N is for Neckwear ~ The Bear in Oxford

Oxford Day 6 184Dating from 1242 The Bear is the oldest Pub in Oxford. It was fun to see it featured in the latest season of “The Amazing Race”. There is another pub in Oxford that also claims to be the oldest. I’ll let them duke it out.

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The Bear is home to a rather impressive yet random collection of neckties. Visitors from around the globe have contributed to the collection. They are displayed in a room off the main entrance and you can see that the display continues onto the ceiling.

I was stumped to come up with an offering for the letter N until I remembered this pub that we stopped into after a long day of walking and sight seeing in Oxford in July. It has very low ceilings and a very narrow steep staircase to the toilets. I can’t imagine someone having a few too many going up and worse coming down those steep steps.

I’m linking up to ABC Wednesday with the fine originator, Denise Nesbitt and her trusty team that keep things going…

Midsomer Murders…

We have gotten to the letter M with ABC Wednesday with thanks to Denise Nesbitt and the ABC Team.

While we were in Henley-on-Thames in England we enjoyed a visit to The Argyle where some of the scenes from the popular BBC murder series was filmed. DCI Tom Barnaby and his young sergeants are fun to follow around the English countryside and in many English pubs.

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road to Henly day11 024I smiled when I saw the signature brew for Midsomer Murders and of course I had to try it.

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road to Henly day11 029Do you watch any of the BBC Murder Mysteries? We enjoy Inspector Morse, Inspector Lewis and Midsomer Murders. I was happy to see Season 7 of Inspector Lewis start up on Masterpiece Mysteries on Sunday night here in the states.

Click on the ABC link above to see more entries for M or to join in the fun.

L is for Lofty!

Time for ABC Wednesday and we are on the letter L.

Thank you to the founder of this meme, Mrs. Nesbitt and her now trusty crew that keep the meme going.

A few weeks ago I was on an airplane flying out of Seattle and I was treated to some lofty views of downtown Seattle, Mount Rainier and the Columbia River.

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P1050642The Columbia river where it divides the State of Washington from Oregon.

This Saturday flight on September 13th was a nice flight and time to have a window seat. I most always choose an aisle seat.

Joy!

J is for…JOY

IMGP0179If I made this sign I would have left off the It’s All Good part. There are things that are not good and in fact quite evil that happen every day, but today I’m concentrating on Joy. You can have joy in the midst of hard times.

Christmas Eve 006Joy is contagious!

IMGP1052So today as I experience another 100+ day in Southern California I will choose Joy in my journey, especially since I’m journeying home to the Seattle area and cooler temperatures today. While down here I have found a lot of joy spending time with my dear old pop (91), visiting with sisters, brothers, and nieces and nephews and old friends. I’ll leave you with a photo of the joy my little grand niece showed when we celebrated her 5th birthday.

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I’m linking to ABC Wednesday with thanks to Denise Nesbitt and the ABC Team.

I hope you find Joy today!

The Cloisters at Gloucester Cathedral

Bourton-Gloucester 038We were so happy to be able to go inside Gloucester Cathedral this visit. We visited in 2004 with our daughter Katie for her “graduation gift trip” but we arrived to Gloucester when it was closed. This will also serve as my ABC Wednesday Post for the letter H since these beautiful halls were filmed as part of Hogwarts School. If you haven’t read or watched the Harry Potter books or movies you won’t know what I’m talking about but you can still enjoy these beautiful Cloisters and for ABC Wednesday you can call them hallways!

Bourton-Gloucester 041The cloisters were used in filming a couple of the Harry Potter films. You can read about it here. I know some of my friends have avoided reading the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. My family has enjoyed J.K. Rowling’s writing and the battle between good and evil.

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Bourton-Gloucester 055We were amazed with this part of the cathedral and there was still so much more to see.

Thank you to the ABC Team and to Denise Nesbitt for ABC Wednesday!

Have a good first week of September!

 

 

Fox Cottage ~ Cotswolds

ABC Wednesday is on the letter F this week.

Thank you to Denise Nesbitt and the ABC team for keeping the meme alive.

Our first self-catering experience in England was at Fox Cottage so…

…F is for Fox Cottage

Sat. July 5-Chipping Campden 002First and foremost is a fair warning that this post is full of fotos of the Fox inside and out!

Day one in England 7-4 007We had our own mostly private area between the cottage and stables across from the cottage.

