Tuesday, September 20, 2016
London-Oxford
I awoke at 6.30 am in Roz’s guest room in Battersea after a very comfortable night and a very good sleep and spent a while checking out email, whatsapp messages, etc. on my Iphone. By 7.00 am, Roz awoke to shower and get dressed for work. I followed with my shower and we had almost an hour for a leisurely breakfast of muesli with yogurt and coffee before we both left her home together to board a bus to Victoria where I had a coach to take back to Oxford at 9.55 am. I thanked her again for her hospitality as we parted company and once again, I had a long wait at the coach stop during which I had issues to sort out with Virgin Media regarding my phone. I had a very helpful assistant on the line, however, who worked with me to try to resolve them and when the coach left on schedule under very grey skies, I looked forward to a peaceful day of pure research at Oxford.
Getting out of London was slow as a working day got busier, but eventually we were on the motorway speeding into the country. Before long, we were pulling into the High at Oxford where I hopped off and walked straight into the Radcliffe Camera.
More Research at Oxford:
It was about 11. 45 when I began reading today in the library; but as I planned to spend most of the rest of the day inside, it did not matter. I am making good headway with my inquiry and reading up on the historical background of the era I wish to inquire into, I am grateful for this academic time off as there is no way I could have had so much time for reading during a regular working year. In the inspired confines of the ancient Radcliffe Camera, surrounded by other independent scholars (for Oxford undergrads have not yet poured in to start their academic year), it is quiet, peaceful and studious—exactly the kind of atmosphere that fuels pioneering inquiry. I am quite fascinated by what I am reading and as I delve into areas about which my knowledge was only very hazy to begin with, I am learning an enormous amount and finding ideas riffling through my brain for further areas of research pursuit.
Out for Lunch and a Walk and More Research:
At 2.00 pm, I needed to stretch my legs a bit, so I took a walk around Radcliffe Square and on to Queen Street where I bought myself a sandwich and a drink, ate it on a bench on Broad Street and then returned to the library once more. I stayed in my seat till about 5.00 pm and then feeling really tired, for some inexplicable reason, I decided to get back home and catch up with work on my laptop, eat an early dinner and get to bed.
Relaxed Evening at Home:
As my weekly bus pass has expired and because I did almost no walking today, I walked home to Grandpont and felt so happy to get back to the comfort of home. I made myself a pot of tea, ate the last of my walnut cake and caught up with Cold Feet on TV.
Chriselle was leaving Southport after a lovely week’s stay there during which time my family back home in America celebrated the first birthday in the US of my niece Anaya—who turned nine. Chriselle was packing for her arrival in the UK and we were on whatsapp as she busied herself with countless tasks. Llew was dropping her off to Kennedy airport in about an hour. There was much excitement all around—not least on my side as I looked forward to seeing her soon in London.
I then busied myself making coach bookings to the airport and back for our coming travels, getting boarding passing for our flights, sending out email for some meetings I hope to have here in Oxford before I leave and the like. Time flew swiftly past and the evening melted into night as I returned to the kitchen to fix myself a plate for dinner: lamb jalfrezi with salad and pralines and cream ice-cream that I bought for dessert.
An hour later, after watching some more TV, I fell into bed quite pleased at the amount of work I had accomplished.
Until tomorrow, cheerio…