What I did on my hols.
I haven’t written in forever because I’ve been madly pleasantly busy. We have delightful houseguests at the moment, a good friend of Steve’s and her husband, people so much fun to be with that it’s like having the best flatmates in the world, people that you want to hang out with as well as live with. It’s especially nice because Steve and Zoe are both doctors, and Ben has had a long career in NZ publishing so we all have plenty in common. So every morning after Steve and Zoe put on their “doctor turtle” outfits (helmets and backpacks and fluoro vests over that) and cycle off to the hospital together, Ben and I chat and have breakfast before I mooch off to whatever job I’m doing that day and he looks for flats and cars and things. They’re moving out in a few days and I’m going to be sad to see them go. Although happily, their flat is only two streets away!
Busyness has also been precipitated by getting ready for our holiday of a lifetime (our last big international break before we come home to NZ) - Florence, Assisi, Rome, Athens and Santorini, for which we departed yesterday. Twenty-three hours later we were back in Oxford. We knew there was very little chance we’d be flying out this morning as scheduled, but were told that if we didn’t go to the airport and check in, and our flight went ahead, our travel insurance would be invalidated. So we took the 3 ½-hour bus ride to Stansted and got there at 10:30pm last night, and as we stepped off the bus overheard someone tell someone else that Ryanair (our carrier) had cancelled all flights till Monday at least. Nice. It was totally silent, nearly deserted - such a weird sight.
We had a room booked at an airport hotel, so went there to find groups of people standing outside talking anxiously, or arguing with desk staff. In the end, a big group of people organised between themselves to hire a bus to drive to Germany, which was the only conceivable way for them all to get home.
I decided we should play the Glad Game (see Pollyanna), and started with “I’m glad we’re on the right side of home, and don’t have to drive for a million hours. I’m glad we’re not stuck somewhere running through our savings hand over fist. I’m glad that if this goes on for months and we can’t get back to NZ, we can crash with Ben and Zoe.”
“I’m glad I love you so much, because the Glad Game is really making my life worse,” said Steve. End of Glad Game.
So we spent the night, then trained into London, went to the V&A, had lunch then bussed home. I certainly overpacked for that excursion. I’m sad about not being able to go, but really gutted for Steve. He needed this holiday so much, and spent hours and hours planning it all. He also had a surprise planned for my birthday on Wednesday - a night in an ancient manor house in Assisi proper, overlooking the old city. I’m going to have to think of some nice day trips for the next couple of weeks to take his mind off it. Hopefully Steve’s dad, who’s stuck in London after a business trip to Portugal, will be able to come and stay for a while.
Anyway, I’ll leave you with some pics of evensong at Christ Church on Easter weekend. It was the most perfect evening, and many of our informal Oxford Antipodean group turned up, so it was lovely to walk in and see lots of friends. More this week, hopefully from Italy! (Unlikely.)
Steve and I just off Radcliffe Square
Twilight over the Bodleian and Sheldonian
Busyness has also been precipitated by getting ready for our holiday of a lifetime (our last big international break before we come home to NZ) - Florence, Assisi, Rome, Athens and Santorini, for which we departed yesterday. Twenty-three hours later we were back in Oxford. We knew there was very little chance we’d be flying out this morning as scheduled, but were told that if we didn’t go to the airport and check in, and our flight went ahead, our travel insurance would be invalidated. So we took the 3 ½-hour bus ride to Stansted and got there at 10:30pm last night, and as we stepped off the bus overheard someone tell someone else that Ryanair (our carrier) had cancelled all flights till Monday at least. Nice. It was totally silent, nearly deserted - such a weird sight.
We had a room booked at an airport hotel, so went there to find groups of people standing outside talking anxiously, or arguing with desk staff. In the end, a big group of people organised between themselves to hire a bus to drive to Germany, which was the only conceivable way for them all to get home.
I decided we should play the Glad Game (see Pollyanna), and started with “I’m glad we’re on the right side of home, and don’t have to drive for a million hours. I’m glad we’re not stuck somewhere running through our savings hand over fist. I’m glad that if this goes on for months and we can’t get back to NZ, we can crash with Ben and Zoe.”
“I’m glad I love you so much, because the Glad Game is really making my life worse,” said Steve. End of Glad Game.
So we spent the night, then trained into London, went to the V&A, had lunch then bussed home. I certainly overpacked for that excursion. I’m sad about not being able to go, but really gutted for Steve. He needed this holiday so much, and spent hours and hours planning it all. He also had a surprise planned for my birthday on Wednesday - a night in an ancient manor house in Assisi proper, overlooking the old city. I’m going to have to think of some nice day trips for the next couple of weeks to take his mind off it. Hopefully Steve’s dad, who’s stuck in London after a business trip to Portugal, will be able to come and stay for a while.
Anyway, I’ll leave you with some pics of evensong at Christ Church on Easter weekend. It was the most perfect evening, and many of our informal Oxford Antipodean group turned up, so it was lovely to walk in and see lots of friends. More this week, hopefully from Italy! (Unlikely.)
Steve and I just off Radcliffe Square
Twilight over the Bodleian and Sheldonian