Sat. July 5-Chipping Campden 092I believe our side of this U shaped space were stables in the past, too, which have been converted and upgraded to a living space.

2014-07-07 VisitorsFor those of you not familiar with the term self-catering it means you take care of yourself while you rent a property. Generally there is no daily maid service and no breakfast provided. We enjoyed making our own “Full English” and when the fragrance of those sausages hit the air we had several visitors arrive at our door begging!

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Broadway Day 7 002When we arrived we were greeted with fresh flowers and a sweet loaf that I didn’t get a foto (spelling in honor of F) of.

Day one in England 7-4 001Free wifi and lots of channels on the telly. Kinda funny that places advertise wifi as being free when you know you are paying for it anyway in the full price of the property. I did specifically choose properties while in England that advertised free wifi. Since we weren’t using our cell phones we wanted to feel connected to home and family whenever we could.

Day one in England 7-4 003We fully appreciated the fabulous exposed rough beams throughout the Fox.

Day one in England 7-4 004The old features that were worked into the space were enjoyed.

Day one in England 7-4 006The mix of old and new was just right. There were interesting things to try to figure out and some quirky frustrating things to deal with but our overall experience was very nice.

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Visitors 006Our views were very peaceful. During our time at the cottage there was only one day in a downpour that we shut all the windows.

Sat. July 5-Chipping Campden 087We had to go out to the pump room to get our ice from the deep freeze.

Sat. July 5-Chipping Campden 098The peace and quiet of this spot was so lovely. We could hear water flow through the farm. The birds were our alarm clock in the morning. It would be so dark at night we had to use a night light to make it safely to the bathroom which was a step down from our bedroom. No city lights, no street lights and no porch lights. I really was hoping to maybe see an owl but that didn’t happen except for this one.

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Visitors 002The owners of the farm and cottage live in the house you see next to the owl and behind this view of the cottage.

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Sat. July 5-Chipping Campden 093The outside view to our space.Sat. July 5-Chipping Campden 090The view out to the land between us and the little lane at the entrance to the farm.

Day one in England 7-4 010Getting to and from the Fox is a whole other story for another day.

Things around our “cottage” here in the states are a little hectic right now with our kids from the East Coast staying with us as they move into their new apartment and life on the West Coast. I hope to get around to as many of the ABC “F” posts as possible between loading and unloading boxes…

Hope your festivities this week are full of fun and frolic with friends and family.

E is for Ellen…

ABC Wednesday is already on the letter E. Thank you to Denise Nesbitt the proud founder and to the whole ABC team!

E is for ellen b. and a few of her favorite things…

This is a theater on Main Street in Bozeman, Montana spotted by daughter Katie on our cross country road trip back in April.

2012-12-031Ellen loves and enjoys spending time with her family.

Mom's services 180Ellen loves her brothers and sisters and her dear old pop. This photo was taken last September at my dear old mom’s funeral.

Mom's services 172Ellen loves her nieces and nephews. These cousins have so much fun together!

IMGP9112Ellen b. with her sisters and mom enjoying each other 6 months before her mom died.

BP03112012_586cEllen loves Dear’s brother’s family to the left of the groom and below.

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BP03112012_584cEllen loves her whole big family including her brother in laws and sister in laws.

Ellen loves the girls from the Mennonite Girls Can Cook and is so thankful to have them as her true blue friends.

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To Windsor 123Ellen loves to travel to England and all of the United Kingdom.

Man U 034Ellen loves Soccer/Futbol and has been to games in Manchester and Milan. Her favorite team is the home team, the Seattle Sounders.

P1030567Ellen is a Seattle Sounders season ticket holder along with her son and daughter in law.

Ellen loves Dear. Their 40th wedding anniversary celebrations have begun already.

Oxford Day 6 089Ellen B. and Dear started celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary with a trip to England in July where they spent one of their days in Oxford.

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Oxford Day 6 086Ellen likes to read Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Dorothy Sayers and a little Chesterton so it was a treat to eat in the Pub where these authors were known to meet.

The Thames 107Ellen loves God and His son Jesus who has given her eternal life through his death and resurrection.

Congratulations if you made it to the end of this very long post!

D is for Doors!

It’s time for ABC Wednesday and the letter D. Thank you Mrs. Nesbitt and the ABC crew for hosting this weekly meme.

D is for Doors!

‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.

Oxford Day 6 040Our tour guide in Oxford said that there are stories about this door being an inspiration to C.S. Lewis on the writing of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as he was housed behind this door from time to time.

