dear_prudence: (Default)
[personal profile] dear_prudence
hello, darlings! you'll be pleased to know that sajee's bag arrived intact, and only put us a little bit behind on our schedule. we arrived in goring a little later than we intended to, but we still got there. the trip involved five different trains, one of which departed from PADDINGTON STATION! i got my mum a bear. we also went via camden, so i made lots of jokes about trousers:

'i got these great trousers at camden'

once in goring we put up at a sweet little b&b called 'north view house'. they had two cats and three dogs and a garden that was so english you wouldn't believe it - climbing roses, hollyhocks, etc. one of their dogs, dorrie, was tiny and hilarious - she would growl at you if you stopped patting her:

dorrie of north view house

we were served a breakfast of eggs and toast, yoghurt with sunflower honey, and fruit salad at a round table in the bay window of a sitting room that looked out over the garden, and then the others started their big walk.
we'd established that oxford wasn't far away, so i decided to take the train up there for a look around. it was utterly, utterly brilliant. i cannot describe how amazing it was. truly. i saw oscar wilde's old college. i saw the places lewis carrol was inspired by when he wrote 'alice in wonderland'. i saw the pub where tolkein, c. s. lewis and the rest of the inklings would sit and read their stories aloud to each other. i saw the place where king charles set up headquarters during the civil war. it was so full of stories and history and culture and beauty. i didn't have time to see everything that i wanted to see (you could spend weeks there exploring the libraries, museums, galleries, chapels, etc. etc. etc.) but i did explore christ church college and trinity college...

christ church college
this is the exterior of (part of) christ church college. it was begun by cardinal wolsey in the reign of henry viii and was going to be called 'cardinal college', but then wolsey died and it just sat there for years and years before king henry decided to finish it. i'm very glad he did, because it is quite magnificent.

a lamp at christ church college
a lamp in the entry way o the dining hall at christ church college

lewis carrol's portrait in the dining hall at christ church college
*for [livejournal.com profile] piecesofalice* charles lutwidge dodgson's portrait in the dining hall of christ church college. for those not in the know, he's better known as lewis carrol, author of 'alice in wonderland'.

dining hall at christ church college
and here is that dining hall, set for dinner. the portrait of henry viii hangs at the head of the hall (you can just make out his fetching legs), and the rest of it is hung with the portraits of kings and queens and distinguished students (queen elizabeth, john locke etc, etc, etc,). there is even a stained glass window dedicated to lewis carrol, known as 'the alice window', but it was so crowded that i couldn't get a shot of it.

christ church/hogwarts
if this scene looks familir and you can't quite work out why, try imagining professor mcgonagall at the top of the sairs there. yep, christ church is where they filmed lots of interior shots of hogwarts in the first two harry potter films! :)

the jonah window at christ church chapel
this is the jonah window in the chapel at christ church. it's interesting because the figure of jonah is the only part of it that is actually pieced together in the traditional way - the rest of it is just panes of glass that have been painted on. he painting is pretty amazing though.

christ church angels
makes you want to believe in angels, doesn't it?

christ church tapestry
a tapestry in the christ church chapel.

the rose window at christ church
this is the rose window and it's what you see when you walk in the doors of the chapel and look down the aisle. it's truly magnificent.

christ church ceiling rosette
this is one of the many little rosettes that adorn all the ceilings in the college. there is so much beautiful detail in the place.

theatre at oxford
this is above the door of the theatre at oxford. it's a really beautiful building.

window at trinity chapel
a window at trinity college chapel. when i arrived at the chapel at trinity college it was deserted, and it was absolutely silent. i sat myself on a pew and just looked around at all the beauty. it was an overcast day, but as i sat there, the sun broke through the clouds and shone through the windows down onto the altar and the whole thing lit up and glowed in the golden light. it was such a perfect moment.

ceiling of the chaprel at trinity college
the ceiling above the altar.

buried at trinity
this was set in the floor of the chapel. i think it means that the person is actually buried there...?

gardens at trinity college
trinity college is famous for its gardens. this is just one corner of them.

flowers in the garden at trinity college
i think i would be happy to be a flower in the trinity gardens.

so i was completely overstimulated, and spectacularly excited when i left and met the others in nuffield (after a hilarious taxi ride with an old ex-serviceman who told me i was a tough little lady and would have been a credit to the service. i think that was because i could lift my own suitcase...?) they had had a good day's walk and had lots of stories to tell, and we compared tales over dinner, then wend back to our b&b to sleep. the next day i said goodbye to those insane walkers and took a hair-raising taxi ride through the hedgerows to our next inn. it's part of a miniscule village, resembling dibley in many ways, with lots of thatched cottages. all it had by way of public services was a church and a pub, so i was obliged to take a bus to nearby thame to get some stamps, and have a look around for gluten-free food (which i found - hooray!). when i got back i had a walk around the village and it was very charming:

sydenham cottage
can you imagine living in a little house like this?

gravestone sydenham
a stone in the churchyard.

the crown inn sydenham
the crown inn.

angel grave sydenham
another grave stone.

stained glass window in the church at sydenham
stained glass window in the deserted church.

