tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87364101155220213512024-02-19T01:52:13.527-08:00Oxford OmnibusCallieBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11861641472897290813noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8736410115522021351.post-37180136601473045432014-03-16T04:49:00.001-07:002014-03-16T04:49:12.107-07:00A Proper Pair of Walking Shoes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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If you’re planning a trip abroad -- or anywhere – and you
know you’ll be doing more walking than usual, you really <u>must</u> invest in a
pair of comfortable shoes. My daughter
preached this to me many times back in 2011, when I was in England for six
months. I didn’t take her advice –
instead I made do with my grungy old tennis shoes, and I was always suffering
from lower back pain and/or aching legs.</div>
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So this time around I decided to get myself some proper
walking shoes: I went out to Burnham’s in Columbus and purchased a pair of SAS
walkers. The style I chose
was called “Bounce.”</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwmqcNWikqMsyNsFwVfQDuQbO0eP70NYVOk0z1sW0vMmmCmuiipNhjTQ3qYulwwRV2DlYED50ncwMqIuLHoN5OwGVNuFoIhY85qL7h10ozkOlBoxbqqIWCEjLfel_5nCj-n1cBJtLhK8Z1/s1600/Bounce.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwmqcNWikqMsyNsFwVfQDuQbO0eP70NYVOk0z1sW0vMmmCmuiipNhjTQ3qYulwwRV2DlYED50ncwMqIuLHoN5OwGVNuFoIhY85qL7h10ozkOlBoxbqqIWCEjLfel_5nCj-n1cBJtLhK8Z1/s1600/Bounce.png" height="136" width="200" /></a></div>
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I winced when I first picked them off the shelf; these are
not pretty, feminine shoes – no sex appeal whatsoever. And when I tried them on, they looked like
those horrible, black, old lady shoes my great aunts used to wear. On top of that, they weren’t cheap (around
$100) – though much more palatable with my 20%-off coupon!</div>
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So here are my feet enjoying the comfort of my beautiful SAS
shoes:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6pr6-agOOxDOLYhJvdniAOphqVpFMgftUie25haPS12pJTBPeBKbP_r3K3yOrDdjCtsObpk-9u6IJwzuqDxEV3Hw5iJzHrd6Rdiem1Hta4jHnR8ntSZ9OIWAl8Bnu0LTIO9HxpHLwbv4C/s1600/IMG_0802.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6pr6-agOOxDOLYhJvdniAOphqVpFMgftUie25haPS12pJTBPeBKbP_r3K3yOrDdjCtsObpk-9u6IJwzuqDxEV3Hw5iJzHrd6Rdiem1Hta4jHnR8ntSZ9OIWAl8Bnu0LTIO9HxpHLwbv4C/s1600/IMG_0802.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
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I am not kidding – my feet really do enjoy these shoes! Walking in them is a pleasure; there
is no pain. I could walk and walk and
walk and walk! They are truly worth the
high price.</div>
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And there’s a reason for that price: these shoes are handmade
in the USA. They are not mass produced
in sweat shops in Malaysia, using cheap man-made materials (although for some
parts of this shoe, man-made products are used). They are made by folks in Texas, using real
leather (all pieces for one pair cut from the same hide), and hand-sewn and hand-fabricated.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjls9rzlCaqILozT6QiwrWT_Dbicb4Td6bZws7pZra3IVa0bSzk7S-UcaUHUviM098Ohi7aY7cT_fzJQhhO5E7akSKedI5SFAlCq7apyGMFK0MJOgbJnuaLb8BwmTd91K9F9t9IBPCs13nF/s1600/sasfactory.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjls9rzlCaqILozT6QiwrWT_Dbicb4Td6bZws7pZra3IVa0bSzk7S-UcaUHUviM098Ohi7aY7cT_fzJQhhO5E7akSKedI5SFAlCq7apyGMFK0MJOgbJnuaLb8BwmTd91K9F9t9IBPCs13nF/s1600/sasfactory.png" height="200" width="160" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/sas-shoes-for-men.html<br /><br /></td></tr>
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Do you know what SAS stands for? I didn’t. It stands for San Antonio Shoes,
because that’s where the company started out back in the late 1970s. The preferred way to say the name of these
shoes it to say the letters: S – A – S, however lots of folks pronounce SAS as
a word, “sass.” How their customers say
their name is not as important to the manufacturer as how they enjoy the
comfort of SAS shoes (according to a statement on the SAS webpage).</div>
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Take a look at this short <a href="http://www.sasshoes.com/main/our_factory.php">video</a> showing how SAS shoes are made. I guarantee you will be impressed! It will make you want to run out and buy a
pair of these fantastic shoes. And, you
should – especially if you are looking forward to long walks on your future
vacation or just treks around your neighborhood park.</div>
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CallieBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11861641472897290813noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8736410115522021351.post-44806384160645798572014-03-03T02:58:00.000-08:002014-03-03T02:58:47.084-08:00Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In celebration of Mardi Gras, which is this Tuesday (March
4), we ate a New Orleans- inspired Sunday night dinner in Oxford at Spencer
House. One of my favorite New Orleans
main dishes is stuffed eggplant (stuffed with crab and shrimp), but I knew at
least one of my crew didn’t like seafood, so I nixed that as the entree. I also thought about trying to replicate
dishes of some of New Orleans’ fancy restaurants: Antoine’s (pommes de terre or
eggs Sardou), Commander’s (turtle soup) or the long-gone Corinne Dunbar’s on
St. Charles Avenue (Daube Creole). But,
in the end I opted for a much more practical approach and chose a truly-iconic
New Orleans restaurant as my model:
<a href="http://popeyes.com/">Popeye's</a>!<br />
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For our menu we had a traditional Popeye’s menu: red beans and rice, with some fried chicken
on the side (both mild and spicy). Red
beans and rice is a New Orleans staple; in the old days it was always made on
Monday, which was wash day. To this day,
many New Orleans restaurants and schools served red beans and rice on Monday as
the special.<br />
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To make New Orleans red beans, ideally you should have <a href="http://www.camelliabrand.com/">Camellia Red Beans</a>. Last time I came to Oxford, I brought two
bags of Camellia Red Beans with me. This
time I had to settle for dried, waxed red kidney beans from the Co-op – not quite
the same, but a worthy substitute. Of
course, you have to soak them in a bowl of water overnight to soften them up.</div>
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Another key ingredient for New Orleans red beans and rice is
pickle meat. Well of course, no butcher
or meat market in Oxford carries pickle meat, which is basically pickled pork –
so I had to make my own. There are
<a href="http://www.gumbopages.com/food/pickle-meat.html">recipes</a> on the web that show how to do this. However, I devised my own. I bought a fresh ham hock from the butcher in
the Covered Market, and on Saturday I boiled the hell out of it – in a broth of
water and vinegar, with salt and pepper and bay leaves thrown in the pot. Then I took a tea ball (all English kitchens
have one of those little mesh balls laying around) and filled it with pickling
spices and hung it over the rim of the pot, so it floated in the bubbling broth. I boiled the mixture (low boil after a while)
for about 5 hours. When I pulled the
meat out, it just fell off the bone, and the color was deep red like the
delicious pickle meat of New Orleans.
And, it actually tasted a bit like pickle meat!</div>
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I fixed the beans on Sunday. They had soaked overnight –
rinsed them and then started frying up some smoked sausage. I could have purchased chorizo, but I opted
for something milder for the students. I
used a bit of the fat from the ham hock (of which there was a-plenty) to create
a bit of seasoned grease, to which I added a bit of olive oil. Once the sausage was browned, I removed it
and sautéed the famous trinity – chopped onion, celery and bell pepper – with a
couple of cloves of minced garlic thrown in at the end. When that was done, I dumped everything into
a large pot (along with bay leaves, salt and pepper, oregano and a small bit of
Cajun seasoning) – and brought it to a boil; then I let it simmer for about 6
hours – making sure to stir occasionally, to be sure no beans were sticking to
the bottom of the pot.</div>
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Fixing the chicken was time-consuming, but well worth
it. I’d bought a whole chicken and 7
drumsticks for our party of 6. The way I
cut up the chicken, I get 11 pieces (no backs – which I love, but they take up
too much room in the pan). I had 2 large
pans of vegetable oil which I got very hot (hot enough to completely brown a
square of bread in 60 seconds). Then I
divided the chicken in half and floured it in 2 batches – mild and spicy. The mild just had salt and pepper in the
flour; the spicy had Cajun seasoning thrown in. </div>
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Next came the frying of the chicken, which took about 30
minutes altogether. Now here’s the
secret for perfectly fried chicken: You have to divide your 30 minutes into 4
segments. First, put the chicken in the
hot oil and put a lid on the pan, and cook it for 6 minutes. After 6 minutes, take the lid off and
continue frying for 9 more minutes. Then
turn the chicken over and repeat the process:
6 minutes covered and 9 minutes uncovered. At the end of that, take the chicken out and
drain on paper towels. I had two pans of
chicken frying at once – 18 pieces in all.
It was a major success – only 2 wings left after our dinner for six!</div>
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With the red beans, of course, I fixed rice. We also had a
salad, reminiscent of the simple salad that my mother used to fix: lettuce, tomatoes, and hard-boiled egg, mixed
up with mayonnaise. Two of the students
fixed the salad; in addition to the basic ingredients, they added peas and
cheese. Instead of mayo, they used “salad
crème,” which is a British product that resembles salad dressing. It was a fabulous salad!</div>
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Missing from the meal was some crusty New Orleans French
bread. The student responsible for the
bread made an error in judgment – well, a couple of errors, actually. First, he didn’t buy French bread. What he
bought looked kind of like French bread, but it was called “Malted Grain”
bread. It would have worked, but his
second mistake was he bought it too early – on Friday. About an hour before we were scheduled to
eat, we took the bread out of the wrapper and it was like a baseball bat! Even when we broke it open, it was hard and
dry inside. However, not to worry! The student put on his rain gear and dash out
into the stormy night, down to Summertown, to retrieve a precious loaf of French
bread. Alas, on a Sunday evening, there
was not one French bread loaf to be found, so he settled for buttery croissants
(they ARE French!). They were quite
good, and were a very good substitute under the circumstances…</div>
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Well, then we had dessert.
For this, we left our Popeye’s menu (passing on Mardi Gras cheese cake
or cream cheese and fruit-filled fried pies) and went the classy route: Mile High Ice Cream Pie – a la Pontchartrain
Hotel. Basically, you make a pie shell
and fill it with 3 layers of iced cream (which you have let soften). We used vanilla, strawberry and chocolate;
the Pontchartrain uses peppermint ice cream instead of strawberry, but I was
not about to try my hand at mixing up vanilla ice cream and crushed
peppermints. By the way, the strawberry
was good, but I usually use coffee ice cream as my third choice. </div>
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You freeze the ice cream pie, while you make
the meringue, which requires the whites of 8 large eggs, ½ cup of sugar, along
with a bit of vanilla and cream of tarter.
Whip it up until it’s stiff and literally “pile” it onto the frozen
pie. It ends up being about 8 inches
high – spectacular! Bake it in at 450F
oven for 3 to 5 minutes – don’t let it get too brown. </div>
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It’s difficult to cut (use a warm knife). Then, over this decadent masterpiece, you
drizzle a bit of rich hot fudge sauce.
Here is where I compromised. You
are supposed to make the sauce out of heavy cream and sweet chocolate – I opted
for M&S store-bought chocolate sauce in a squeeze bottle. It didn’t seem to matter! Everyone gobbled up the pie – one of the guys
even had seconds!</div>
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So that’s what we ate for our Mardi Gras meal in Oxord. It was a delicious meal and it was nice that
we had company (2 guests). While we ate,
we could occasionally glance up at the monitors and have a look at <a href="http://www.nola.com/paradecam/">Mardi Gras Cam</a>, watching the Krewe of Thoth parade – live!
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I regretted not bringing Mardi Gras beads to throw to our
diners from behind the monitor. When I
was a teenager, my brother and I used to do this to my father, who, by that
that time, had sworn off carnival parades.
We’d crouch behind the massive TV console in the living room while a
parade was being shown, holler “Throw me something, Mister,” and hurl beads at Papa Cuckoo (terms of endearment). He was never much impressed...</div>
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CallieBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11861641472897290813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8736410115522021351.post-43734557865477543772014-02-14T03:30:00.001-08:002014-02-14T03:30:40.090-08:00A Wee Treasure<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Yesterday, on a regular visit to my favorite Summertown
charity shop, I came upon a little tealish-blue dish, about 2 ½ inches in diameter.
What caught my eye was the image that
was on it – a sweet little bird (not sure what kind). I do love the birds. The drawing almost looks like sgraffito, but
I couldn’t see or feel any indentations. I bought it and brought it home to research
it on the internet. What wee treasure had I
found? </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_vrqnK07_KcThEFzkkT2U4Sv1-lVyCSU1LMOhxv4tU6VjMltMEoz8aM3vtomxmGFLaOh4wWl3zHtiQiOyfQgwbKfpZL6pVN-rsOoJP6_i8lyzKCdbQv5roeODcDLrY6wbkpZxszW4Sikd/s1600/IMG_0724.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_vrqnK07_KcThEFzkkT2U4Sv1-lVyCSU1LMOhxv4tU6VjMltMEoz8aM3vtomxmGFLaOh4wWl3zHtiQiOyfQgwbKfpZL6pVN-rsOoJP6_i8lyzKCdbQv5roeODcDLrY6wbkpZxszW4Sikd/s1600/IMG_0724.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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On the back of the dish were the words: “Beddgelert Wales.” After doing a couple of google searches I
learned that Beddgelert is in the Snowdonia area of Wales. In Welch, the word means Gelert’s Grave. Gelert was the name of one of the local
prince’s favorite hounds. One day when
the prince went to look for his young son, who was not where he should have been,
he was greeted by an energetic Gelert, bouncing around, covered in blood. The prince was horrified, thinking that Gelert
had killed his little son. Immediately he
drew his sword and killed the demonic hound.
Then he heard his son screaming, and found him next to the dead wolf
that Gelert had killed to protect the little child. The prince never smiled again…See the <a href="http://www.beddgelerttourism.com/gelert/">Legend of Beddgelert</a> for more info.</div>
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So, that’s where the little dish came from, but what
is? Again, more google-searching
revealed that it is a pin dish. A pin dish? What, exactly, is a pin dish? I immediately went to my online account at
the Bodleian Library and looked up “pin dish” in the <i>Oxford English Dictionary</i>. Not
there! More reading online, however,
lead to the brilliant deduction that a pin dish is just what you think it
is: a dish to hold pins!</div>
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It appears that pin dishes were and still are a big deal in
England. In America, we tend to use pin
cushions. Pin dishes are all over
British eBay. Many people (especially quilters
and seamtresses) use them to hold pins, but they are also used to hold butter, jam or even olive oil for dipping bread at the table. Wouldn’t it be fun
to have a mismatched collection of these to use for a dinner party! </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFQ-B0siMx8iFV_a4ezZeQ9ilNsqOAD8F1waOWorz-msQ3duT6nqEF5R9PTvDSM3NkQzQCh12KkdDvwG1XMgNxHIfmBhqUGVcshvxTQMefz5JLPpLGinqWuRVyJ1uWpUOejuU8Da8FtK4z/s1600/PindishesREV.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFQ-B0siMx8iFV_a4ezZeQ9ilNsqOAD8F1waOWorz-msQ3duT6nqEF5R9PTvDSM3NkQzQCh12KkdDvwG1XMgNxHIfmBhqUGVcshvxTQMefz5JLPpLGinqWuRVyJ1uWpUOejuU8Da8FtK4z/s1600/PindishesREV.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This picture from Cherie Saunder's blog: Just a Little Something,<br />February 24, 2011<br />See <a href="http://alittleofsomething.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/little-treasures-to-cherish.html">Cherie Saunder's blog</a> for her comments on pin dishes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I found a lot on the internet about how to make your pin
dish magnetic – so the pins won’t fall out.
