Bollywood

It's been a quiet week. I did a little shopping this morning to celebrate getting paid and bought as many books as I could justify plus a really nice box of sushi from Pret. On my way back to my room, I passed a Bollywood film crew. In this scene, the soberly dressed business men are all holding pink copies of the Financial Times. Nothing else happened. Someone I met up with on the street said they'd been filming a song and dance sequence yesterday by New College. That would have been exciting to watch.

I did some work in the afternoon until my friend texted me to say she'd passed her transfer. We met up on Broad Street and decided to go to the Turf to celebrate. We sat outisde and drank Pimms until 5.00. All in all a good day.

Suffolk

We spent the bank holiday weekend with Matt's family in Suffolk. It was a quiet time for the most part, but we did do some sightseeing on Sunday. We drove to Lavenham, a pretty little village that got very rich during the wool trade.
The streets Lavenham were full of tourists looking at the cottages. Although they're described as medieval, I would guess this one dates back to the late Tudor period.
This crooked house is painted Suffolk pink. Originally, pig's blood tinted the paint, but nowadays they use a less gruesome substitute.
Matt and his mom standing in front of a half-timbered cottage. Someone was watching television inside, which is unfortunate because we spent a good few minutes criticizing the plastic plants near the door.
I loved this street. It made me feel like I'd stepped inside an illustrated children's book or a Tim Burton set.
On one of the side streets, Matt and I came across a remarkably well-preserved water pump, which judging by the ornate ironwork probably dates back to the Victorian period. Of course, I could be wrong. It's only a guess!
After walking around the village, we liberated Barney from the car and took him for a walk. At the top of the hill is a fifteenth century church dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul. We had a walk around and looked inside.
Matt being absolutely hi-lar-i-ous. Actually, I made him pose that way. It seemed funny at the time.
One of several stained glass windows inside the church. A lot of the embellishments and improvements in the church date back to the eighteenth century when people were getting rich off the wool. So the building is a strange mix of gothic and neo-gothic.
Outside the church grounds are beautifully tended, and you can see from the light in the picture that it was a really nice day. A little breezy but clear.
I'm not sure who these three crypts belonged to but they caught my eye.

Clare was our next stop. This shot is from the top of the motte, some 70 feet high, looking at the remains of the castle keep against the evening sky.
Walking down from the motte this time, still looking at the keep. The castle dates back to the thirteenth century. It was a pretty sleepy town. We didn't get a chance to walk to the Priory, which is apparently still in use, albeit for retreats.

Around Caversham

I'm staying with Matt in Caversham this week. Although my temporary room looks nice, it's quite stuffy. There are three big windows, but I'm only able to open one of them. Unfortunately, it only opens a crack.
Yesterday, I was up at 5.00 and on the train by 6.30 in order to get to Buckingham. The commute was in two stages, so I spent another hour on the coach. It was nearly 12 hours before I was back in Reading. Today, I did some work on my dissertation, but I started my day with a walk to the shops for milk, bread and the paper. On my way back I noticed the dental surgery, pictured. It's a bleak little building I've walked past a dozen times without noticing. Today, I took a closer look, noticing that it seemed to be abandoned. It was only when I got closer that I noticed that someone had made a cheeky comment on the quality of care. Poor dentists. No one seems to like them.

Woburn Abbey

Today Matt and I drove out to the Safari Park at Woburn Abbey and saw lots of animals. It was a nice day out.
Although the stripes look black in the photo, the zebras looked more reddish brown in person.
Cattle or bison, originally from Africa.
Warning sign.
Siberian tiger prowling around his mate's cage. The other two males were patrolling the edge of the fence, keeping a close eye on the wolves in the next enclosure.
Canadian wolves and bears, pictured here, were kept in the same enclosure. This one seemed to be happy playing the bathing beauty for the crowd of watching cars.
The lioness was making a beeline for one of the adult males, who was isolated from the rest of the pride. One of the park rangers chased after it in her Range Rover, forcing the cat to return to the pride. We noticed the lions were under close surveillance. Not sure what was up. Security concerns? Possible plots?
MONKEY!!! One climbed on our car. Unfortunately, I was unable to get a clear shot.
Some very bored looking camels. to be honest, most of the safaris inmates looked like they could do with a dose of Prozac.
This rhinocerus was being a bit of a bully. He moved into the road and tried to block cars.

