Home

My flight arrived early yesterday evening, and my mom was there to pick me up. We headed back home and had dinner. I spoke with my brother and a family friend on the phone. It's good to be back, although I do miss Matt. The provincial flag is pictured. Unfortunately, I left my camera behind, so there may not be an awful lot of pictures or entries for the next few weeks.

Last Day

I'm flying home on Sunday, so I thought I'd make a record of my last day. Of course, I'll be back in October.
Me, very early in the morning, which is why I'm not in focus.
Early morning reading: the paper, notebook and textbooks.
Photocopying in the library: £7.46 for six essays, three plays.
More reading in the afternoon: broken nuptials in Shakespeare.
In the afternoon, I manned the IT room for the English Fac open day.
The traffic was terrible on Friday afternoon, it took Matt nearly 20 minutes to go 500 yards. There was an accident on the M40, resulting in a 15 mile queue. Drivers came into town hoping for a shortcut.
Looking out from my front door onto Holywell.
This was my front door for a month. Some days when I came home, I found tourists sitting on the step, eating their lunch.
Although my room had a lovely big bay window, they only opened a crack.

Week 9

I took this picture from inside the coach just after 7.00 am. It was my last day at uBuck. Although i won't miss the early hours or the commute, I will miss the job.

Portsmouth and area

The weather on Sunday was gorgeous. We had breakfast in the garden then went back into Portsmouth. We stopped in to the quays and walked around the docks. The HMS Victory is pictured here.
The Victory is the world's oldest commissioned warship and is probably best known for its role in the Battle of Trafalgar.
Matt tells me that Nelson died on board the Victory, and I'm guessing he was in a room at the back.
This little car was attracting considerable attention. As the tide came in, we could see it rocking back and forth. We're not sure what happened, but it was gone when we came back.
Our next stop was in Porchester, a 3rd Century fort with a Norman Keep.

Matt, reluctantly posing, on a stone staircase.
The Roman walls.
Looking out to the sea from the inside the walls.
There were a number of boats and pleasure crafts out that afternoon.
Training boats for little sailors.

Gunwharf Quays, Hampshire

On Saturday, Matt and I drove down to see his father and his wife in Ports- mouth. We arrived in the early evening and took a walk around the quays. Portsmouth, as a naval base, was pounded during the Second World War and little of the original architecture remains. A few years ago, the city council undertook a redevelopment project. Here, Matt is sitting underneath the wharf.
We watched a few ferries coming into harbour. This one looks like is coming back from France. The Isle of Wight is a short distance away. We thought about going over there for dinner, but the cost, £50 return, was prohibitive. We'll come back another day when we have more time to spend.
There were a number of lookout points dotted along the quays and the views were quite nice. I'm not sure why I took a picture of these benches. I think I liked the look of them. Also it made me giggle that one of them was missing. Lots of nice cobbled lanes down below and bijou terraces.
I'm not sure about this picture. Matt likes it, but I don't think it was a total success. The sky looks very Turneresque, but the composition is slightly off.

Longwall Street

Today I slept in and took the late train. When I get up at my usual hour, I start the commute at 7.30, which seems to be a magical time free from gridlock and delays. I got to the station at 8.00 but didn't arrive for another 90 minutes. It's a 20 minute commute usually.

Lovely fall day here. It feels like summer's come back for a bit.

Rooms with a View

Rooms

I've moved seven times in three years. Here are a few of the rooms I've called home.

Canary Wharf

This weekend Matt and I went to London to see a play at Regent's Park open air theatre. It was a production of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. Despite the fine rain that fell throughout the performance, we had a good time. Later on that evening, we drove to Canary Wharf. It looks amazing at night. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures so I pinched this one from the web. On our way out, we had to pass through a security checkpoint, which was a new experience for both of us. Three security guards were on duty, one directing traffic, just us really; the other swabbing the car for traces of explosives; and finally the third noting down details from the safety of his booth. Since it's the a banking and business district, Canary Wharf is a likely target for terrorism. Obviously, London was on high alert Saturday night.