Basically you glue a magnet on the bottom of the dish. Instructions are everywhere about how to do
this. See <a href="http://www.diaryofaquilter.com/2010/07/magnetic-pin-dish-tutorial.html">How To Make a Magnetic Pin Dish</a> for details.</div>
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So now, as I continue to explore charity shops in and around
Oxford, you know what I’ll be looking for:
more pin dishes! They’re nice and
tiny and should be a breeze to pack and bring home. I’ll let you know how the search goes. By the way, do you have a pin dish?</div>
</div>
CallieBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11861641472897290813noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8736410115522021351.post-40793339141997951002014-01-30T04:38:00.000-08:002014-01-30T04:38:11.978-08:00Consider the Aga<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The Aga is a much-desired British kitchen appliance for the
affluent. It's a heavy cast iron
gas cooker (i.e., “stove” in American) with ovens and cook-plates; it stays on
constantly during the colder months of the English fall/winter, keeping the kitchen warm and toasty. We have one here at Spencer
House, and I am considering it a lot recently since our conventional oven
conked out on us Sunday night (and now it appears we’ll need an entire
replacement). So, I’ll be cooking more on the Aga.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn4QCq8UChfxUMO-YjG6vyiVT-c5SeDaeof6VFcvS1EDv3NQf9exeiH714Ul0TP_MPMtqlSGbCkW81hkdhXTu12s6EkpUUgs0KhSE6-try0zQ-P-b0ce2P8F9an82795Wt5jxPXh65nsKh/s1600/IMG_0704.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn4QCq8UChfxUMO-YjG6vyiVT-c5SeDaeof6VFcvS1EDv3NQf9exeiH714Ul0TP_MPMtqlSGbCkW81hkdhXTu12s6EkpUUgs0KhSE6-try0zQ-P-b0ce2P8F9an82795Wt5jxPXh65nsKh/s1600/IMG_0704.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spencer House Aga</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqtWiEY_3QNG80duqN3Hrqxl-h89nhZwhggsh2Qm5JQLo36y8XstIOtM9Pu_qEBp6ENDNiEsY-GwiaRenhibu3j-mdo7Zbk1197gmtHLOr0rVL22xj8GW3k4OAlYcnr6S3HzLEo7XF-GVe/s1600/IMG_0705.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqtWiEY_3QNG80duqN3Hrqxl-h89nhZwhggsh2Qm5JQLo36y8XstIOtM9Pu_qEBp6ENDNiEsY-GwiaRenhibu3j-mdo7Zbk1197gmtHLOr0rVL22xj8GW3k4OAlYcnr6S3HzLEo7XF-GVe/s1600/IMG_0705.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The boiling plate open; simmering plate closed</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdwGfbym4QBo6JsEKW3GQ2V0xPwNw-ExKLu7O0Ezlz07kD-AyvqvOxcYxtyeYuJd4XqJj_Mze-1yijdr7QZbi6jbmgd-AwQ6__44WyhNTx54JvZnbTyyHCpahOGbvdCIgNBwLcyKPO8Yj2/s1600/IMG_0706.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdwGfbym4QBo6JsEKW3GQ2V0xPwNw-ExKLu7O0Ezlz07kD-AyvqvOxcYxtyeYuJd4XqJj_Mze-1yijdr7QZbi6jbmgd-AwQ6__44WyhNTx54JvZnbTyyHCpahOGbvdCIgNBwLcyKPO8Yj2/s1600/IMG_0706.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hotter oven open; bottom oven closed</td></tr>
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So far I’ve fried sausage and bacon (the English kind – not real
crispy) on top of the Aga. I learned quickly that the left top burner gets a lot hotter than the right one. Turns out the left burner is the boiling
plate and the right one is the simmering plate.
The other day I also decided to try my hand at boiling spaghetti on the
Aga. To speed things up, I heated up my
water in another British kitchen staple: the electric kettle. Boy, these things really do the trick. I might have to get one when I get back home…</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="Philips HD4644/60 Cordless Kettle - White Master Image" height="177" src="http://www.find-electricals.co.uk/images/products/106753.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="200" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Typical English Electric Kettle</td></tr>
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Anyway, getting back to the prestige of the Aga – they are
quite pricey. For our version, a
2-oven/2-top plate cooker, folks in England will need to shell out about 4995GBP
(that’s about $8215 USD). $8000 for a
stove, you say! Well, it’s even more if
you try to buy one in the US – you’re probably looking at $12,000 and up! I see on the Aga website that Harvey Lumber Co. in Columbus used to be a non-servicing Aga dealer (are they still? are they still there?). There’s also a dealer – Inscape Design Studio
– in Americus! Maybe Jimmy (in Plains) has one in
his kitchen.</div>
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For an entertaining Aga video go to: <a href="http://www.aga-ranges.com/products/traditional-aga-cookers/2-oven-(gas).aspx">http://www.aga-ranges.com/products/traditional-aga-cookers/2-oven-(gas).aspx</a></div>
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CallieBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11861641472897290813noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8736410115522021351.post-52163167706733986502014-01-24T10:52:00.001-08:002014-01-24T10:52:42.157-08:00An Afternoon at the Ashmolean<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">On a recent dreary Thursday afternoon I took myself to the
Ashmolean for a Tea-Time Tour entitled “Caskets and Cofers.” On my last visit to Oxford in 2011, I had done a
number of these free museum tours; they were always very focused and led by a
museum employee who had in-depth knowledge of his/her subject . I always enjoyed them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I arrived early because you have to stand in line
for a ticket. Once I was left out of a
tour because I showed up too late. This time I wanted to be early. The tour was scheduled from 3:45 to 4:30, but
when I arrived at the Ashmolean it was only going on 3. Wandering around the basement area, trying to
decide if I wanted to spend a few minutes with a Diet Coke, I saw a sign
announcing a harpsichord concert at 3. So, I scurried off to find it!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTzimVoiIYqPXwIFUAhoraAfAo2Efv0PwemTHFIRd9fXsQLEi9MS04HVuFEJvDNufJm0n4WJzzhcR_onbceFws3OHXx6BqrwgbJgJF1dvC8ifrxyp5stmZUbOUtLO0gjokTV_tQn4wSguo/s1600/IMG_0688.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTzimVoiIYqPXwIFUAhoraAfAo2Efv0PwemTHFIRd9fXsQLEi9MS04HVuFEJvDNufJm0n4WJzzhcR_onbceFws3OHXx6BqrwgbJgJF1dvC8ifrxyp5stmZUbOUtLO0gjokTV_tQn4wSguo/s1600/IMG_0688.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I arrived at the concert space in plenty of
time. The old harpsichord was set up in
front of a small audience. It was a
little after three when the event finally began. The harpsichordist, a middle-aged thin man
with longish grey hair and a tweedy jacket, was planning to play a few pieces,
but I had decided I would only stay to hear the first: a Scarlatti Sonata. I got excited at first because I thought it
might be something I would recognize from my past (twelve years of taking lessons
from Lakeview’s most famous piano teacher: Vernile Winn – always loved that
name). Wrong; I don’t think I’d ever
heard this one. The piece I had wanted
to hear was actually one of my old favorites: Clementi’s Sonatina in C Major. Click here to hear that one: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_Ksi2qmW0A">Clementi Sonatina</a> -- on a piano, not a harpsichord.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Anyway, after the first piece I left and headed for
the tour waiting area in the Greek and Roman Sculpture Gallery. I got there about 3:20 and no one was sitting
on any of the benches. Eventually an
elderly (i.e., older than me!) sat down at the end of my bench. I asked him if he were waiting for the tour,
but he said, “No.” Then just before 3:45,
the tour guide arrived. We chatted for a
moment, and she said of course she would do the tour for just one person. Yay!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As my guide explained, she had picked out some
interesting boxes that are featured in various Ashmolean collections. We started out with a coffin from
Knossos. It was a very interesting
container, with some slight decoration on it – not long enough for a body to be
laid down inside (the guide said they merely bent the body over).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG89Gm8xib6NPQUhwjpITfaKiyvPRSckBVxb35SKOzvFAwQhrdJU-lZHjqgfpAC446QF69U7PYxcUoHc75HIdFg9GLrjFpmijjNXoje__7KnGP530xtpZFTY8kb8IC9zwy27MhClbGwi8l/s1600/IMG_0693.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG89Gm8xib6NPQUhwjpITfaKiyvPRSckBVxb35SKOzvFAwQhrdJU-lZHjqgfpAC446QF69U7PYxcUoHc75HIdFg9GLrjFpmijjNXoje__7KnGP530xtpZFTY8kb8IC9zwy27MhClbGwi8l/s1600/IMG_0693.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We next looked at a large pot with an octopus
painted on it – this octopus only had six tentacles.
It was very fanciful. There are a
lot of maritime symbols on the pottery from Knossos.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">At this point another person joined our tour – so I
wouldn’t be getting the guide’s undivided attention. No biggie.
The other person must have been an art student; she asked lots of good
questions and made interesting comments. I was glad she joined us!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I won’t talk about each piece we saw, but I will
give you a link to the Ashmolean’s pages for three of my favorites: an Indian mother-of-pearl box, an Indian leather
and mixed media box and a French (Limoges) reliquary casket for St. Thomas Becket. Just click below on the blue text for a picture and more info on each item.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://jameelcentre.ashmolean.org/collection/4/891/895/11340">Mother of Pearl Box from India</a> </div>
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This box dates from the early 17th Century. Each sliver of pearl is attached with a little silver peg.</div>
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<a href="http://jameelcentre.ashmolean.org/collection/4/1238/1239/all/per_page/25/offset/0/sort_by/seqn./object/12110">Indian Box with Shagreen Leather Inserts</a></div>
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Shagreen is leather that was made by laying little pebbles on top of a piece of damp leather -- then walking on them. When the leather dries, the pebbles are shaken off, and they leave tiny little pock marks on the underside of the leather.</div>
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<a href="http://www.ashmolean.org/ash/objectofmonth/2000-12/theobject.htm">Reliquary of St. Thomas Becket</a> </div>
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Made in Limoges around 1200AD. The blue is enamel -- made by in-laying powered colored glass and melting it. This cofer may have contained a bone of St. Thomas Becket or an article that he had worn or something that had come in contact with him.</div>
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CallieBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11861641472897290813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8736410115522021351.post-30114232268893549552014-01-21T01:28:00.002-08:002014-01-21T02:01:40.770-08:00Hooked on British TV Food Shows<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Well, now
that I’m in Oxford, I’m settling into my routine, which involves a nightly
dose of British TV. I have to say these
guys present some really interesting topics.
In the last week I’ve watched the history of the bathroom (starting with
medieval public baths and toilets), the “Who Do You Think You Are” story of
David Suchet (a.k.a. Hercule Poirot), an episode of my favorite detective
series: “Midsomer Murders” (with the new Barnaby), and a documentary on the
disappearance of the English Lawn (which included a history of lawn
mowers). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">But, of
course, being a foodie (love to cook--and eat!), the food programs
draw me in the most. I started out by
watching Nigel Slater expound on the love Brits have for their biscuits –
learned about all the various cookies from Garibaldis to HobNobs to Wagon
Wheels (shown top to bottom):<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Come Dine with Me" diners from the fishing town of Grimsby</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 19px; line-height: 21.466665267944336px; text-align: left;">Next, I got sucked into “Come Dine With Me,” where four or five people (strangers to one another) come together to entertain and cook a meal. Each person cooks a meal one night and then the others score him/her. The series, when shown as a marathon,goes on for 4 or 5 hours. One day I watched 5 hours worth in one sitting! Very entertaining. Diners are very critical -- and funny!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">But my
favorite program so far is “Britain’s Best Bakery.” Every week three bakeries from a certain
section of the country compete against each other. One night there was an Oxford bakery,
Gatineau, which is in nearby Summertown. Sadly, they lost. It’s an hour-long show, and I love seeing the unusual techniques and
ingredients they use. Some of the teams
forage – they go out and find herbs or other ingredients along the roadside. Tonight the winning team, from the Baker's Table in Wales, was new to
the field of baking – one of them was formerly an archaeologist! Anyway, they made a homey ginger and walnut
cake, a bread that had pesto on top (kinda like a pizza) and a cream puff filled
with apple custard and whipped cream.