River Thames

I've been staying at Matt's since Friday, and it's rained more during the past two days than it has all summer. Here are the swans making their way down the Thames in spite of the deluge. We've had a lazy morning, but we're hoping to go out for a drive should the rain let up.

Bod View

A view of the upper reading room in the Bodleian Library on my way back from lunch. Note the number of vehicles parked in the lane. It looks like the local colleges have the workmen out in force, fixing broken locks, plumbing, flooring, who knows what.

It rained a bit this morning but the sun is out again. My new room has lots of windows, but it's only possible to open one of them. I'm feeling a bit drowsy from a lack of fresh air.

Random Pics

Two mounted police officers in Corn Market. Taking pictures is okay, but whatever you do, don't question the horse's sexual orientation.
At a black tie dinner with a fellow Mertonian. I'm really going to miss the candlelit four-course meals with wine.
Earlier this year, the cobblestones off Cattes Street were refreshed. It looks fairly labour intensive, but the results are worth it.
Pretty as a basket full of freshly-laid farm eggs although not as tasty.
Matt on a bridge in Magdalen Deer Park. It's a very pretty walk and when we were there the spring flowers were in bloom.
From Merton Street, leading up into Oriel Square.
The Clarendon Building. I took this picture early in the morning, on my way to catch a coach. Originally, the building was home to the Oxford printing press; however, now it's been absorbed by the library and houses various adminstrative offices.
Snowy day, 2005.

Buckingham

The English Faculty, where I teach during the summer, is housed in a converted milk factory. My office is on the corner of the top floor. It gets pretty hot during the day, so I can't imagine what it was like when they were bottling milk. Every Tuesday I'm there from 9 until 5, so I leave Oxford just after 7 and don't get back much before 8 in the evening. It's a private university that offers an accelerated two-year BA, which means the students only have a few weeks break between terms. It's pretty intense, but I'm grateful for the opportunity to teach.

New Room

This weekend Matt helped me move into my temporary room, which is an August ritual at Merton. I'm living on Holywell Street now in a lovely pink panelled room at the front. It's a big space and a big mess at the moment. Once I sort out tomorrow's lecture for Buck., I'll tidy things up. Not much else to report. It's a grey day; the tourists seem depressed. Fall feels like its just around the corner. Where did the summer go?

Cambridgeshire

This weekend we were in Cambridgeshire for a wedding. On our way home, we did a little sightseeing. Luckily, Matt enjoys walking around cathedrals as much as I do.
Peterborough Cathedral's unusual triple front features statues of Saint Peter, Paul and Andrew, to whom the church is dedicated. The first church on the site was 655, making it one of the oldest Christian centres.
The decorated wooden ceiling dates back to the thirteenth century. Unfortunately, the picture doesn't capture how magnificent it is.
Henry VIII's first wife, Catherine of Aragon, was buried here. Her remains are up at the alter, directly across from the former resting place of Mary Queen of Scots, who was reinterred in a much grander style in Westminster by her son King James I after he acceded the throne.
We then drove on to Ely, crossing the Cambridgeshire fens, which look an awful lot like the prairies at home. Ely Cathedral is visible from miles away, 'rising like the prow of a ship from the flat landscape'. Matt said that or something similar.
Ely Cathedral, though almost as old as Peterborough, is nowhere near as nice. The masonry is ridiculously elaborate, which may have been an attempt to cover up shoddy workmanship. The northwest transept collapsed in the fifteenth century and was never replaced.

A detail from the Prior's door, on the south side of the nave. I think.

While at Ely, we visited the stained glass museum. I think this is a piece from Normandy, dating back to the Middle Ages.

Infirmary Common, within the Cathedral grounds