So pleased to have holidays again. Kind of not really prepared for it though, original plans might have worked if I'd booked them weeks ago. No hostel places available so no bike trip and no cheap Bumble trip. However what we did do was good.
Tues: stayed in Jammies and got loads of admin done.. until Go called at 4:45 with "are you aware you're supposed to be in?" Decided to do a shift rather than show them the several emails that prove I wasn't supposed to be in. Late packing, but not a problem. And expensive, as had time to try out various Speedcross shoes.
Wed: run (awful, testing new shoes.. gonna hope it's cause they slip on the treadmill belt). Chucked stuff in Bumble, then off to Soham. I remember now why I travel late night. Took over three hours just to get there. Great to see Chubby Dubs guy again, and finalise what will happen when Bumble goes for his visit.. gonna be strange him finally being a proper camper van. Shame I can't keep the convenient bike space too though.
Straight in and straight out again, with a lunch bag, once I made it to Ma's at half three. Ham sarnies scoffed on the way to Sheringham to see the boys.
Played briefly with the Brio train set upstairs, then hit the dressing up box :-) Jay Jay and I now have an agreement that he will look after my Darth Vader costume until I next see him! Jesse is also starting his Jedi training early..
While the boys ate their tea we watched Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Ma entertained Jesse..
JJ had his first Sweetie necklace.. the concept had to be explained..
Thurs: up not too early and off to Oxford. Alas not a Bumble adventure but a ride in Jules' Juke. Still, did mean that I got to read (another Morpurgo) and knit and sleep instead of driving. And Pops' small bladder meant that we also got second breakfast in Maccys. Left Juke at Holiday Inn and into the city on the bus. First tourist sight was Christchurch College...
Seems strange that OU tuition fees are so high, when all the colleges charge admission to us plebs but.. Next we had coffee in the City Hall and looked round the museum in there, mostly local recent history.
Carfax Tower was the first thing we found in the centre of the small city. Well worth the £2.50 each to go up the 99 steps. Poor light for photos, but still you can see why they call it the city of dreaming spires, and just how small the city itself actually is.
Not quite as impressive as our St Pauls selfie.. made me laugh though..
We were still at the 'must see all the sights' stage at this point, as we asked the nice guy in the Tower where the Bridge of Sighs was (not even near water, which was why I couldn't see it on any of my maps/apps). On the way there was found St Mary's Church (possibly) and the Radcliffe Camera, which not even visiting Doctors are allowed in!
Trouble with Oxford is not being sure which important, beautiful building is which..
And they don't seem to take signs very seriously..
Bodelian Library..
And opposite..
Under the Bridge..
Better Selfie..
Off up to Magdalen Bridge, where they have a better class of Pedalo!
And on the way back into town we had some better light at last..
Next the covered market with it's sadly too expensive comedy t shirts, comedy shop names..
Comedy toys...
And splendid cakes..
More good light once we had been tempted into Whittards by the smell of the toffee apple tea..
Even the cafes are in impressive buildings..
After the fourth or fifth time we had walked past this I could resist no longer and had to go in for some Lego. Was extremely well behaved and just got Bart..
Getting dangerously indecisive about evening plans when we came across a Spoons offering a curry night.. Couldn't resist, especially with this name..
Bus home after tea as getting late.. too late to watch a film at the Vue so we sussed out the showings for Friday night. And sadly no-one else wanted to play pool, so we played yet more Heads Up in our room while sipping Whittards tea :-)
Me and Ma listened to a fair bit of Clare Balding's audiobook while Pops snored like Darth Vader, but all up in time for a big breakfast, then out on the bus again. Ashmolean Museum first. Few good bits, like the replica of Guy Fawkes lamp!, but soon tired of old pots and bits of old fabric.
Martyr's memorial (not a submerged Cathedral) ..
A Henry Moore..
An Elias Ashmole..
Perhaps the most interesting thing..
I'm laughing at Ma's photography technique, of stepping backwards, closer and closer to the steps. I desperately wanted to climb up into the alcove either side of the door for a photo but wimped out..
Keble College..
Eventually found the University Museum (of Natural History) having resorted to asking someone. Dangerously close to ending up in a physics lecture instead.
I am still convinced that the end of Paddington was filmed here. Mr Internet does not confirm this though.
This was by far my favourite Oxford museum. Ma flagged after a bit though and found a seat. She obviously feared being labelled as an exhibit (Pops' theory not mine) and moved. Without telling us. Found her a good while later in a different museum (Pitt-Rivers) near the seal intestine Parka.
Next up the Bodleian Library. Disappointingly not allowed in. I wanted to see if they actually had my book (well, bit of) as its a copyright library, so in theory has everything published, but again thwarted by entrance fees and swipe cards and serious looking librarians.
Feeling decidedly ill by now. Ached all over and was getting grumpy that I wouldn't be able to do the Parkrun. Brief visit to the History of Science Museum, the Old Ashmolean. Luckily small, Ma liked the clocks and I liked Lewis Carroll's photography equipment and Einstein's scribbles..
Realised that it was getting dark and I had forgotten thus far to get any geocaches, so re-energised by McDs, having decided to not pay an extra two pounds something to eat in at Patisserie Valerie, we went off in search.
Got photos of the one down a dark alley, but not the one by the toilets near the Martyrs Memorial..
Couple of Munzees on the way to the bus.. starting to stress about having time to eat before the film. Booking app lied and so got a place at Ben and Jerry's as Pops calls it (Frankie and Bennys) for a yummy pizza and then upstairs to the Vue to get into see Suffragette about 40 seconds before the actual film started. Very soon wished we hadn't made it. As soon as it started I thought 'that's not quite in focus' and then it started zooming about in a Hunger Games way, and I knew it wasn't going to end well. Sure enough, spent most of the movie with eyes closed trying not to be sick, but was still a great film.
Had gone to bed feeling ill and ill, so had a jog round the corridors at half seven Saturday morning just to check I could actually run. Very glad to feel tonnes better than when I'd gone to bed, so had some rice Krispies as first breakfast before all heading off to the Oxford Brookes campus for the Harcourt Hill Parkrun. Was rainy and all on grass so was happy with the worse than usual time, and happy to get my 25th Parkrun done. Even happier that we were back in plenty of time for second breakfast and a shower. Luckily, as we had to leap out of the car in a queue of traffic to go straight to the City game. Or unluckily, could happily have missed that too. Lost to WBA, and we were pants.
Really good to get to see Tim after a yummy chinese. Had a nice play and story time with the boys, then chat with Tim. Both got a bit sad on the doorstep though.
Made excellent use of the clock change by reading in bed. Shouldn't have watched the GP. So let down by Rossi. Don't know what the hell he was thinking. I guess only he knows if he deliberately kicked Marquez, but it did not look good. Blown his chance of a tenth championship thats for sure.
Finished book, hoovered Bumble, shopping at Asda (got my christmas pants from Santa!) tea with Nan, tea and see other Nan and back down the A14, slightly earlier than usual.