All this makes me very hungry!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Tonight’s winning bakery: The Baker’s Table<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So, I think
I’ll go heat up my left-over “Curry in a Hurry” – made from a recipe I saw on a
Nigella Lawson show. Quite good,
actually! Cheerio!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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CallieBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11861641472897290813noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8736410115522021351.post-7797169583542355662011-06-20T03:21:00.000-07:002011-06-20T03:24:19.135-07:00Duke Humphries Library<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I thought it would be appropriate to end my Oxford blog with something more serious -- something I am very passionate about: libraries! One of the major perks for serving as the Columbus State Oxford site coordinator was that I got a Bodleian Library card. This is a big deal, as it gets me into Oxford libraries and into special places like Magdalen College Garden and Christ Church "Big Tom" entrance without a fee. It also allows me to access all of the University of Oxford's fabulous electronic resources -- from the privacy of my room at Spencer House. <br />
<br />
Needless to say, during my six-month sojourn in Oxford I have been very distracted with a bit of sight-seeing, visits from U.S. friends, trips to London to see Tiff, Midsomer Murders on TV (ha!), etc. I have not done as much library research as I thought I would do.<br />
<br />
There are 3 major things I am researching: the Wren family (mine), the Spencer family (not mine) and Basil Hall, the Scottish travel writer who came to Columbus before the lots were sold in 1828 (for a <em>Muscogiana</em> article). The two genealogical projects have waned a bit because I still don't know were the English Wrens and Spencers were from inside the country.<br />
<br />
However, a week or so ago, I did wander over to the Bodleian's Special Collections Room (temporarily housed in the Radcliffe Science Library) and managed to look at a 1685 manuscript about the Spencers of Yarnton that was compiled by a man named Anthony a Wood. Apparently he was a seventeenth century genealogist/antiquarian. It was a big deal for me to see this manuscript because my Bodleian card wasn't coded for manuscript access, but the nice people at the desk got permission for me to view it.<br />
<br />
They also helped me order 3 Basil Hall items that were in storage. It took about 24 hours to get them retrieved, and they were delivered to the Duke Humphries Library inside the old Bodleian Library for me to use. Basically, this is the oldest part of the Bodleian -- dating back to the 15th century. <br />
When I went to Duke Humphries the first time, I had a problem getting in. They wouldn't let me bring my purse in, but they didn't provide lockers so that I could lock it up. Dumb. So, I had to wait till the next day. On that day, I stopped by the Radcliffe Science Library, put my purse in a locked locker, and strolled down to the Bodleian with just a few pieces of paper and a pencil.<br />
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Reading in Duke Humphries was quite an experience. The library is a long hall, with short book stacks jutting out from each side of the the windows that line the side walls of the hall. This arrangement creates little alcoves. In each alcove there are desks and above them are shelves of old books. In the early days, these books were chained to the shelves. Lighting is not the best; in the old days, the windows provided the only light. You better not light a candle in the library!<br />
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Unfortunately, since cameras aren't allowed in Duke Humprhies, I couldn't take any photos. However, if you'd like to see one and read a bit more, go to<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_Humfrey%E2%80%99s_Library">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_Humfrey%E2%80%99s_Library</a><br />
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I looked at 3 items. One was a review of Basil Hall's Travels in North America, 1827-1828, which contains a brief description of Columbus on April 1, 1828, as it was being surveyed in preparation for the sale of lots. According to Hall, there were about 900 people on the site, building make-shift houses that they could roll on logs to the lot that they finally purchased, and milling about trying to earn a buck (the carpenters and blacksmiths). There were also a number of lawyers on the scene -- ready to help folks with their land transactions. Anyhoo, the review (written in 1829) was by an American who accused Hall of feeding the ill-will that had brewed between the Americans and the English since the end of the Revolution. Interesting, but...<br />
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A second item was a pamphlet on the Camera Lucida, a devise that aided in drawing. Hall used a Camera Lucida to sketch pictures of Columbus and the other places he visited on his 1827-1828 journey. In fact, Hall became a major spokesperson for the device. The pamphlet contains a letter written by Hall explaining how to use the Camera Lucida.<br />
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The final item is a book of 40 of the sketches that Hall made on his trip. These are etchings that were made from the sketches. In all, Hall made about 169 sketches, which are now owned by the Lily Library at the University of Indiana. The famous sketch of "Columbus, an embryo town" is in the book, which was published in 1829, and is now out of copyright. I looked into having the Bodleian make a scan of the sketch so that we could use it in Muscogiana. It was going to be around $50. However, when I was searching the web later that day, I discovered that the Alabama Department of Archives and History has the same book, and they can make a scan for $15. Much better deal!<br />
<br />
So, I know this is more than you ever wanted to know about Duke Humphries or my research projects, but these are some of the things that make me happy -- nerd that I am!<br />
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That's probably it for the Oxford Omnibus. I'm headed home soon and will probably not have time to do additional postings. I've enjoyed sharing my Oxford experience with you all -- thanks for reading! I hope you've found it entertaining and enlightening! <br />
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Cheers, Callie<br />
<br />
</div>CallieBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11861641472897290813noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8736410115522021351.post-66733028825406053572011-06-18T04:25:00.000-07:002011-06-18T04:25:36.130-07:00Dalston Market<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7P_afStpayOh5ARpEN4XZ6ObsTfoZZNvARsdGgJ7tbLSsTPxa_edJtsRouqxsKfAmluGWrZVjXqd8o7yk-4YOFZVWbWYJ3GyfVA_yHG5D4-0aaOnJWJ8OIPrZrz-rAHBElfGL6fn7Ho13/s1600/PICT1128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7P_afStpayOh5ARpEN4XZ6ObsTfoZZNvARsdGgJ7tbLSsTPxa_edJtsRouqxsKfAmluGWrZVjXqd8o7yk-4YOFZVWbWYJ3GyfVA_yHG5D4-0aaOnJWJ8OIPrZrz-rAHBElfGL6fn7Ho13/s320/PICT1128.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Whilst (to use a British term!) visiting Tiff in London, we made a few trips to Dalston Market, which is just up the street from Tiff's flat. Unlike Oxford's basic "white bread" Glouster Green, this market features a lot more diverse vendors and customers. It's mainly a food market, with the food taste catering to people from all over the globe.<br />
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Thought you might enjoy a few pictures:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-iWJdxNCggvbeVpgZ00Fq8dRprHExeOTuapumsx6Dq09d8Oqm6uuxHwa-zCSWn4Hscau-uPhO6RFSwNoO1dmsfCZFJ9ioIbMq3iOPDesZho195o6MERj-a6-mxoxU7XZLXhJw9pIuGALH/s1600/PICT1126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-iWJdxNCggvbeVpgZ00Fq8dRprHExeOTuapumsx6Dq09d8Oqm6uuxHwa-zCSWn4Hscau-uPhO6RFSwNoO1dmsfCZFJ9ioIbMq3iOPDesZho195o6MERj-a6-mxoxU7XZLXhJw9pIuGALH/s320/PICT1126.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv7VJRKczirrOfKjXj2uucPi5f1cqTlipjkICEQC9crXNU4iOFqcEIUnftQ0kkYqm7WBCjSyAzHKPeSJmIHikdadmmKnv0k8FMGNzxNu4WOXQcFqWS8Py7V45mdUdGpg4XWuR_jaIs9T5p/s1600/IMG_0374+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv7VJRKczirrOfKjXj2uucPi5f1cqTlipjkICEQC9crXNU4iOFqcEIUnftQ0kkYqm7WBCjSyAzHKPeSJmIHikdadmmKnv0k8FMGNzxNu4WOXQcFqWS8Py7V45mdUdGpg4XWuR_jaIs9T5p/s320/IMG_0374+1.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cow's stomach -- yum!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsH36yj7H8zkW3Kbg95CHJYs9iiXN-m2nv8NGV7lnqgtphs3nOYJYfznBmQtqTS6BZW7Pgq4oAnPn6fAHOhQDOgOAP_9-YYUJfkrEkDoILSuxq_aIFT-lEtor5tLj8XDGgdl1Qt_dHEYz1/s1600/IMG_0371+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsH36yj7H8zkW3Kbg95CHJYs9iiXN-m2nv8NGV7lnqgtphs3nOYJYfznBmQtqTS6BZW7Pgq4oAnPn6fAHOhQDOgOAP_9-YYUJfkrEkDoILSuxq_aIFT-lEtor5tLj8XDGgdl1Qt_dHEYz1/s320/IMG_0371+1.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The blue fish (natural color) is a Parrot Fish.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvIJJQTGElbZXY9mDRQkVj5Wjluc2dQwgA05PaeDhGEckqBxo-e3KdGIjvW4mm4SbJEfsE36z4QhNXqnF-bNjJaSK7wIRmPs3S1F_EVe_8bdWmC6bADsje79flmbk99xY90zXp7kMe9ibw/s1600/IMG_0375+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvIJJQTGElbZXY9mDRQkVj5Wjluc2dQwgA05PaeDhGEckqBxo-e3KdGIjvW4mm4SbJEfsE36z4QhNXqnF-bNjJaSK7wIRmPs3S1F_EVe_8bdWmC6bADsje79flmbk99xY90zXp7kMe9ibw/s320/IMG_0375+1.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cow's feet -- 2 for 2.50 GBP</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWuJ-BA95kgdiOQuXuLnyzwFJgE9rmEJ-TVx9rtnSySD7P9-Rc-RHbDV9f375Owsyw56RYbflrL7H4Vf-b3diq20hzQGfmk4ey_kyQwdgYTQpVmtQyboicEZDWknLNeAAaZF4owQnaUJuf/s1600/PICT1131.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWuJ-BA95kgdiOQuXuLnyzwFJgE9rmEJ-TVx9rtnSySD7P9-Rc-RHbDV9f375Owsyw56RYbflrL7H4Vf-b3diq20hzQGfmk4ey_kyQwdgYTQpVmtQyboicEZDWknLNeAAaZF4owQnaUJuf/s320/PICT1131.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Brits don't refigerate their eggs in the stores; most are free-range</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl8-ctYtj4-yXkyAtoM0-Dxlotk4b7TKoNVj5caH-8gLPeQerKuKwNOY9VpsrLFqnU7mz3e7niwYkCMhsUGfWUSXVJEQMBI1k9L2CZTT-4JNHydAQZgJd67o5XS225o9oylZpgqUbbK3W8/s1600/PICT1134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl8-ctYtj4-yXkyAtoM0-Dxlotk4b7TKoNVj5caH-8gLPeQerKuKwNOY9VpsrLFqnU7mz3e7niwYkCMhsUGfWUSXVJEQMBI1k9L2CZTT-4JNHydAQZgJd67o5XS225o9oylZpgqUbbK3W8/s320/PICT1134.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whole chickens -- with heads! <br />
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</tbody></table> </div>CallieBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11861641472897290813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8736410115522021351.post-25439694477552367432011-06-16T10:27:00.000-07:002011-06-16T10:27:44.201-07:00Glouster Green Market<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Every Thursday in Oxford there's a market in Glouster Green. It's at the market square located off George Street near the bus station and runs from about 8am to 3 or 4pm, with vendors selling antiques/junque. rugs, books, food, clothes -- a little of everything. In all there are probably about 50 stalls, most crowded with stuff to look through. The prices are good too! Today I bought another Inspector Morse paperback for a pound. Also enjoyed a lamb wrap for a mere 2.69!<br />
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Scenes from Glouster Green Market -- <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgLzk6t6Yxd-lY_UkUzSi3OVM1wGUvknHKUD8Sc6jm4tIaEOsVnOJu2my_BYjJgtzX5tsd6NQ7_uawwN67EAryixOddoRv-_zHdakEHdIt0p5v6ZDVh2MbB1RkBuQ1eoNtBYwBSjHXQLTP/s1600/PICT1154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgLzk6t6Yxd-lY_UkUzSi3OVM1wGUvknHKUD8Sc6jm4tIaEOsVnOJu2my_BYjJgtzX5tsd6NQ7_uawwN67EAryixOddoRv-_zHdakEHdIt0p5v6ZDVh2MbB1RkBuQ1eoNtBYwBSjHXQLTP/s320/PICT1154.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div></div>CallieBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11861641472897290813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8736410115522021351.post-79120718703705468142011-06-13T05:23:00.000-07:002011-06-13T05:23:33.331-07:00Abney Park Cemetery<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj30hEt5-PbgeqKrnk6GjApk-txj8Rm-YKiuwJ26Md7lWj5mOi8S97AM2nXI8Tmtw6-oxbtzJkqQiDTBYzJ8usq1ZS-nMNqamdc8kLSIqmmoEEi_RhD_rcq4fuJr6pZ2tCCdNU7cqNMTTbH/s1600/09042011213.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj30hEt5-PbgeqKrnk6GjApk-txj8Rm-YKiuwJ26Md7lWj5mOi8S97AM2nXI8Tmtw6-oxbtzJkqQiDTBYzJ8usq1ZS-nMNqamdc8kLSIqmmoEEi_RhD_rcq4fuJr6pZ2tCCdNU7cqNMTTbH/s320/09042011213.jpg" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Back in April, on a visit with Tiff in London, we ventured up Kingsland Road to Stoke Newington.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s much more artsy and Bohemian than Tiff’s Dalston neighborhood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What I recently discovered is that beginning in the eighteenth-century, it was a haven for non-conformists (i.e., people whose religion was NOT Church of England – Methodists, Baptists, Quakers, and the like).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was even a college there called the Dissenting Academy for young men who were denied entrance to Oxford and Cambridge because they were not members of the Church of England. English novelist Daniel Defoe, also a dissenter, was born and lived in Stoke Newington. BTW, Edgar Allan Poe, though not a dissenter, also lived in Stoke Newington; he attended Manor House school there from age 8 to 11 -- 1817-1820 ( I was totally unaware of Poe's British connections).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Walking down one of Stoke Newington’s crowded streets, I noticed an interesting-looking cemetery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Actually, I couldn’t see much of the cemetery – just a sign and the huge Egyptian revival entrance gates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tiff’s friend Tony, who was with us that day, affirmed that it was an old cemetery and that we should check it out after we got a bit to eat and checked out the farmers’ market.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nowadays, Stoke Newington is also a haven for organic foodies!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So, that’s what we did:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>we entered the gates of Abney Park Cemetery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was founded in 1840 as a privately-owned garden-style cemetery, based on the Mount Auburn model in Massachusetts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being in Stoke Newington, it was also a cemetery for non-conformists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was very well-planned by landscape designers, and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> initially </span>it contained a rose garden and an arboretum, with trees in A to Z order surrounding the edge of the 32-acre cemetery.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFX8D1xlVflljaelko80d1VXLHpMLa9gJigzA0G755wcd_9obPAXtN0e2TuJLPKpx7nRvlO-pz4IdK8yJfcQz-mfbCgoxWZxqpBrl8rQgd4zTKgSx1hgWZL8Jb4P4GywgJydOm2-ZLWP04/s1600/09042011212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFX8D1xlVflljaelko80d1VXLHpMLa9gJigzA0G755wcd_9obPAXtN0e2TuJLPKpx7nRvlO-pz4IdK8yJfcQz-mfbCgoxWZxqpBrl8rQgd4zTKgSx1hgWZL8Jb4P4GywgJydOm2-ZLWP04/s320/09042011212.jpg" t8="true" width="240" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Among the people buried there are William Booth, who founded the Salvation Army (sorry, no picture of his grave).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another non-conformist interred at Abney Park was Henry Richard, a Welshman, known as “The Apostle of Peace,” an anti-war protestor and promoter of religious freedom.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXLG0xA4OO4RbCf1t26ci_i12ZXym8Y689C03VOMdhTPrfIIsDNs1zeT1K6cyxKa28VOReTTTot8B2WYs6tAgILuDZzCwLNMAXD_Fatao8wyTLhfs723-elnMoIcysOuobndSoIqrZ5mxC/s1600/09042011208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXLG0xA4OO4RbCf1t26ci_i12ZXym8Y689C03VOMdhTPrfIIsDNs1zeT1K6cyxKa28VOReTTTot8B2WYs6tAgILuDZzCwLNMAXD_Fatao8wyTLhfs723-elnMoIcysOuobndSoIqrZ5mxC/s320/09042011208.jpg" t8="true" width="240" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Isaac Watt, “The Father of English Hymnody,” while not buried in the cemetery, did live at Abney House, the estate upon which the cemetery was built.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a large statue of him in the cemetery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two of Watts’s best-known hymns are “Oh God, Our Help in Ages Past” and “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh27aGG1YpSdQEpZjG8axIJY1dDYM3M-jsLLB5woy2lRZK16qxl_PWOSm4xbMlXG6s_yh5rYwttJAp9O2sc7zFmPk2W9eB6nr56jfKGBFv4oASECCRjT8XAohNu105QrKYZqjQAwCKI9o69/s1600/09042011219.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh27aGG1YpSdQEpZjG8axIJY1dDYM3M-jsLLB5woy2lRZK16qxl_PWOSm4xbMlXG6s_yh5rYwttJAp9O2sc7zFmPk2W9eB6nr56jfKGBFv4oASECCRjT8XAohNu105QrKYZqjQAwCKI9o69/s320/09042011219.jpg" t8="true" width="240" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Nearby Watts’s statue is the cemetery’s Gothic church, which was built specifically for non-denominational services.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately it was pretty much destroyed by fire in the 1970s, but you can still peek in the ruins.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Today, the Abney Park Cemetery is owned by a trust that is maintaining it as a cemetery and a park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The graves are in major disrepair, but it is a wonderful green space in the heart of a well-populated London suburb. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The day we visited there were a lot of people, walking their dogs, taking photos, admiring the gravestones, reading the newspaper...</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-gmJBnCQD1mRVj8DV0nnZl8QTHFeTPtJli1Jo7VtsT1ibccH65VitxUrjuNoWUq57C_S39T9N7UvoEjGvv53XyRUFZb4_faI9U6_B-MsaBZp6EP243Delh-H26qVxhzMyQ4znpXUBy3mT/s1600/09042011225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-gmJBnCQD1mRVj8DV0nnZl8QTHFeTPtJli1Jo7VtsT1ibccH65VitxUrjuNoWUq57C_S39T9N7UvoEjGvv53XyRUFZb4_faI9U6_B-MsaBZp6EP243Delh-H26qVxhzMyQ4znpXUBy3mT/s320/09042011225.jpg" t8="true" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Bostock family was into wild animals -- they apparently brought African and Asian live specimens to London for people to see. </td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It is charming and magical; many videos are shot there – including Amy Winehouse’s <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Back to Black” (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1evzhSast8">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1evzhSast8</a>), in which you get a few glimpses of some graves and the Gothic chapel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is also a venue for cultural, artistic and musical events.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Next month, on July 2, there’s a Blues/Folk Festival in the cemetery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cool!</span> <br />
