday but fortunately died down enough for me to spend a good few days enjoying the sights and sounds of the city.
The first trek into the city was to eat some pretty good burgers and it was magical to see the snow on the ground and feel like we were in a completely different world! The best bit though was to see all three Mazur men asleep on the train on the way home - I bet their dreams were in sync...
We were in town to visit Adrian's brother and his family, as well as other parts of the family who had trekked from the UK and NZ to attend baby Katerina's christening. Thanks to a whole lot of free airpoints this was remarkably less painful than it may otherwise have seemed! The only painful thing was my sickness (cough, general flu-like blah) which hung around like a bad smell for the first half of the holiday but fortunately died down enough for me to spend a good few days enjoying the sights and sounds of the city.
The first trek into the city was to eat some pretty good burgers and it was magical to see the snow on the ground and feel like we were in a completely different world! The best bit though was to see all three Mazur men asleep on the train on the way home - I bet their dreams were in sync...
The next few days were filled up with christening related events and we also had a great day up on the coast at Lookout Point (on Long Island) where the snow was still all over the sand! It was fantastic to be able to see a part of New York that most tourists who just see Manhatten would never have the chance to experience.
The majority of the second half of the trip was spent in the city however, ticking off all those 'must see' things like the Statue of Liberty (sneakily glimpsed on the free Staten Island ferry), the bull at Wall Street, Time Square, Grand Central Station, Brooklyn Bridge etc. etc. We managed to score cheap tickets to Avenue Q, a musical on Broadway, and even though it's well known that I'm not the biggest musical fan, this was actually really hilarious and well worth a look.
But then the big day arrived: BIRTHDAY! Everyone knows that I am a huge fan of birthdays (not only my own) and to have this one in NYC was fantastic! We started the day going up the Empire State Building and because it was early and the middle of winter there were no queues at all and hardly any people at the top. It was FREEZING though - the scarves wrapped around our faces like balaclavas should give some indication of the temperature (about -12C that day I think). But, again, because of the cold it was clear for absolute miles. I reckon we could see Connecticut even! After the Empire State we wandered uptown, getting a hot dog from a street vendor (mmmm....delicious...) and a fantastic deli lunch. Although it was one of the those places where you get salad and other food by weight and we got a bit carried away! In the grand scheme of things it wasn't too bad really, probably even cheaper than London.
After stuffing our faces it was time for some exercise so we headed to FAO Schwarz, the massive toy shop where they have a copy of the 'big piano' that was in the movie Big with Tom Hanks. We couldn't quite manage to play chopsticks in time, but I think our more eclectic creations would have gone down a treat with some alternative jazz musicians! I picked myself up a birthday treat in the form of an Ugly Doll who has been christened ‘Monster’ and who guards our house from marauding invaders whenever we’re out.
FAO Schwarz is at one end of Central Park so we wandered up through there (well, walked at a brisk pace because it was so cold!), marvelled at the amount of squirrels just hanging out, chewing the fat (and bark, and acorns or whatever it is they do), and arrived at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Being such art snobs from all the fantastic museums we were lucky enough to see in Italy, we were a bit down our noses at some of the stuff (I mean really, why are these statues missing arms!), but on the whole it was a lovely museum and I particularly enjoyed all the shiny stuff and the fantastic Asian carvings.
That night we met up with everyone and went to Tortilla Flats, a Mexican restaurant in Greenwich Village and had absolutely yum food, lots of frozen margueritas, and even a beer drinking challenge which I spectacularly lost against three other people from different tables who hadn’t eaten yet and had nice empty stomachs... Ah well, a lesson learnt for next time!
Our final day in the city we spent looking around at shops in the East Village and then to MOMA (the modern art museum). That was AMAZING! I absolutely loved it, there was so much fantastic stuff and we could have wandered round for hours. We managed to coincide our visit for when it was free which was good in some ways (as in, it was free!) but it was absolutely packed out with other people making the most of it.
Being on Long Island meant we could spend some time checking out the malls which was great as well, even though the £ was a lot weaker than we would have liked (although at least it wasn’t the NZ$ eh...). I managed to continue my bargain streak and get jeans for US$18 down from $80 which I was pretty pleased with, among other excellent purchases. Although, Adrian did most of the shopping, getting kitted out for his big trip, as well as a new ‘pulling shirt’ just in case he gets tired of me at some point!
All in all NYC was great. MOMA and the Empire State Building were my two absolute favourites and I would love to go back in warmer weather to get a different experience of the city (rather than rushing from one indoor place to another because it was so cold!). Qudos to Hannah for the great food and things to see recommendations and thanks so much to the Mazurs for hosting us too, it was such a wonderful birthday treat! There are more photos on this link.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)