blackberry blossom, sydenham
the hedgerows were full of blackberries and i nommed quite a few on my walk.

bee
i think the bees of this villiage must be very happy - there are so many beautiful flowers in all the gardens!

fluffy plant on the road to sydenham
i don't know what these plants are but they grow everywhere and they are very pretty. i like the curving shapes they make.


i'm back in oxford today. i couldn't stay away - there was so much more to see! i'll tell you more later, but i'm at an internet cafe, and all of oxford is out there!!!!

big love to all of youuuuu xoxoxoxoxoxo

Date: 2008-09-17 02:37 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] bondchick-nett.livejournal.com
Is it just me, or does Dorrie also look thatched? XD

GORGEOUS photography, I want to nom that lamp. MmMMmmm

Date: 2008-09-21 03:46 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dear-prudence.livejournal.com
dorrie WAS thatched!

Date: 2008-09-17 02:42 pm (UTC)
ext_109194: (Dr Who - Scenic Tardis)
From: [identity profile] mayak2.livejournal.com
Arh! Luvit! The b&b sounds lovely and you seem to be having FANTASTIC weather, too. :o) Beautiful photos, too. I was in Oxford in 2005 - and I think it's most definitely time I made plans to go back there! x

Date: 2008-09-21 03:47 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dear-prudence.livejournal.com
do you know - it hasn't rained ONCE since we got here. i think the poms just make up the stories about their terrible wether so they can keep these beautiful places to themselves XD

Date: 2008-09-17 04:18 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] t-a-n-g-o.livejournal.com
*is jealous*

I live in England and I haven't been to Oxford! I only went to London last year...

I want that house!

Date: 2008-09-21 03:48 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dear-prudence.livejournal.com
you should definitely check it out one day. it's such a beautiful place. maybe you could catch the train there or something?

Date: 2008-09-17 05:59 pm (UTC)
ext_101249: (DW: Ten/Rose in the library)
From: [identity profile] autumnjoy.livejournal.com
Oh my goodness, I am so jealous of your visit to Oxford! Thanks for sharing the pictures, they're amazing!

Date: 2008-09-21 03:50 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dear-prudence.livejournal.com
oxford was brilliant. you should definitely go there if you ver get the chance. so beautiful.

Date: 2008-09-17 06:05 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] riverdresses.livejournal.com
♥♥♥

I want to live in that last batch of photographs. & watch the sunrise in the Trinity gardens every morning.

I'M SO JEALOUS! ::flops about::
Edited Date: 2008-09-17 06:06 pm (UTC)

Date: 2008-09-21 03:51 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dear-prudence.livejournal.com
it would be magical. i met a wee squirrel in the trinity gardens, and i think she must have a pretty awesome life.

Date: 2008-09-17 08:58 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] glittery-girl.livejournal.com
Wow, wow, wow and WOW! The places look truly amazing!

Date: 2008-09-21 03:52 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dear-prudence.livejournal.com
omg, ren, it was! just mind-bogglingly gorgeous.

Date: 2008-09-18 01:21 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] seoidin.livejournal.com
Don't forget to go to the Botanical Gardens and find Lyra and Will's bench!

Date: 2008-09-21 03:55 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dear-prudence.livejournal.com
i couldn't find it! but i must have walked past it because i wandered around til i'd seen the whole place... maybe i sat on it without even realising, that would be so like me :p

Date: 2008-09-21 05:02 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] seoidin.livejournal.com
Awww, it was under a tree right by the river. It also had this written on the arm http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2112&id=263100345#/photo.php?pid=58767&id=263100345 :D

Date: 2008-09-18 03:50 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] neko-seraph.livejournal.com
o_O Sooooooo jealous! OXFORD!!!! *whimpers* Why oh why couldn't I fit in your suitcase?

Your photos are - as always and everty - utterly gorgeous. Thank you thank you thank you for sharing them with us!

Even better is your excited and exciting adventures! Who needs 'hikes' when you have academialand-love?

Hope you keep having a fantabulous time!

Date: 2008-09-21 03:56 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dear-prudence.livejournal.com
i wish you could have been there, darling! you would have loved it so very much.

Date: 2008-09-18 08:17 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] xxxlibris.livejournal.com
Trinity is my old college! And yes, the gardens there are astonishingly awesome.

Date: 2008-09-21 03:58 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dear-prudence.livejournal.com
no WAY! you were at OXFORD? that is so amazing. i have decided i want to go there - maybe to do my masters? i don't know, but i have completely fallen in love with the place, and i am going back!

Date: 2008-09-18 11:00 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] johnnypurple.livejournal.com
awwwwwww. just lovely. you. and all the rest of it. :D

Date: 2008-09-21 03:59 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dear-prudence.livejournal.com
*smiiiish*
we miss you!

Date: 2008-09-18 11:23 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] binka-boo.livejournal.com
oh wow.
i love you.
and i am still jealous lol.

Date: 2008-09-21 04:00 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dear-prudence.livejournal.com
i love you tooooo!
don't be jealous, though. you will be over here one day soon, i'm sure of it!

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