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For more information about Abney Park Cemetery see <br />
<a href="http://www.abney-park.org.uk/Abney_Park_Trust_website/Welcome.html">http://www.abney-park.org.uk/Abney_Park_Trust_website/Welcome.html</a><br />
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Photos by Tiff -- taken on her Iphone. <br />
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</div></div>CallieBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11861641472897290813noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8736410115522021351.post-86965735127333760212011-06-07T10:08:00.000-07:002011-06-07T10:08:40.207-07:00The Front Garden<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJPABldgJ7PxOP2YA0lFB3w7rd7HPOY4zX_rzA5dSWv772_Od8IhB8F9YsV5YjhrPYJ3B7rLvmBEL559EzfmYQl9XaCGitK3kgNSHmgVYW7y5K2lmjob7Z312SD3bvb9KyMZh222JMcYX/s1600/PICT1115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJPABldgJ7PxOP2YA0lFB3w7rd7HPOY4zX_rzA5dSWv772_Od8IhB8F9YsV5YjhrPYJ3B7rLvmBEL559EzfmYQl9XaCGitK3kgNSHmgVYW7y5K2lmjob7Z312SD3bvb9KyMZh222JMcYX/s320/PICT1115.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Morton Road is just a block long, running between Woodstock and Banbury Roads in North Oxford. The side gate of Spencer House opens onto it. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It's lined with very large houses that were built in the 1920s and perhaps a little later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’re craftsman-style, but they’re not cozy little cottages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These houses more like the “cottages” in the Millionaires' Village on Jekyll Island -- though, actually, not that grand. </span><br />
<a href="http://www.jekyll-island-family-adventures.com/historic-jekyll-island.html">http://www.jekyll-island-family-adventures.com/historic-jekyll-island.html</a><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Morton Road houses are huge, single-family, double-storied (minimum) dwellings with high-pitched gables and multiple chimneys; most are brick or stucco. They sit close together on relatively small lots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They also sit close to the street. Consequently their front gardens are quite small.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6nXe3sQhJ0Zl4kcbomj43Q5F2dDsuhdibfkX_N-NRQGyWwl0qN7Cqe34a8QqRRUemlAn2NKXWHnEWT5zR7GdPhkVzTHV5fRIbbaRXl8jyJA_TcQCB1h5YtyQUj1_CqpqVrdgg1qiewWtx/s1600/PICT1116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6nXe3sQhJ0Zl4kcbomj43Q5F2dDsuhdibfkX_N-NRQGyWwl0qN7Cqe34a8QqRRUemlAn2NKXWHnEWT5zR7GdPhkVzTHV5fRIbbaRXl8jyJA_TcQCB1h5YtyQUj1_CqpqVrdgg1qiewWtx/s320/PICT1116.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Let me say a few words here about the British use of the word “garden.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I</span>n the States, most folks refer to the area in front of the house as the “front yard” and the area in back as the “back yard.” In England, they seem to prefer “garden” to describe those same spaces. To me, a </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“garden" is a “yard” with a lot of flowers or maybe vegetables, but when the Brits say “yard,” they’re frequently referring to a parking lot!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So, if you don’t have even one puny little petunia growing outside your back door, you can call your "yard" a "garden."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Next time your friends come over, you can invite them out into the back “garden” for a drink!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Although you probably won’t because it’s hot as hell out there, and you’ll be melted in no time!).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So, as I was saying, on Morton Road, the front gardens that line the street are small, but very charming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some are just a jumble of flowers – typical English cottage gardens.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoyK8cpYDRXDg3dx8aIbnAmYIhHziYNG7mrV6e4nuuShMieHBBMl6kalvxy00Z4pjgl5fYNXRBXUyFQMb1i5tfqBfftw9cXRylcVDOGQGHfkGOtfCoz3cvNJuwRBgmttgK1uLFzv-j-wE4/s1600/PICT1118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoyK8cpYDRXDg3dx8aIbnAmYIhHziYNG7mrV6e4nuuShMieHBBMl6kalvxy00Z4pjgl5fYNXRBXUyFQMb1i5tfqBfftw9cXRylcVDOGQGHfkGOtfCoz3cvNJuwRBgmttgK1uLFzv-j-wE4/s320/PICT1118.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Many have fences that offer a bit of privacy -- some with </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">roses growing behind them.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_b5LSZd50ZOY_r9VU4unKftN5p1_nof5vaXkeUQ1WFKYEogDrp54ev6Rwre6KMU2pPZLhcPgpmLkzPfPSdOS_rN_KA8MX2BFj4AHuJtYFEqYYsyg2XHUMKKaiXdg_wA4lTsHguIqNzyBA/s1600/PICT1121.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_b5LSZd50ZOY_r9VU4unKftN5p1_nof5vaXkeUQ1WFKYEogDrp54ev6Rwre6KMU2pPZLhcPgpmLkzPfPSdOS_rN_KA8MX2BFj4AHuJtYFEqYYsyg2XHUMKKaiXdg_wA4lTsHguIqNzyBA/s320/PICT1121.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">To me, the most charming are the ones that have no grass at all, but instead utilize bricks, stones, gravel, etc., and have various shrubs and flowers planted in between.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHThSh89p5KA_wlbWwtRdUnZdjD43mNAviVhMkjawFj_4SCONW4ZKm2YidzDV20YD-K9DwWNfmF-SmX6RGyc2ngfDLzsaxjCMMMs96ynyhvqWqC4p0ws9Q3iTm1uUinL1h8tAJkRKTfZjY/s1600/PICT1122.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHThSh89p5KA_wlbWwtRdUnZdjD43mNAviVhMkjawFj_4SCONW4ZKm2YidzDV20YD-K9DwWNfmF-SmX6RGyc2ngfDLzsaxjCMMMs96ynyhvqWqC4p0ws9Q3iTm1uUinL1h8tAJkRKTfZjY/s320/PICT1122.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So I’m wondering if, when I get home from my Oxford trip, I should rip up all the St. Augustine in my small front yard – oops, I mean “garden” – and try to recreate one of these more charming English front gardens… </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhowlfiD2r1d-Fevo9tSM2JRHyJmzb7sU0nanqz851-6q-euMo0_nrWxmlCTdltZcW6rTevkI1Y_aRVYg_8-SWOSkeDF9fyYUgE8FcoWuBl6HQTG0CyeISGZfgEd0Ji4iQM1T79XxCtUBgu/s1600/Spring2009House3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhowlfiD2r1d-Fevo9tSM2JRHyJmzb7sU0nanqz851-6q-euMo0_nrWxmlCTdltZcW6rTevkI1Y_aRVYg_8-SWOSkeDF9fyYUgE8FcoWuBl6HQTG0CyeISGZfgEd0Ji4iQM1T79XxCtUBgu/s320/Spring2009House3.jpg" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div></div></div>CallieBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11861641472897290813noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8736410115522021351.post-41808313573481727112011-06-04T13:34:00.000-07:002011-06-04T13:34:40.617-07:00The Ashmolean Museum<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN5izx7FU8JUl9tW2yQiA9_mRSLyqVvue3Ec7vSO34Icmaw87gkMz2V-tjKpxO2mFzDVLfbnpXnqXbdbcycYserzvKyWM9JPz_E5cQHuEqvky95IgQbQzcg_ui91ekcKdbFq6J8py81FGT/s1600/PICT1091.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN5izx7FU8JUl9tW2yQiA9_mRSLyqVvue3Ec7vSO34Icmaw87gkMz2V-tjKpxO2mFzDVLfbnpXnqXbdbcycYserzvKyWM9JPz_E5cQHuEqvky95IgQbQzcg_ui91ekcKdbFq6J8py81FGT/s320/PICT1091.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Ashmolean Museum is one of Oxford’s best known tourist attractions. Its collections run the gamut from fine art to decorative arts to archeology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The museum was founded by a seventeenth century antiquarian named Elias Ashmole, who donated his “cabinet of curiosities,” including <span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">books, coins, weapons, costumes, taxidermy, and other specimens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Ashmolean first opened its doors in 1683 in the building known today as the Museum of Science (next to the Sheldonian Theatre).</span><span lang="EN"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In 1845 it opened at its new location on Beaumont, across from the Randolph Hotel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are about 5 stories crammed full of artistic/historic items.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Signage is excellent; blurbs are very detailed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For exhibits containing lots of small individual pieces, there are usually notebooks nearby that list and describe each piece separately.</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Last week I decided to take myself down to the Ashmolean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a dreary, rainy day – a bank holiday on top of that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I figured not many people would want to get out in the rain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>WRONG!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The museum was packed – with too many kids running around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I dawdled and got there too late to take the lunchtime gallery tour (of Japanese ceramics), so I decided to take my own ceramics tour.</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I started in the Chinese section and moved on to the Japanese ceramics (there were Korean ceramics too).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCRz0161YIGa1cX6deTuoJbeo3k-QhYub_1t-UzXzRyhwlIm1cDdrSJEqUWsyZ12oB2CYbT6u5AolQwN1tgR79Wxg9MGkpLNE6cnYX758IoF7vzZ6GEKUYiMAFoj_KA4oT7zHwX87CUCS8/s1600/PICT1071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCRz0161YIGa1cX6deTuoJbeo3k-QhYub_1t-UzXzRyhwlIm1cDdrSJEqUWsyZ12oB2CYbT6u5AolQwN1tgR79Wxg9MGkpLNE6cnYX758IoF7vzZ6GEKUYiMAFoj_KA4oT7zHwX87CUCS8/s320/PICT1071.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Funerary Jars (Chinese). Top comes off and you add the ashes of the deceased. The spouts around the jar are for sticks of incense. 11th century A.D.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMdAQZiIiXq5krLH6eFBvmGDVFQK6w6sOJzLR58Em3pRVipbio6VyIrfPf4jUdcP1_vj9FIKo4VaCbSuYHv4crGq5B3slBa-fYWkNNbpTDjibZ9bCNBas-6SgMc2MYh40iqDnl3Mggrbjs/s1600/PICT1074.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMdAQZiIiXq5krLH6eFBvmGDVFQK6w6sOJzLR58Em3pRVipbio6VyIrfPf4jUdcP1_vj9FIKo4VaCbSuYHv4crGq5B3slBa-fYWkNNbpTDjibZ9bCNBas-6SgMc2MYh40iqDnl3Mggrbjs/s320/PICT1074.JPG" t8="true" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Modern Cloisonne Vase (Japan)</td></tr>
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</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Calibri;">From the Orient, I wandered into the European china collection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Such beautiful plates, bowls, pitchers…</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUb8kswH5NDTyWN9ZKPJpW6SyeDiC5TlceK6WM1G1mf-6Xb83RUJB4OqtCeYbRvHSHxItnTqGGYdE_3ZUx3zablBqmiRaN0nRgrY8YxkTQW6x2tC6bVVlYwzGKLW-q1Mfg8jUwHLYMfLsn/s1600/PICT1078.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUb8kswH5NDTyWN9ZKPJpW6SyeDiC5TlceK6WM1G1mf-6Xb83RUJB4OqtCeYbRvHSHxItnTqGGYdE_3ZUx3zablBqmiRaN0nRgrY8YxkTQW6x2tC6bVVlYwzGKLW-q1Mfg8jUwHLYMfLsn/s320/PICT1078.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So many dishes!!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBMFn5CKqygIM2cbl6rVEnZmUPRYOYKHjsqy05S4Kxl2bW0YqC5e-eVwz08zUbnPart1jMDEEGDu2w9v7HtxsLwzpWkdhhpCLs4r8rhLk-5T-0e70rVq614DmnOAsXRhIe9YuKV5XsKp4p/s1600/PICT1076.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBMFn5CKqygIM2cbl6rVEnZmUPRYOYKHjsqy05S4Kxl2bW0YqC5e-eVwz08zUbnPart1jMDEEGDu2w9v7HtxsLwzpWkdhhpCLs4r8rhLk-5T-0e70rVq614DmnOAsXRhIe9YuKV5XsKp4p/s320/PICT1076.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A gravy boat? No! A French lady's chamber pot!</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">After that I headed for the Majolica collection. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLR42PYpJTY4U6zIflwnlFS8vAsXDzIOGHwohwJiEsDABxjYOmrkwHfavgUf94svjVItT8XsoNH-OO3wM0ieE9D9iun_u9W5eMDfOHU5OVA7C_GqtI6LG94F2GwrhD-mRzSe0PE6Cj7k8k/s1600/PICT1082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLR42PYpJTY4U6zIflwnlFS8vAsXDzIOGHwohwJiEsDABxjYOmrkwHfavgUf94svjVItT8XsoNH-OO3wM0ieE9D9iun_u9W5eMDfOHU5OVA7C_GqtI6LG94F2GwrhD-mRzSe0PE6Cj7k8k/s320/PICT1082.JPG" t8="true" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spanish Majolica Sauce Pitcher<br />
(sauce coming out of the mouth of a fish -- not very appetizing!)</td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijyfn9r25kpNKFABLmtlF0JLYZj2uIlrAhJ59zTtvW4omPI57btZOXKVVCp8cCKcBiim1JTAj9V9dZxzVeM_8eu-uF7dpV9uU9HysK3570lqJ44sssQOILkg0HYEVlLRmhwxfwVJHEVxrC/s1600/PICT1079.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijyfn9r25kpNKFABLmtlF0JLYZj2uIlrAhJ59zTtvW4omPI57btZOXKVVCp8cCKcBiim1JTAj9V9dZxzVeM_8eu-uF7dpV9uU9HysK3570lqJ44sssQOILkg0HYEVlLRmhwxfwVJHEVxrC/s320/PICT1079.JPG" t8="true" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Majolica Pine Cone Jar<br />
