Tuesday, September 20, 2016
London-OxfordOn The Road Again--From London to Oxford for More Research:
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…
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