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</tbody></table></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I took a peek at the Delftware and then browsed the silver (not ceramics, I know, but it was right there).</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfP-BDkm6b5i2GcqrR-8c1wdbRvxYXqt8hHXz7wrZeaazhyphenhyphenFjGy8SvQcFdli_d5FSRcN-cJOmCz5uSTo6G4lZlNM2IRwTgBAmimDqTsaSZdZN-NHXDPgM9ZJ1HogO-jhSzN4KWlLzGHXpw/s1600/PICT1083.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfP-BDkm6b5i2GcqrR-8c1wdbRvxYXqt8hHXz7wrZeaazhyphenhyphenFjGy8SvQcFdli_d5FSRcN-cJOmCz5uSTo6G4lZlNM2IRwTgBAmimDqTsaSZdZN-NHXDPgM9ZJ1HogO-jhSzN4KWlLzGHXpw/s320/PICT1083.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Early English Spoons</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">On the way out I stopped to admire the statues in the Greek and Roman hall.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRpqtLr7f_GaTvTbJQVP1ca7ZQJNUsEwpnIIiXVoBl86xpBGcolSrG1xoERaNDLeWhn2bfXvYZWy73qXCogbalj59L1uns0deA5zaPdFPwXEGmeHyZCPYnJSecW5jqSwNtFbXAetZOP2q_/s1600/PICT1085.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRpqtLr7f_GaTvTbJQVP1ca7ZQJNUsEwpnIIiXVoBl86xpBGcolSrG1xoERaNDLeWhn2bfXvYZWy73qXCogbalj59L1uns0deA5zaPdFPwXEGmeHyZCPYnJSecW5jqSwNtFbXAetZOP2q_/s320/PICT1085.JPG" t8="true" width="240" /></a></div></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Then it was up to the 3<sup>rd</sup> floor of Debenham’s for a cup of strong black coffee (no tea for me!) and a look out the rain-spotted window at the spires of Oxford. </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheO8BO4jcrQXJQTypzl23jOia6Dc08UwF3pUebJMkfNgO6hvxKlUcl-2C2y7KLbeHo178Rw-ivFg_2uR1hQ1tWc9fNQhQ9R9WCz_XXne6CW87QylplKJVpSaihMtxmVT6n-xKY5SBKPvx_/s1600/PICT1093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheO8BO4jcrQXJQTypzl23jOia6Dc08UwF3pUebJMkfNgO6hvxKlUcl-2C2y7KLbeHo178Rw-ivFg_2uR1hQ1tWc9fNQhQ9R9WCz_XXne6CW87QylplKJVpSaihMtxmVT6n-xKY5SBKPvx_/s320/PICT1093.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;">I'll be going back, of course. There's so much more to see!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div></div>CallieBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11861641472897290813noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8736410115522021351.post-51530250113626637622011-05-31T08:19:00.000-07:002011-05-31T08:24:24.780-07:00Making a Battenburg Cake<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1QgfoQohWUJWoBMh8O5JWva4DtsRcFwdqgTZ61H7SNHAG_ySjmqW58fMBrmmjriK9slzeebrumi1t4030tL8Tzpz3N9zuZFK0MncfnhPvL3NU8pK7OWP-2bHy_RkP_-EuWnXLoaUoHrq4/s1600/PICT1097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1QgfoQohWUJWoBMh8O5JWva4DtsRcFwdqgTZ61H7SNHAG_ySjmqW58fMBrmmjriK9slzeebrumi1t4030tL8Tzpz3N9zuZFK0MncfnhPvL3NU8pK7OWP-2bHy_RkP_-EuWnXLoaUoHrq4/s320/PICT1097.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ingredients for Battenburg cake; cookbook at bottom left, with a picture of the cake, sliced.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Battenburg cake is a very British dessert, a favorite at tea time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has a distinctive appearance – it’s an oblong loaf-type cake, covered in white marzipan; when sliced, each piece is a pink and yellow checkerboard!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to Wikipedia (dare we trust that source?), the cake was created about 1884 when Queen Victoria’s granddaughter married the Prince of Battenberg.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The four checkerboard squares of the cake are supposed to represent the four princes of Battenberg. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Note in the paragraph above, the variant spelling of Battenburg.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes the cake name is spelled with an “e;” sometimes, with a “u.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The place in Germany is with an “e.”</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I first saw Battenburg cake on one of my favorite British TV food shows – <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Hairy Bikers: Mums Know Best</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It features two hairy biker guys who ride around the English (and Welsh) countryside looking for fabulous food created by local housewives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bikers are Simon King and Dave Myers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Neither one is a professional chef – they’re both just cute, avid foodies with lots of personality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their shows are informative and hilarious!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anyway, the first time I ever heard of Battenburg cake was on one of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hairy Bikers</i> shows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The guys actually made one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It appealed to me because it involves not just mixing things together, but assembling various bits of the dish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love putting edible things together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of my favorite appetizers is asparagus and ham roll-ups, where you have to cut slices of bread, flatten them with a rolling pin and roll up asparagus/ham bundles in them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This Battenburg cake was a bit more complicated – it intrigued me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, I decided to give it a go!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The recipe I used is in The Sainsbury Book of Teatime Favourites by Brian Binns (shown in first photo). Sainsbury's is a major supermarket chain in the U.K., so I figured the recipe should work. It does seem to skimp a bit on the amount of flour and sugar -- but it is a teacake, not a big monster 3-layered baby!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After you mix up the batter, you divide it in half and add a little red food coloring to one half (to make it pink). Then you divide a loaf pan using aluminum foil, so you'll have 2 separate skinny loaves.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiANEVYl1WLz1BOFMoVungyxEmAExYQzAGSfl4Oolo6saBQz1kkokiq2Sp2DTrXlWNo610qa2-3thmF3t6hQ8Bu5pW1sCLi8W8XKAZGHpafNM-4v6S7V7_iTwIclHYy_jD9kHUZbKGtowB7/s1600/PICT1098.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiANEVYl1WLz1BOFMoVungyxEmAExYQzAGSfl4Oolo6saBQz1kkokiq2Sp2DTrXlWNo610qa2-3thmF3t6hQ8Bu5pW1sCLi8W8XKAZGHpafNM-4v6S7V7_iTwIclHYy_jD9kHUZbKGtowB7/s320/PICT1098.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then you bake it for about 30 minutes.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb7aBLO594XSxDJSNGZ2o67bNQ49adz8gvsqeu9PNBlPkrRqFTcEMHPHx1BIp-ynNcKWmG4CH16bAhdpBFFGZQaaGXw5my2k2X2NlxN2CT16VNbgSwKM6pAUQB8Xwikfdb35cjt9Yr5lt9/s1600/PICT1099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb7aBLO594XSxDJSNGZ2o67bNQ49adz8gvsqeu9PNBlPkrRqFTcEMHPHx1BIp-ynNcKWmG4CH16bAhdpBFFGZQaaGXw5my2k2X2NlxN2CT16VNbgSwKM6pAUQB8Xwikfdb35cjt9Yr5lt9/s320/PICT1099.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Let the loaves cool completely, then take them out of the foil. Arrange them in checkerboard fashion -- using apricot jam to make them stick together. Then, and here's the tricky part, roll out some marzipan (almond paste) and wrap the cake up in it. Then use a fork to make lines in the marzipan. Here's what I ended up with:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI6phjHXeJ9uvbuu_T16T3aAd_1Zwke0D5e3dt4_YQgLJ-xTi00Fhl0zmLTPCyttXXq4ZstkllFz8frIDRPxzPYpy1UqB2_8YNMU6egvy91Gqx73IsUSm4z0XvFiIKih7Rpa3ca4yC6VJA/s1600/PICT1101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI6phjHXeJ9uvbuu_T16T3aAd_1Zwke0D5e3dt4_YQgLJ-xTi00Fhl0zmLTPCyttXXq4ZstkllFz8frIDRPxzPYpy1UqB2_8YNMU6egvy91Gqx73IsUSm4z0XvFiIKih7Rpa3ca4yC6VJA/s320/PICT1101.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Admittedly, it's a bit misshapen! My loaf pans were too long. I could have tried to cut off the tops of the cake to make them lay better on top of each other. I had a sliver, and the cake's pretty good; just sorry it looks so "rustic." I left it on the table with a note. Hopefully it'll get eaten by tonight!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div>CallieBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11861641472897290813noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8736410115522021351.post-1694391386175173892011-05-29T07:54:00.000-07:002011-05-29T07:57:56.928-07:00Summertown Charity shops<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjGT273-KVuh_rVgpQMRUZFV8pBtMFAZEc2OkK5MqlI8Uhyc5ksVl1UQLgG3QxTBtzrKq8YuA496M0xChvirCnvq9J7P_DZX5hzwP96Lp60VtW9ylc_wCkVNvpckLESurFElMADCIdnOzq/s1600/PICT1057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjGT273-KVuh_rVgpQMRUZFV8pBtMFAZEc2OkK5MqlI8Uhyc5ksVl1UQLgG3QxTBtzrKq8YuA496M0xChvirCnvq9J7P_DZX5hzwP96Lp60VtW9ylc_wCkVNvpckLESurFElMADCIdnOzq/s320/PICT1057.JPG" t8="true" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oxfam Store Window</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Oxford folks are really good at recycling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have garbage pick-up every Friday; one week it’s the real trash; the next, it’s the recycling bin (glass, cardboard, junk mail, aluminium, etc).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In addition, every week they pick up the vegetable waste (we have a special bin for veggie bits, out-dated fresh fruits and vegetables, etc.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s all very organized.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Admittedly, we have very large garbage cans…</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So one of the main ways people get rid of their old cloths, furniture, household items, etc. is to donate them to charity shops.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Summertown alone there are 5 shops.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I frequent them at least once a week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You never know what you’ll find!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Let’s have a little tour of the Summertown charity shops then.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ll start with the Oxfam Store.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3dOTIo_-LjGlSjzpf2WjtrAc9z8fVrsJTcnlzJx2CrmpwxRkt5PWXUv1PCDfa0QkJmESRaE2QIkYcSe7-IzLBluetIg4sjINx3x8v48Gv7ad2H11DjuZXtGEjP7FUzBUVlPEXEpQkulFS/s1600/PICT1058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3dOTIo_-LjGlSjzpf2WjtrAc9z8fVrsJTcnlzJx2CrmpwxRkt5PWXUv1PCDfa0QkJmESRaE2QIkYcSe7-IzLBluetIg4sjINx3x8v48Gv7ad2H11DjuZXtGEjP7FUzBUVlPEXEpQkulFS/s320/PICT1058.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Most of you have probably heard of Oxfam.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to their website, it’s a global movement of people working with others to overcome poverty and suffering. They have stores everywhere in the UK.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are a bunch in Oxford.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most are general charity shops, with a wide range of merchandise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, they do have special bookstores; there are at least 2 of those in Oxford alone.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Oxfam Store in Summertown has a little of everything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When you walk in, you might think you’re in a boutique.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everything is neatly arranged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The clothes are arranged by color and even have the sizes on the hangers!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the people in the store explained to me that they only sell used clothing that’s in excellent condition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They wouldn’t want any of my junky clothes!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There are a few areas in this store that I always visit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love to check out the dishes and knickknacks that line the sides of the front area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The jewelry cases toward the back are always good too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I usually go upstairs sometimes to look at linens, books and pictures.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitd6pAMZFWQn6V-Y0NC8sZU1KExh7IgJQeA6rv4wx86GQPCh8w-jdTrFzwBGUlGTOvR7Em7GOQNTFWMYdYnMa-jkXTIhuzJ3Imixanb9Zcm-EtUu00-2fxyIzkOMJzYPrBtLsIPbouI843/s1600/PICT1059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitd6pAMZFWQn6V-Y0NC8sZU1KExh7IgJQeA6rv4wx86GQPCh8w-jdTrFzwBGUlGTOvR7Em7GOQNTFWMYdYnMa-jkXTIhuzJ3Imixanb9Zcm-EtUu00-2fxyIzkOMJzYPrBtLsIPbouI843/s320/PICT1059.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Across the street from Oxfam there are three more charity shops: Scope, the Helen & Douglas House and the Blue Cross Animal Charity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I only went in Scope recently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> This store supports </span>a British charity that caters to disabled people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I always thought this was a dress shop till I saw a sign out front about donations!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It does have mainly clothes.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgur6-2XJlfD0lW8J5HO58rmoOS5H3FnEwckh5roCVsYNFVG4SDPHTAlkrwAFlhUg4SErTkmpuCgJWYB02aNcvFlX1_8Ex1bq8qiCagFVIC1kBOaJqcyG6bFTtNo25DBUXN13j83sVJvR91/s1600/PICT1060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgur6-2XJlfD0lW8J5HO58rmoOS5H3FnEwckh5roCVsYNFVG4SDPHTAlkrwAFlhUg4SErTkmpuCgJWYB02aNcvFlX1_8Ex1bq8qiCagFVIC1kBOaJqcyG6bFTtNo25DBUXN13j83sVJvR91/s320/PICT1060.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the same block, you’ll find the Helen & Douglas House, which supports hospice care. Now this too looks like a boutique.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The windows are always well dressed, and, like Oxfam, they arrange their clothes by color and size.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The knickknacks are by the front door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the back is the book nook.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have a bit of jewelry too.</span> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLf6a68ikVLgImX1CrtzS75E_PX3RGVNEXz2dl1jSv5tzsL6funt082-qHhyphenhyphenvneMop4heQCvZjOl053LzYQ06ruTgyAp4uULVzmuEWXVKcY7q8oa5qLxcitWTVqNhZ1Qi2X1TVJPQrhkqw/s1600/PICT1062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLf6a68ikVLgImX1CrtzS75E_PX3RGVNEXz2dl1jSv5tzsL6funt082-qHhyphenhyphenvneMop4heQCvZjOl053LzYQ06ruTgyAp4uULVzmuEWXVKcY7q8oa5qLxcitWTVqNhZ1Qi2X1TVJPQrhkqw/s320/PICT1062.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"> <span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the next block is the Blue Cross Animal Charity Shop. Blue Cross is dedicated to improving the lives of sick and unwanted animals of all kinds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now how can you NOT support them!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The shop is a little shabby compared to the first three I’ve mentioned, but I always enjoy rummaging through its contents!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have color-coordinated clothes in the front.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the back they have the household items and the books.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One thing they have for cheap are knitting needles and crochet hooks (which I purchased for less than a pound).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also like to look at their book section and their linens.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmvfp8LTLrRlJ7gIH-LcYSKkXUKnfpPQnQc_TLGI7GrwebxZppeFJa8N9STkJlRcKIZMBZsYg8LJDRa0ghZtYNLDc-7phyEYKRQEfhcpy-bERXf0dZza4iLncDze7qTx34QZ66dq_cP7WC/s1600/PICT1064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmvfp8LTLrRlJ7gIH-LcYSKkXUKnfpPQnQc_TLGI7GrwebxZppeFJa8N9STkJlRcKIZMBZsYg8LJDRa0ghZtYNLDc-7phyEYKRQEfhcpy-bERXf0dZza4iLncDze7qTx34QZ66dq_cP7WC/s320/PICT1064.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Well, there’s one more shop on my list – and it is my favorite:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Oxfordshire Animal Sanctuary on South Parade (just off Summertown’s Banbury Road).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like Blue Cross, this charity is focused on animal welfare.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their shop on South Parade is very quaint -- it beckons the junque collector to come in and explore!.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When they’re open, this shop always have neat things outside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Inside the door are the clothes, then in the back on the left are the kitchen things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My favorite section is the linen section in the back right – table cloths, napkins, aprons, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>One of the favorite things I bought here were two old Laurel and Hardy dolls for Karl, who collects L&H memorabilia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also bought a really neat tea cozy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh yeah, the other intriquing thing about this shop, is that it’s mentioned in a Morse mystery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An important pair of red running shoes show up in a bag on the doorstep of the Oxfordshire Animal Sanctuary shop in <em>The Remorseful Day</em>, Morse's last novel! </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWF9JJfjngFccEgWQbilNmAmPDVUZ7SFFb64QylUsiAN3ho0_xMpNo1TEElKCVguuOQ4lViXvjeVmmuQdewEt00jEKFRAWYI7gROKyKAcoxjGpD-xuAKhTrV5uUH7eyjZcgRcIG0ggBoIL/s1600/PICT1063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWF9JJfjngFccEgWQbilNmAmPDVUZ7SFFb64QylUsiAN3ho0_xMpNo1TEElKCVguuOQ4lViXvjeVmmuQdewEt00jEKFRAWYI7gROKyKAcoxjGpD-xuAKhTrV5uUH7eyjZcgRcIG0ggBoIL/s320/PICT1063.JPG" t8="true" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Window of the Oxfordshire Animal Sanctuary Shop</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So here are some of the things I’ve purchased at Summertown charity shops.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tried to buy things that would pack easily.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Had to bypass furniture, pillows and glassware… </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq1teEhhMMrtqYkOCsXMvskP4CCqY6EE6IsFPUTDmTbHu9ooWRVCt-HbEQC7zRZIkKOb7c1VuHJbghbUyUqS5a47jcZIu_IphWuimhNntd7OU6X8YZlJ_twumOMjjmebXrLxJvm6PuyWl8/s1600/PICT1067.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq1teEhhMMrtqYkOCsXMvskP4CCqY6EE6IsFPUTDmTbHu9ooWRVCt-HbEQC7zRZIkKOb7c1VuHJbghbUyUqS5a47jcZIu_IphWuimhNntd7OU6X8YZlJ_twumOMjjmebXrLxJvm6PuyWl8/s320/PICT1067.JPG" t8="true" width="240" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div></div>CallieBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11861641472897290813noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8736410115522021351.post-2209690929170490532011-05-25T11:20:00.000-07:002011-05-25T11:20:33.391-07:00Inspector Morse<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’ve always loved watching Inspector Morse TV episodes back home on BBC America.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is one of my favorite detectives, and, of course, the fact that he’s in Oxford endears him even more. It’s neat to see all sorts of Oxford locations while I’m watching the show. See <a href="http://www.itv.com/Drama/copsandcrime/morseweekend/Abouttheshow/default.html">http://www.itv.com/Drama/copsandcrime/morseweekend/Abouttheshow/default.html</a></span> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Recently I decided it would be good to read some of Colin Dexter’s Inspector Morse novels, the basis for the TV series. I’m ashamed to say, I’d never read one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, after I finished the somewhat cheesy Southern cozy (a chic murder mystery set in the South – in this case, a fictitious Georgia town called St. Elizabeth’s…) I’d brought with me to Oxford, I went on a search for a secondhand copy of a Morse novel.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga1cCEjQFwGupVlEQKJbIMPDdZ_rYqyvq-ndo2WpuDvkK-JzMEJ-meeqO_XKshQqS4utGtxTP-1jdjiOdAjD3qzjxNMGeMC23Zo3BhXqdM9hhP-Ycmyp3iSc72aJ1DLhoQ5CHmusdoYwaV/s1600/PICT1048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga1cCEjQFwGupVlEQKJbIMPDdZ_rYqyvq-ndo2WpuDvkK-JzMEJ-meeqO_XKshQqS4utGtxTP-1jdjiOdAjD3qzjxNMGeMC23Zo3BhXqdM9hhP-Ycmyp3iSc72aJ1DLhoQ5CHmusdoYwaV/s320/PICT1048.JPG" t8="true" width="199" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The first one I came across was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Wench Is Dead</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found it at one of my favorite Summertown charity shops for a mere pound.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The story involves a really cold case – one that happened back in the late 1800s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this story, Inspector Morse is laid up in the hospital (he winds up there because he doesn’t take care of himself – drinks too much, eats the wrong food, smokes…).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the guys on Morse’s ward is an old Colonel who dies; his widow leaves Morse a little booklet the Colonel wrote about the nineteenth century murder of a young woman on the Oxford Canal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Morse becomes intrigued; he believes the wrong parties were convicted for the crime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So he gets people to help him dig up evidence from the distant past.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the diggers is a young woman whose father is also a patient on the ward.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She happens to work at the Bodleian – how convenient! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyway, after Morse gets out of the hospital, he and his sidekick Lewis visit the old crime scenes, and Morse eventually ends up solving the crime!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I forgot to mention, along the way he also flirts with the Bodleian librarian and one of the nurses, and apparently has an affair with one of the sisters (a head nurse).</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaGgYIP-_kbMWGS2ZAWeH1QEbgKF14ZEmL0x7luczDeE1Zlbw9aLsaIC4Xex15MYYBPfCmO3lt5z4vYb7zR4ejJakPHUpTnvHSP_J1YUIs83R5Y-3oXMH2bEDDe3nruHLXIqTynCeW_4tp/s1600/PICT1052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaGgYIP-_kbMWGS2ZAWeH1QEbgKF14ZEmL0x7luczDeE1Zlbw9aLsaIC4Xex15MYYBPfCmO3lt5z4vYb7zR4ejJakPHUpTnvHSP_J1YUIs83R5Y-3oXMH2bEDDe3nruHLXIqTynCeW_4tp/s320/PICT1052.JPG" t8="true" width="209" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This was a great story – really captured my attention – so, I decided I should read another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At Glouster Green market, I picked up a used copy of Dexter’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Remorseful Day</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It turns out that my choice of books was in perfect sequence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this novel, Morse learns that a year-old murder case is being reopened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was the murder of the very nurse he flirted with during his stay in the hospital!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Turns out they did a bit more than flirt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyhoo, even though Morse is sometimes a suspect, he ends up solving the crime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh yeah, he also dies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sadly, this is the last book in the Inspector Morse series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All that hard living finally catches up with him.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I would highly recommend these two books – in this sequence – if you want to get into Inspector Morse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I learned a lot about him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the books, he doesn’t actually live or work in Oxford proper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s based in Kidlington, which is just up the Banbury Road – not far from where I live.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Morse also spends a lot of time in the Summertown area – visiting some of the places that I go to on a regular basis.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Before leaving Inspector Morse, there’s one more thing. I actually had the privilege of meeting Morse’s author, Colin Dexter, back in 1989, the first time I came to Oxford.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He came to a cocktail party that was being hosted for my librarians’ group (we were studying Oxford libraries – mainly the Bodleian).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was a charming man – he told funny stories and kept all of us amused.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This picture of him is not the most flattering; trust me, he was only being attentive and polite!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3iW9JwEE0UKgZ1kh3lq6ID3RM08FxDooNggi3wYIRgk5gUvAGpA8XTzW_qanVNuY1wwBp717GgcHMGfmQqVpuXjtF4I89bgcxhsPCHXq43iqp7eRpZS7sgbJteuYWMZ4DWfJp5AsqtLL_/s1600/colindexter.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3iW9JwEE0UKgZ1kh3lq6ID3RM08FxDooNggi3wYIRgk5gUvAGpA8XTzW_qanVNuY1wwBp717GgcHMGfmQqVpuXjtF4I89bgcxhsPCHXq43iqp7eRpZS7sgbJteuYWMZ4DWfJp5AsqtLL_/s320/colindexter.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now I’ve got a third Morse novel to read.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This one’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Last Bus to Woodstock</i>, which is the FIRST book of the Morse series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll start it right after I finish another Southern cozy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This one’s about a woman in a small South Carolina town who loves (to the extreme!) cats and makes cat quilts (quilts that cats actually lie on) for a living.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Someone in the sleepy S.C. town is stealing cats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The heroine, our quasi-detective, finds the cat thief lying on his living floor with a knife through his heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why was this guy stealing all these cats???<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I haven’t gotten to that part yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh, and who dunnit??? </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOtSqeWTlNTDlZbmP7C5Ul-2I0K6D_t2bmRaaM20NMXcGj0gS5Cg-EwiNUuL2-pKgqN_VCBEwvDOUErG5zhJKczx-N5H2fpIDx1CX6eO6e7VEQgdZdsbPVxr3Msgw07-2dR8a-WEMP92dJ/s1600/PICT1053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOtSqeWTlNTDlZbmP7C5Ul-2I0K6D_t2bmRaaM20NMXcGj0gS5Cg-EwiNUuL2-pKgqN_VCBEwvDOUErG5zhJKczx-N5H2fpIDx1CX6eO6e7VEQgdZdsbPVxr3Msgw07-2dR8a-WEMP92dJ/s320/PICT1053.JPG" t8="true" width="211" /></a> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div></div>CallieBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11861641472897290813noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8736410115522021351.post-89307635003397500552011-05-24T02:54:00.000-07:002011-05-24T02:54:41.761-07:00Christ Church<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
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Toward the end of Sandra's stay in Oxford, we ventured over to Christ Church, which is both a college and a cathedral. It's famous nowadays as being the site for some of the Harry Potter scenes. Its Great Hall was replicated for the Harry Potter movies.<br />
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Of course, even before Harry Potter, Christ Church was well known. It is one of the most beautiful colleges in Oxford. Its history goes back to pre-1500; it was taken over by Henry VIII in 1548 and made the head of his Church of England operations in Oxford. It was still a college. Because of this duel nature, the dean of Christ Church is always a clergyman.<br />
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During the English Civil War, Charles I lived at Christ Church. He held Parliament in the Great Hall and worshipped at the Cathedral. BTW, Charles tried to borrow a book from the Bodleian Library, which did not (and does not) circulate its materials. He was refused!<br />
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The current Dean of House and Dean of the Cathedral of Christ Church is the Very Reverend Christopher Lewis. I met him back in March when I attended a matins service with Kitty Fouche, a former CSU faculty member who was visiting for the weekend. Kitty and I went to coffee after the service, and one of the people we spoke to was Rev. Lewis. He was dressed in priest garb (long, fitted black cassock), but he never introduced himself. When I asked what his discipline was, he said "theology." I should have guessed!<br />
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Sandra and I entered Christ Church through the passage in Big Tom. Big Tom is the name of the bell tower that Christopher Wren designed for Christ Church in 1682. Most visitors must enter the college via a side gate, but I got us in on my Bodleian card -- just flashed it at the porter, and he said, "Please come right in."<br />
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Like all Oxford colleges, Christ Church is in the shape of a rectangle surrounding a large grassy quad. There is the Great Hall for dining and the Cathedral for worship, along with the library. The remaining rooms are for students and tutors.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv2Yz9GUaH-09vgdXsoZ55q-JO-0iOsXsCX2peoMBjDnFQQspc5JPTO4TY18Z8SqVqahJO2HKIyzQ9uCngHgkkclsCLJ9SdY7NqyisZ4FijTSIJt6YjRN8yJRHpR-fuSHZXG6H86A89hth/s1600/DSCN2214.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv2Yz9GUaH-09vgdXsoZ55q-JO-0iOsXsCX2peoMBjDnFQQspc5JPTO4TY18Z8SqVqahJO2HKIyzQ9uCngHgkkclsCLJ9SdY7NqyisZ4FijTSIJt6YjRN8yJRHpR-fuSHZXG6H86A89hth/s320/DSCN2214.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRqpVUW2QoJj4xB6S7HScHwJnDNvQDaOQHBtnIUblfojC135h9akrdf3qnBnOZ08UPc4yoVJ_aKpcEwV1M3LywB3WqEZJO6jdr5AipDjby1ED6I4yHvTqBgXwUw3u090-K2cbKreTgWKxb/s1600/DSCN2212.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRqpVUW2QoJj4xB6S7HScHwJnDNvQDaOQHBtnIUblfojC135h9akrdf3qnBnOZ08UPc4yoVJ_aKpcEwV1M3LywB3WqEZJO6jdr5AipDjby1ED6I4yHvTqBgXwUw3u090-K2cbKreTgWKxb/s320/DSCN2212.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Christ Church has had a lot of famous students: John Locke, John Wesley, William Penn, W.H. Auden, Lewis Carroll and William Gladstone, to name some of the most famous. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">16th Century staircase leading to the Great Hall</td></tr>
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</div>CallieBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11861641472897290813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8736410115522021351.post-56455187340146095612011-05-17T02:48:00.000-07:002011-05-17T02:53:17.972-07:00Trip to Cornwall<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view from the walk to our hotel, St. Ives</td></tr>
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</div><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;">Wow, it's been a while since I posted anything to the Oxford Omnibus. Sorry for the gap -- guess I've been having too much fun! I'll try to catch up...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;">Last week, my friend Sandra and I ventured down to Cornwall for a 3-night stay at St. Ives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>St. Ives is on the northern side of the Cornish peninsula; Penzance, a larger town, is on the southside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had wanted to stay in Penzance, but had problems finding a room, so we settled for St. Ives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It turned out to be a great choice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>St. Ives is a quaint resort beach town, with lots of shops, galleries and restaurants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The part of Penzance we saw looked more like a London neighborhood, with its standard shops:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Curry’s Electronics, Tesco, Peacock’s, etc., and an Oxfam store, of course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m sure if we’d ventured further from the harbor we’d have seen more scenic views, but there wasn't time.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 115%;">We stayed at the Porthminster Hotel, a.k.a., the St. Ives Harbour Hotel, an old hotel that sits perched high above one of St. Ives's many beaches. We had a great room with a view of a beautiful beach.</span></div><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiybDG9zDYdwZL5QeeBcd6UKRj8FuHPK1aAQsj10D15u9uwJeP8ANUSFgWXbKfKKD09db2kVceJ_jgbppcrT9X5oCrTRX6MkzxO0EEGSCHnHbht_dkkwTCH_tCBMhSqol9qZSnFQQoPaA9o/s1600/DSCN2084.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiybDG9zDYdwZL5QeeBcd6UKRj8FuHPK1aAQsj10D15u9uwJeP8ANUSFgWXbKfKKD09db2kVceJ_jgbppcrT9X5oCrTRX6MkzxO0EEGSCHnHbht_dkkwTCH_tCBMhSqol9qZSnFQQoPaA9o/s320/DSCN2084.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">View from our hotel room</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR7XNORNhlmVZQxp5voFEQe6OF3tQc4kj_ssXZjrUQ0pnE9-3r9lbY8HpVWN2AiGrU1ngcfV7viISa1phmLog49tFwTuYN2XCTu0KcLEpT3bBtbffjd-SYcVjBtgO0TiWajFylVXEzQdUM/s1600/DSCN2186.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR7XNORNhlmVZQxp5voFEQe6OF3tQc4kj_ssXZjrUQ0pnE9-3r9lbY8HpVWN2AiGrU1ngcfV7viISa1phmLog49tFwTuYN2XCTu0KcLEpT3bBtbffjd-SYcVjBtgO0TiWajFylVXEzQdUM/s320/DSCN2186.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">The Porthminster Hotel</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">On our second day in St. Ives, we took an all-day sightseeing bus tour around the peninsula, from St. Ives, to Land's End, then Penzance, then back to St. Ives. We didn't get out at Land's End (we would have been stuck there for 3 hours), but here's a shot I took at Sennen Cove, a beautiful beach just before Land's End.</span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">The third day of our stay, we decided to go back to one of the sites we'd seen on the bus tour: St. Michael's Mount, which is situated on a small island just off the shore by the town of Marizion (near Penzance). This is a very interesting historic site, now owned by the National Trust. It's a castle and a church, with architecture dating back to the 12th century. You get there by boat -- unless the tide's out, in which case you can walk. The tide goes out around 4:15pm, so it didn't work out for us to walk.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">St. Michael's Mount</span><br />
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<div align="left"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">The walk up to the castle is not for sissies. The steps start out as cobblestone paths, then then morph into laid stone walkways, and at the end they're just rocks. We really got our exercise!</span></div><div align="left"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOx5HZP2kuveF7O5mjWtmRydadzJdDNaX4YjI0_4zQKzNdIyhLUxD_b3YIvbybsE18tBu7wBttj7eBSPFCNF2kXo_C66ENzcA2Qw2R9ztfPsXVIMkxPIW_rbkgXKDGXaMwSABwTP5vUtUr/s1600/DSCN2126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOx5HZP2kuveF7O5mjWtmRydadzJdDNaX4YjI0_4zQKzNdIyhLUxD_b3YIvbybsE18tBu7wBttj7eBSPFCNF2kXo_C66ENzcA2Qw2R9ztfPsXVIMkxPIW_rbkgXKDGXaMwSABwTP5vUtUr/s320/DSCN2126.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><br />
<div align="left"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">Once at the top, we got to tour the castle. The St. Aubyn family still lives there; this family has owned the castle for centuries. Of course we didn't go in their living quarters -- but there was still plenty to see.</span></div><div align="left"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQI9K64RpBltwErLeXzO4uTVtfWRxHeVt9j8Xk-DgNmjy3xnJzRUUqWkuPYQ65TNvlUxCYrKwqq5sTxUJhkqhp8T1x8sca4AaWIawhBr2EQ3jCgHdthB1ungYLvneVp_IZO_L1Z_9wDw6d/s1600/DSCN2156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQI9K64RpBltwErLeXzO4uTVtfWRxHeVt9j8Xk-DgNmjy3xnJzRUUqWkuPYQ65TNvlUxCYrKwqq5sTxUJhkqhp8T1x8sca4AaWIawhBr2EQ3jCgHdthB1ungYLvneVp_IZO_L1Z_9wDw6d/s320/DSCN2156.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">View from high atop the castle, looking down at the gardens. Those are people down there!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijrzRyPmlfAltrE3v9nQ47stBMhkE7keEnpPJ_JA4R0vM_e2jbuvFrt_4RigWTWGP_bwCWq3j9GjVmZPIwsXZsoUZtDV_DVzDd-4dZURpYIBnwAKz1Xzp0MkBMepK7l8NOttnZ55X6gO-3/s1600/DSCN2153.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijrzRyPmlfAltrE3v9nQ47stBMhkE7keEnpPJ_JA4R0vM_e2jbuvFrt_4RigWTWGP_bwCWq3j9GjVmZPIwsXZsoUZtDV_DVzDd-4dZURpYIBnwAKz1Xzp0MkBMepK7l8NOttnZ55X6gO-3/s320/DSCN2153.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">Dining Room inside castle; those are "folding" chairs. They're called Glastonbury chairs. These are reproductions.</span><br />
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<div align="left"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">We spent the whole day on St. Michael's then headed back to St. Ives for a meal at the Sloop, one of the pubs on the beach. My fish and chips were great!</span></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">Our last morning, we walked through the streets of St. Ives and visited the museum, which is filled to the brim with local history. St. Ives was once a thriving fishing village. Not much of that left now. Now it's a tourist mecca. Even though the weather was not so warm, the place was crowded; can't image what it's like in the summer!</span></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDYiSYTVroSJfOwPynrDNYO1Jol38YUxzWt0s4Q4_-I04cIAb3FWa-WpY7NV2AjCj6CDy9QB_Oqk4dv3ID5qPfD8Q5HWhGYT2Sxzfy8NV7Bgy-2SQCA1PHbjWZiliHCF0PgK-DZ8zrPC86/s1600/PICT1047+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"><img border="0" height="320" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDYiSYTVroSJfOwPynrDNYO1Jol38YUxzWt0s4Q4_-I04cIAb3FWa-WpY7NV2AjCj6CDy9QB_Oqk4dv3ID5qPfD8Q5HWhGYT2Sxzfy8NV7Bgy-2SQCA1PHbjWZiliHCF0PgK-DZ8zrPC86/s320/PICT1047+%25282%2529.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">One of the quaint, narrow streets of St. Ives. Note: This was taken around 7pm; most of the tourists were at the pubs by then!</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">Footnote: Thanks to Sandra for most of the photos; I left my camera at home that day!</span></div></td></tr>
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</div></div>CallieBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11861641472897290813noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8736410115522021351.post-27305825392536327682011-04-29T03:21:00.000-07:002011-04-29T03:24:33.738-07:00Bits and Bobs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
Thought I'd share some miscellaneous photos -- "bits and bobs," as the English would say.<br />
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<div align="center">Quintessential Oxford</div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidNkApg0YMEBQlRCaiFhhvxQxSJZN8TDXKa1jkIywaUPXpryK0lLlQjLOdxwhg9pr03Mqo0dziTkLgBZ1FNcMQdCPFVpLd0BTsyBQ4NGx0Y7DwxJNb9V3S1SPdpp3i4hw2kCUrsRhH8Ych/s1600/PICT0672.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidNkApg0YMEBQlRCaiFhhvxQxSJZN8TDXKa1jkIywaUPXpryK0lLlQjLOdxwhg9pr03Mqo0dziTkLgBZ1FNcMQdCPFVpLd0BTsyBQ4NGx0Y7DwxJNb9V3S1SPdpp3i4hw2kCUrsRhH8Ych/s320/PICT0672.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Bridge of Sighs (alleyway to Turf Tavern on left)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Radcliffe Camera, a Bodleian library (undergraduate study space)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sheldonian Theatre (where many university ceremonies are held)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quad at Regents Park College<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Camden Town in London</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">A wonderful market of vintage clothes, food, etc. in a gigantic old livery stable</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdPe5DgJR-W9BNltqCIOJqPUK1JJpBB7BEsBwQa9Kgc7tGwy5TyfqpU6YWjhJ3i0af6r8yAJ17tufJWoCAjjJUDEMq5Dh8IZ3ZjmjGTw_M1pwB4L4TviUTg35dpfIWVz87cewDChu5YpeY/s1600/PICT0868.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdPe5DgJR-W9BNltqCIOJqPUK1JJpBB7BEsBwQa9Kgc7tGwy5TyfqpU6YWjhJ3i0af6r8yAJ17tufJWoCAjjJUDEMq5Dh8IZ3ZjmjGTw_M1pwB4L4TviUTg35dpfIWVz87cewDChu5YpeY/s320/PICT0868.JPG" width="227" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of punk outfits on parade in Camden Market</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPg6IaH_BrPc12DANiUOSPitwL4iXbqzDxMSLrtFzEacwG37aXVRUol24NFP2FAGCOv6tbQ9c1Jvgp_dtIf88CFe_6LRsvAxB_PswttteR2Boak3Vaom1EhuSWT11YAN9O3cQbPXSkhXxD/s1600/PICT0869.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPg6IaH_BrPc12DANiUOSPitwL4iXbqzDxMSLrtFzEacwG37aXVRUol24NFP2FAGCOv6tbQ9c1Jvgp_dtIf88CFe_6LRsvAxB_PswttteR2Boak3Vaom1EhuSWT11YAN9O3cQbPXSkhXxD/s320/PICT0869.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's only for tobacco!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuqqX0kcEq80LCT1rWJc8sSJglrQ9kqVAvvtdoAHjWPyj4QiBOFQoBP0lHYUafWpBenc0JcsQGkBO2HNxwqtkAv-LT5AlQ-opDp3vXCMbsRFdmaT_7PcFacjGNgOMCzoFlafatGUklOD8_/s1600/PICT0871.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuqqX0kcEq80LCT1rWJc8sSJglrQ9kqVAvvtdoAHjWPyj4QiBOFQoBP0lHYUafWpBenc0JcsQGkBO2HNxwqtkAv-LT5AlQ-opDp3vXCMbsRFdmaT_7PcFacjGNgOMCzoFlafatGUklOD8_/s320/PICT0871.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tiff with one of the many bronze horse statues in the Market</td></tr>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A Day in Bath</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Z9VtCYCGXCJoZtFJdUTxuddjA3Zi0WcXcRqywe_HcemJMGeGPm_ThmfvU5TGDbN2i0ANK3JAhPr7KO7tPoiZXlyw_KCH0qJbZpNAjXK63O4rHt1ud5cznpzztx-zBb6rZgTsT4YtXdCJ/s1600/PICT0984.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Z9VtCYCGXCJoZtFJdUTxuddjA3Zi0WcXcRqywe_HcemJMGeGPm_ThmfvU5TGDbN2i0ANK3JAhPr7KO7tPoiZXlyw_KCH0qJbZpNAjXK63O4rHt1ud5cznpzztx-zBb6rZgTsT4YtXdCJ/s320/PICT0984.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Circus (apartments)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvHflP8JITAefG_mgjI95s7YXNR63UmBDGl_lSFCzg-FenZ_73cZFsoojkpV8F5-YhEIe_uTPVPCr8kEhXTCwVmAAB2wnLV0AeofxPzz8Gmv4g1o7zAkvltjneI7dwu6ogqlmWXrhwi4al/s1600/PICT0985.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvHflP8JITAefG_mgjI95s7YXNR63UmBDGl_lSFCzg-FenZ_73cZFsoojkpV8F5-YhEIe_uTPVPCr8kEhXTCwVmAAB2wnLV0AeofxPzz8Gmv4g1o7zAkvltjneI7dwu6ogqlmWXrhwi4al/s320/PICT0985.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the distance, the Royal Crescent</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDeoAHewKIEKFPysBNPH01iZ617XKU-M8otjZnPgMUNhX7vjUtHhs1YECliLrIA3CVMMxiX55qW_vQN4c77Ee90eLMGy6GbbPiwwwDOPfbB_dhtbrdvuCI4ey0tn2nv-JmGDHlXshlPxip/s1600/PICT0988.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDeoAHewKIEKFPysBNPH01iZ617XKU-M8otjZnPgMUNhX7vjUtHhs1YECliLrIA3CVMMxiX55qW_vQN4c77Ee90eLMGy6GbbPiwwwDOPfbB_dhtbrdvuCI4ey0tn2nv-JmGDHlXshlPxip/s320/PICT0988.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A sketch of Jane Austen at the Jane Austen Center</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sharon having tea at the Bath Bun</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvFW79Gv7bHgFuJoT97Hedfy5VxOYZBZyezRhGIGxu-ajIWqHB73IkOrkuZw88jLKfTHYFiDcxNsfGADZuGpyfyCIRmB-L5nd7Y5ZC6Vf3jIqaxNsfhlS4UtTXSyJ3id1RvyolMqyUVoi0/s1600/PICT0991.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvFW79Gv7bHgFuJoT97Hedfy5VxOYZBZyezRhGIGxu-ajIWqHB73IkOrkuZw88jLKfTHYFiDcxNsfGADZuGpyfyCIRmB-L5nd7Y5ZC6Vf3jIqaxNsfhlS4UtTXSyJ3id1RvyolMqyUVoi0/s320/PICT0991.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What did they put in <u>her</u> tea???</td></tr>
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</div></div>CallieBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11861641472897290813noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8736410115522021351.post-34696049790963355982011-04-25T12:00:00.000-07:002011-04-25T12:04:21.090-07:00The Flowers That Bloom in the Spring, Tra-La!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Spring has sprung in merry olde England, and the flowers are a-blooming!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought you might like to see some of the gorgeous flora that I’ve encountered over the last few weeks during my visit to London, as well as in and around Oxford.</span></span> <br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">First, in London, Tiff and her friend Christian and I went to Regents Park, which is a very large green space in north London.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The beds were overflowing with beautiful flowers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a bright, sunny day, and the garden staff had set out lawn chairs; people were sitting in them, soaking up the rays.</span></span></div> <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSdDljeRNd5ya59h0lSPeLS2fC2-yHj4ZGvPFi-qUOhFH_S7q17aDJ3oEcK2GNMH6hxTd7a0QP-jjr4xkJBDGyyy3Eiyuxuqziafqe-Fpw7xZMsaMYClcbeopeOEOoVOPY6fVEpoGAzWsD/s1600/PICT0883.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><img border="0" height="240" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSdDljeRNd5ya59h0lSPeLS2fC2-yHj4ZGvPFi-qUOhFH_S7q17aDJ3oEcK2GNMH6hxTd7a0QP-jjr4xkJBDGyyy3Eiyuxuqziafqe-Fpw7xZMsaMYClcbeopeOEOoVOPY6fVEpoGAzWsD/s320/PICT0883.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the lovely beds<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgr6zlS7qYFJIm3hlGdg3nhO6UyH32pOaPISGJyB28jbrmIoibb_TvFFD1mcD4N_PxpDLHskVS8ugsrT7wI-gVUG39sgIXctFWKNuWinAxydnJhcjigKNf3dQ6_9gAbzXatY5VjvOb6x9c/s1600/PICT0884.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgr6zlS7qYFJIm3hlGdg3nhO6UyH32pOaPISGJyB28jbrmIoibb_TvFFD1mcD4N_PxpDLHskVS8ugsrT7wI-gVUG39sgIXctFWKNuWinAxydnJhcjigKNf3dQ6_9gAbzXatY5VjvOb6x9c/s320/PICT0884.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A black tulip!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgseTFIaydXIkMFEAUy8LjhNF_gHSfgQaQ9zPIy9MElZfQ0pRw5W2NIFVBBxCCzoU7aHI_GHdndXp7uEzaxHUDURR1WfN91q0koO0SLBgS9qCv5u7IExN9ubmzxRtP9bA6uBO3juWCdf68Z/s1600/PICT0886.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgseTFIaydXIkMFEAUy8LjhNF_gHSfgQaQ9zPIy9MElZfQ0pRw5W2NIFVBBxCCzoU7aHI_GHdndXp7uEzaxHUDURR1WfN91q0koO0SLBgS9qCv5u7IExN9ubmzxRtP9bA6uBO3juWCdf68Z/s320/PICT0886.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Too early for blooms in the Queen's Rose Garden</td></tr>
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</tbody></table><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Tiff also showed me a beautiful little garden in her neighborhood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s called Albion Square.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was amazed at the depth of the colors – especially the blue flowers.</span></span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A couple of Sundays back, my friend Sharon and I went to Oxford’s Magdalen (pronounced Maudlin) College gardens, which were open to the public that afternoon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We got in for free on my Bodleian card!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were lovely flowers and lots of green space, including a fenced-in deer park.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5cvzmAE-1bxxtEbO63UovTwmsdD55vYN3hPkacmYje7Se2tc1R-enuk1f6QBzERTR8MT4PEs7xhhggUBsKNa78L2f1S4mlqnehdRfeb0QS83GCUM4hyqs7y4b2OIgTVTFxTKvHZ5dqn59/s1600/PICT0917.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5cvzmAE-1bxxtEbO63UovTwmsdD55vYN3hPkacmYje7Se2tc1R-enuk1f6QBzERTR8MT4PEs7xhhggUBsKNa78L2f1S4mlqnehdRfeb0QS83GCUM4hyqs7y4b2OIgTVTFxTKvHZ5dqn59/s320/PICT0917.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Then, last Thursday, Sharon and I went on<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> a </span>Midsomer Murders (my favorite TV mystery, remember?) tour of south Oxfordshire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a beautiful day, and we saw many of the towns where they shoot the TV murders series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of particular note was the wisteria.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I heard on a British garden show that wisteria like lots of sun, particularly afternoon sun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The vines we saw must have had lots of afternoon sun!</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05BsYz-5ZcLLRI2VK0q80aiynZifJWloMJPW9wli0iDz_nASAACmVLbRW5ivkW3nBaDC2XeUtaGBZND9XFV4QKOKqc2cb1sCR0uX0n7qzjfj2nhfChSK5DAeCtNhSKgn6IaeF3n2qgnjt/s1600/PICT0950.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05BsYz-5ZcLLRI2VK0q80aiynZifJWloMJPW9wli0iDz_nASAACmVLbRW5ivkW3nBaDC2XeUtaGBZND9XFV4QKOKqc2cb1sCR0uX0n7qzjfj2nhfChSK5DAeCtNhSKgn6IaeF3n2qgnjt/s320/PICT0950.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Pa-b8bsz_irVQq47mUrCktWA9upJB-d7OwQ3LKFGL-ZgNME6HHnkePFS_dSKKU9PHzGRGqdhbiiFQ4jUyTLwS0qI_H8bxmMIEZXbcxpersKG8VgIviqsLJ6xtoPgMVoIRVWJlD_ymjzq/s1600/PICT0945.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Pa-b8bsz_irVQq47mUrCktWA9upJB-d7OwQ3LKFGL-ZgNME6HHnkePFS_dSKKU9PHzGRGqdhbiiFQ4jUyTLwS0qI_H8bxmMIEZXbcxpersKG8VgIviqsLJ6xtoPgMVoIRVWJlD_ymjzq/s320/PICT0945.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span></div><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We also came across the grave of Dusty Springfield (“Son of a Preacher Man”) in Henley-on-Thames, which is the home to the world’s most prestigious rowing event, the Henley Royal Regatta (June 29 – July 3).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Someone had laid fresh flowers on her grave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span> <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmt-ella3Lle7Q-F-JgM538QBgqPydNFiPpXF8jTuMrpWW0dSfeaQr611k3gXCCsGO9JaiSyID_1D3zvJG0q2p0TQ3B4KXX_fVXgOdr3Wc3FiNFB8CQOgJxpmuk4ocTxwebiev_Euh-bw7/s1600/PICT0940.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmt-ella3Lle7Q-F-JgM538QBgqPydNFiPpXF8jTuMrpWW0dSfeaQr611k3gXCCsGO9JaiSyID_1D3zvJG0q2p0TQ3B4KXX_fVXgOdr3Wc3FiNFB8CQOgJxpmuk4ocTxwebiev_Euh-bw7/s320/PICT0940.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The only one who could ever reach me was the son a a preacher man...</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: right;"></div> </div>CallieBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11861641472897290813noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8736410115522021351.post-25312202441666994072011-04-16T14:23:00.000-07:002011-04-16T14:25:34.634-07:00Morris Dancing<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIjo76fLeQpFdH0OKiJGhJvgFULDQtFnXxTC_ChYxlm59EZi35lWAWg04RIn5WtQHpe8PugZTLrDbG5XsRTSY6rFcYIPU4t0yYAxAPcMTbkrltxUo3or4T5X3r1qPpTfvdEjcsJI0qb0RH/s1600/PICT0900.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIjo76fLeQpFdH0OKiJGhJvgFULDQtFnXxTC_ChYxlm59EZi35lWAWg04RIn5WtQHpe8PugZTLrDbG5XsRTSY6rFcYIPU4t0yYAxAPcMTbkrltxUo3or4T5X3r1qPpTfvdEjcsJI0qb0RH/s320/PICT0900.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Today there were Morris dancers all over the Oxford city centre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Morris Dance is a type of British folk dance that dates back to the late fifteenth century.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The name “Morris” is actually derived from “Moorish,”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>i.e., influenced by the Moors who invaded Spain way back when.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkN4I9UiwH80nRf9tOaBRTrBFN6-Sa_uDl298xv8YsElooe914lg_mEgaTMCbVi7ZWHnCQM75SrSa52d6dgszq6BjRs8vgrg1TL43qrTnd72fHkS16AqOyRhVykb1nOkgPnaErr0l0qOll/s1600/PICT0898.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkN4I9UiwH80nRf9tOaBRTrBFN6-Sa_uDl298xv8YsElooe914lg_mEgaTMCbVi7ZWHnCQM75SrSa52d6dgszq6BjRs8vgrg1TL43qrTnd72fHkS16AqOyRhVykb1nOkgPnaErr0l0qOll/s320/PICT0898.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Groups of men and women in folksy costumes assembled in various venues around Oxford and performed their dances.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These groups were from around Oxford.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixqaEdKlgnON7qduKhZZ7lw-GQYfxUGC_Rvua-WZDL80sNQNwrMDuLHST73UR70qoKvQJKRK30NHPKrwQ6eifQAWNh_hXrO5X8S1VFCdPFPRwkBPs1pzt-pYdkOP8a9j-Cz9Lffw7s8xhR/s1600/PICT0907.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixqaEdKlgnON7qduKhZZ7lw-GQYfxUGC_Rvua-WZDL80sNQNwrMDuLHST73UR70qoKvQJKRK30NHPKrwQ6eifQAWNh_hXrO5X8S1VFCdPFPRwkBPs1pzt-pYdkOP8a9j-Cz9Lffw7s8xhR/s320/PICT0907.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The dancers performed with sticks, handkerchiefs and bells.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Some</span> wore heavy shoes with wooden soles that made a lot of noise as they clogged on the pavement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The musical accompaniment for the dancers was provided by drums and concertinas.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSZyxi8DYx8GuKLOGggIdrqyHsEWlJDXt3pcEYppVvrsbZEy2efcTOqRSc9G2_I5U9Rb7JC1s0rUikXsACnPNOS7B76-fKFW6cOjqbvo4X1ro68CzfUFF4GpiP3OP2xFIWvlPWc0dKhDjq/s1600/PICT0910.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSZyxi8DYx8GuKLOGggIdrqyHsEWlJDXt3pcEYppVvrsbZEy2efcTOqRSc9G2_I5U9Rb7JC1s0rUikXsACnPNOS7B76-fKFW6cOjqbvo4X1ro68CzfUFF4GpiP3OP2xFIWvlPWc0dKhDjq/s320/PICT0910.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">One group had their faces painted black.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of these guys told me that was for a disguise – so I wouldn’t recognize him!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7V_iccYojz6BkAcYypO66ZIjnNWAR0unGMejdpILXBiourth2Ddm8iYAjtfa8wKUluVii_7C2HeUBjzECBsAUnKznj90H9QVb4Xn5bs6DXjVPssN0XRXuKYcT4bYfyhdqaVyxsWeOz-oS/s1600/PICT0912.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7V_iccYojz6BkAcYypO66ZIjnNWAR0unGMejdpILXBiourth2Ddm8iYAjtfa8wKUluVii_7C2HeUBjzECBsAUnKznj90H9QVb4Xn5bs6DXjVPssN0XRXuKYcT4bYfyhdqaVyxsWeOz-oS/s320/PICT0912.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">These folks also wore beads – some of which, I was told, were Mardi Gras beads.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The event really did remind me of Mardi Gras, a bit – although the dancers were only drinking coffee, not alcohol!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, it was only 10am in the morning!</span></div>CallieBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11861641472897290813noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8736410115522021351.post-73514078932642788502011-04-04T10:37:00.000-07:002011-04-04T10:37:53.619-07:00Pork Crackling<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
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For Sunday dinner Karl fixed a dish called Pork Crackling. It's a pork roast covered by a thick layer of fat with the skin on top.<br />
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Here's his recipe:<br />
Make sure the skin on top of the pork is dry. Score it in lines that are about 3/4" apart. Be careful not to score all the way through to the meat.<br />
Rub salt on the skin -- getting all over and into the scored lines; let sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.<br />
Wash the salt off and pat the roast DRY. Rub the skin with vegetable oil then salt it again with rock salt.<br />
Put roast in a 220 degree C (about 450 degree F) oven for 25 minutes.<br />
Turn the heat down to 180 degrees C (about 350 degrees F). Length of roasting depends on the weight of the pork. Roast for 30 minutes per 500 grams (that's about a pound), then add an extra 30 minutes.<br />
Take roast out of oven and let it firm for about 15 minutes. Cut in slices following the cuts of the scored lines.<br />
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When you eat the pork, the crackling comes off in a nice, neat strip. A lot of the fat behind it has cooked off. It's a moist and yummy treat -- crunchy, but not dry like the fried pork rinds you buy in the states. The roast, of course, is also delicious -- nice and moist and tasty.<br />
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Along with the pork, Karl served homemade dressing, yummy brown gravy, Yorkshire puddings, and roasted potatoes and carrots, along with broccoli and peas. It was a scrumptious feast. We licked our plates clean!<br />
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Somehow, though, we later managed to have some Jamaican ginger cake and coffee for dessert.<br />
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</div>CallieBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11861641472897290813noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8736410115522021351.post-59650126050903365462011-03-26T11:43:00.000-07:002011-03-26T11:47:47.888-07:00Cowley Road<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKDa4GTTGEBiUdNx2x4lwa1Fxz3F9TFkwudUFsYNaZSV_7XhQ-siqPTaYmbhB8XhjSBO5Uok42UYKdSP5veLFlpXJEVpxYdB5q3_-4H5xjhhrN_I3TIfH-JsLW4udCIIaXsUFYPxjofjxQ/s1600/PICT0816.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKDa4GTTGEBiUdNx2x4lwa1Fxz3F9TFkwudUFsYNaZSV_7XhQ-siqPTaYmbhB8XhjSBO5Uok42UYKdSP5veLFlpXJEVpxYdB5q3_-4H5xjhhrN_I3TIfH-JsLW4udCIIaXsUFYPxjofjxQ/s320/PICT0816.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Today’s adventure was a trip to Cowley Road with Tim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We left Spencer House, walking, at 11:30am and got to Cowley at 12:45.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Good exercise!</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgky6b5BpRk13tIhyphenhyphentHZecb4ojOibRbc8j9PLH8qEQN-zHQA70QWatjwb3g0cDqktfXKHnAFOWoicp8ip9avZWwaZFf9u-qAW_DXz0hkoIYL2Dpai4WUfAmjx_EUwi5ku8112KimzHobFGC/s1600/PICT0813.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgky6b5BpRk13tIhyphenhyphentHZecb4ojOibRbc8j9PLH8qEQN-zHQA70QWatjwb3g0cDqktfXKHnAFOWoicp8ip9avZWwaZFf9u-qAW_DXz0hkoIYL2Dpai4WUfAmjx_EUwi5ku8112KimzHobFGC/s320/PICT0813.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Cowley Road is a busy ethnic district in Oxford – kind of like its “Little Five Points.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a lot of diversity in the people – more working class, blacks, Muslims (there are a few mosques along Cowley), etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The shops are more diverse than the usual Oxford offering – I even went in a few pound stores (like a dollar store).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And bunches of charity shops – lots of knick-knacks and clothes.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We ate lunch at a Turkish restaurant – but Tim and I both cheated – we got American-style food!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had fried chicken, and he got a burger and fries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Turkish dishes looked good – especially the stuffed eggplant – but I was so hungry for fried chicken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was pretty good too!</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGYp-sIZHe-WpM9Qqu3Gd_e_omruR8GvbQ47UxYG_ZUOeGWbIZWwLeBChfayMg68jZAxuzHG6cVyvV5neh0l8SCH-7QQ9SPHk_knALwhyq5D2PKnfos9epHfdd5i6OpylKaV1rX3WyxSH_/s1600/PICT0814.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGYp-sIZHe-WpM9Qqu3Gd_e_omruR8GvbQ47UxYG_ZUOeGWbIZWwLeBChfayMg68jZAxuzHG6cVyvV5neh0l8SCH-7QQ9SPHk_knALwhyq5D2PKnfos9epHfdd5i6OpylKaV1rX3WyxSH_/s320/PICT0814.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Afterwards, we wandered back down Cowley, stopping at interesting shops.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I went in a Moroccan deli that smelled divine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A woman shopping in the store was raving about some spicy Moroccan sausage, so I bought some.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also couldn’t resist some dates and baklava.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAyB1MghzdNXCspp0D5wAjtPunhnhJvZ3CUpSTazmwgWbRGoJKeP6TJubKr4lpEzYmPUyU6Z-mA2QArjbzR96QzmNgWMZGzuo_utZc7vHsObrOiJz5J3owyHkupwtDdby0I4IJ2_A0kWN6/s1600/PICT0817.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAyB1MghzdNXCspp0D5wAjtPunhnhJvZ3CUpSTazmwgWbRGoJKeP6TJubKr4lpEzYmPUyU6Z-mA2QArjbzR96QzmNgWMZGzuo_utZc7vHsObrOiJz5J3owyHkupwtDdby0I4IJ2_A0kWN6/s320/PICT0817.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We also went in some charity shops – saw an interesting pansy bowl that I had a hard time resisting (but I did resist).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also checked out a fair-trade shop that sells items from developing countries, made by people who are not being exploited. Then Tim and I both bought some interesting scarves at a vintage clothing store.</span></span></div> <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Magdalen College</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">After some ice-cream at George and Delilah’s, we headed back to the City Center, crossing the river (Cherwell) at Magdalen (pronounced Maudlin’) bridge, next to Magdalen College.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Saw people renting punts to go rowing on the river.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although it was a nice day, in my opinion, it was still a bit to cool for punting.</span></span> <br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Walked back to the bus stop at St. Giles, where I took the bus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tim headed to Regents Park College to see if anyone was around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a very enjoyable day – not too cold and a bit of sun here and there – with a lot of walking!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A nice little nap was in order once I got home.</span></span></div></div>CallieBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11861641472897290813noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8736410115522021351.post-48129279898554760062011-03-22T11:35:00.000-07:002011-03-22T11:35:46.574-07:00Oxford Museum Of Natural History<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_SS97VXNjslg5KfRwragBVvCWpi38dLkzruV1Ofm-yTkfy76GBJoYbuJC7LFZo5xJACMmCaCbHh9P4xL10IufkHi6JEoE5B0EKc3LkbQwtX-DelZ7QqRehDkICCNhUG_0WXMvj9hLGuFg/s1600/PICT0806.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_SS97VXNjslg5KfRwragBVvCWpi38dLkzruV1Ofm-yTkfy76GBJoYbuJC7LFZo5xJACMmCaCbHh9P4xL10IufkHi6JEoE5B0EKc3LkbQwtX-DelZ7QqRehDkICCNhUG_0WXMvj9hLGuFg/s320/PICT0806.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Today I visited the Oxford Museum of Natural History with one of our students, Tim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s housed in an impressive stone building on Parks Road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As you enter, you walk into a huge square space that’s surrounded by columns and covered with an arched glass ceiling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It feels almost like a cathedral – and it is: a cathedral of science.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy5pEvcx-nnDgWLymm42beMJdHdTKN1JzcK6AJBXoR02M0xoAhgHsYWX3gPE69bsGt5GQCsifgLHWPjh4w-bcvgmyTWlq2kh_l5hQrq17UiEnJInOOVQwn96B82LUA_UAoeSJP3CEzUUUQ/s1600/PICT0795.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy5pEvcx-nnDgWLymm42beMJdHdTKN1JzcK6AJBXoR02M0xoAhgHsYWX3gPE69bsGt5GQCsifgLHWPjh4w-bcvgmyTWlq2kh_l5hQrq17UiEnJInOOVQwn96B82LUA_UAoeSJP3CEzUUUQ/s320/PICT0795.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Museum of Natural History houses collections in Geology (including Paleontology), Mineralogy, Zoology and Entomology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Geology area is impressive with its massive replicas of prehistoric skeletons – from mammoths to giant whales.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are also skeletal specimens of modern-day animals – as well as stuffed specimens (badgers, owls, tortoises, foxes, etc.).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skeleton of an African Elephant</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Callie and a stuffed badger</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaNFkY8IZHEJICdrUX8L7tV8IhT418kJ24CaJnN7yJqGJAo2S6q2Gz7cSKij_X7TaZaSWthI6KsxdeYCp1mLjli9MKOKj7YqK8Qani7d1_-FhB13a9hjP0E_JPjZikqartXKN3ePnLTGnH/s1600/PICT0798.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaNFkY8IZHEJICdrUX8L7tV8IhT418kJ24CaJnN7yJqGJAo2S6q2Gz7cSKij_X7TaZaSWthI6KsxdeYCp1mLjli9MKOKj7YqK8Qani7d1_-FhB13a9hjP0E_JPjZikqartXKN3ePnLTGnH/s320/PICT0798.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tim shaking hands with a dinosaur</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The most famous replica in the museum is that of the dodo bird, which once inhabited the island of Mauritius.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Europeans help to bring about the demise of the dodo by introducing dogs and rats to the island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By 1680 it was extinct.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lewis Carroll made the dodo popular by putting it into his <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Alice in Wonderland</i> story.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There two galleries above the main floor; one is for insects – not sure about the other one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the end of the main-floor hall is the entrance to the Pitt Rivers Museum, a curious and eclectic collection of artifacts (many collected in the nineteenth century) from all over the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tim and I mainly explored the main floor of the Natural History Museum, but we did go into the Pitt Rivers Museum for about a half hour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were human skulls that head-hunters had collected, Noh theatre masks, ancient writing instruments, an Egyptian mummy with its inner and outer coffin, a collection of hookahs, a cape made out of bird feathers, a 40-ft totem pole…it was amazing, but I was soon glazing over.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLO2NDYWVMDUT0VXU5VTApWnurQDgngWDtlp5P2tZQWlSgSAjh-GOpvq5Lua6GmbV4N7LcaLzxdXvUI7L0Py0v1yTipt0RLC-Co1ZomXC1JYqLDUMqDlWRhS2Chx4i1OrncvnA_W3lmojH/s1600/PICT0811.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLO2NDYWVMDUT0VXU5VTApWnurQDgngWDtlp5P2tZQWlSgSAjh-GOpvq5Lua6GmbV4N7LcaLzxdXvUI7L0Py0v1yTipt0RLC-Co1ZomXC1JYqLDUMqDlWRhS2Chx4i1OrncvnA_W3lmojH/s320/PICT0811.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">From the museum we wandered over to the Vere Harmsworth Library with my librarian friend Susan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is one of my favorite libraries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a Bodleian library, but it’s relatively new – opened in the early 2000s, I think.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s light and airy – a great place to read – and it houses the American Studies Collection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve been using it for research on Basil Hall, a retired Scottish Navy Captain who wrote about Columbus on his journey to America in 1827-1828.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI5NRd6YxH8DcqmGsiI3b9GTPEKD6d7-9chFFgeOmGVg0NL0mXqw9m8m-3jImWxaIuvigmCAvlXtFyxj7ixIBbOlOY-L6BnnRk7pdJw857qGr14aeHLUmGKrl_sRy-B-Hl2Noqof0lm9VO/s1600/PICT0808.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI5NRd6YxH8DcqmGsiI3b9GTPEKD6d7-9chFFgeOmGVg0NL0mXqw9m8m-3jImWxaIuvigmCAvlXtFyxj7ixIBbOlOY-L6BnnRk7pdJw857qGr14aeHLUmGKrl_sRy-B-Hl2Noqof0lm9VO/s320/PICT0808.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div></div>CallieBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11861641472897290813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8736410115522021351.post-83635639591775873732011-03-16T11:42:00.000-07:002011-03-16T11:42:13.759-07:00Grande Dame<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Grande Dame" class="img" id="profile_pic" src="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/187801_142345075826730_7160915_n.jpg" /></div><br />
Tiff's new name for her band is Grand Dame. She's got a Facebook band page at <br />
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Grande-Dame/142345075826730?v=app_178091127385">http://www.facebook.com/pages/Grande-Dame/142345075826730?v=app_178091127385</a><br />
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If you're on FB, go to the band page and click "like" (left-hand of page). Please help her build up her fan base!<br />
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And while you're there, listen to some of her music! "Almost and Maybes" is a little bit country -- the other songs are Tiff's special blend of rock, jazz, blues, etc.<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
</div>CallieBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11861641472897290813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8736410115522021351.post-15469072663061990872011-03-14T11:58:00.000-07:002011-03-14T11:58:26.759-07:00A Little Bit of Spring<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgomxR8lH6GL-AaO2qVlzcDaURFGDvlJ8ZfQ08LGj7zI4-8HlzE5jvEG48sgSeZIsb76iLhyphenhypheng_AIFJmA2hcX7doytRHNP8Zm27mmCiU40UnHIFLVYfJONVj5dLHa-KHCMBzZBymT00wZRkI/s1600/PICT0792.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgomxR8lH6GL-AaO2qVlzcDaURFGDvlJ8ZfQ08LGj7zI4-8HlzE5jvEG48sgSeZIsb76iLhyphenhypheng_AIFJmA2hcX7doytRHNP8Zm27mmCiU40UnHIFLVYfJONVj5dLHa-KHCMBzZBymT00wZRkI/s320/PICT0792.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spring flowers in St. Giles Cemetery -- but the temperature is still cold!</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div>CallieBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11861641472897290813noreply@blogger.com0