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Oxford Day 6 041and just to the right of this doorway was this…

Oxford Day 6 042…the lamp post that served as the model in the story.

Good story if it’s true and you can see the inspirations are there. The Chronicles of Narnia are a favorite of mine.

There is so much great history to hear about and see in Oxford. We are already talking about spending at least a couple days in this city the next time we visit Jolly Old England.

The Oxford Colleges ~ Balliol

I’m linking this post about one of the many Colleges in Oxford to ABC Wednesday. C is for Colleges. Thank you Denise Nesbitt and the ABC team.

On Wednesday July 9th (Day 6 of our England Trip) we boarded a train in Moreton in Marsh to Oxford for the day. We found free parking on the street close to the station. The train ride was a short 37 minutes. Since parking in Oxford is a challenge and you are advised to use park and rides on the outskirts of town we thought a train ride close to the center of town was the best option for us.

Oxford Day 6 011We opted to go to the visitor center and sign up for a walking tour. There were a few other tour options but they seemed a little too hawkish for our taste.

We only visited one of the colleges with the tour guide. The oldest Oxford college continuously on one site, co-founded by a woman, Balliol is home to young people from many different backgrounds who have come to study with world-class academics.

Oxford Day 6 012Each of the Oxford Colleges to my understanding have their own chapel, dining hall, libraries, and dormitories.

Oxford Day 6 013Some inside views of the William Butterfield chapel.

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Oxford Day 6 023These are the outside views of the chapel designed by William Butterfield in 1857.

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Oxford Day 6 026This was the dining hall for the college.

 

 

 

Oxford Day 6 032Oxford is a very bicycle friendly town and on our walk around town it seemed we were more in danger from being hit by a bike than a car.

Oxford Day 6 033Because of the way this chap was dressed our tour guide said that he’d be sitting for exams. The white bow tie was significant as to what exams he’d be sitting for. There are dress codes that are still observed for taking exams and other ceremonies, too.

After Balliol our tour guide showed us some other major sites in Oxford that I will post about soon. When our tour was over Dear and I spent some time at Trinity College and Magdalen College before we met up with a couple we met on the tour from Vancouver Island at the Oldest Pub in Oxford.

It’s only Monday and it feels like Friday. We are having a very warm summer day in the Pacific Northwest. The thermometer is already registering over 80 degrees. We are in a dry hot spell this week. Work is continuing slowly in our bathroom. The tile guys are suppose to be here tomorrow.

 

Banbury ~ Oxfordshire

Continuing on my retracing posts from our time in England, on Sunday July 6th we made a short drive through Shipston-on-Stour to Banbury.
The town of Banbury in Oxfordshire dates back much further than the nursery rhyme dedicated to it.

When our three children were babes we would recite this nursery rhyme to them while bouncing them on our knees. It brings back such good memories that when I found out this statue was erected in Banbury we decided it was worth the trip to see it.

Sunday-Banbury 019Ride a Cock Horse to Banbury Cross to See a Fine Lady Upon a White Horse

Sunday-Banbury 021With Rings on Her Fingers

Sunday-Banbury 020And Bells on Her Toes

Sunday-Banbury 013She Shall Have Music Wherever She Goes

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Sunday-Banbury 024Nowadays the only cross gracing Banbury lies at the intersection of four major roads – those to Oxford, Warwick, Shipston-on-Stour and the High Street, which leads to the shopping area and the old heart of the town. It was erected in 1859 to commemorate the marriage of Queen Victoria’s eldest daughter Victoria Adelaide Mary Louisa to Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia on 25th January 1858. It stands 52feet 6inches high to the top of its gilt cross and is of a neo-Gothic design. Originally six niches for statues were planned, but this was later reduced to three.

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Sunday-Banbury 023-003It was fun to learn all about the history surrounding this nursery rhyme and the town of Banbury.

We walked around town, had some lunch and picked up some sweet treats to take back to the cottage.

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Sunday-Banbury 034The sweet treats weren’t from this Olde Sweet Shoppe but from a bakery in town…

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 B is for Banbury, Banbury Cross, Bells and Baked goods!

This was a timely post featuring the letter B so I’m linking up with ABC Wednesday which was begun by Mrs. Nesbitt and continues on with the help of the ABC team.

Speaking of B, the bathroom renovators arrived this morning to begin the finish work on our bathroom remodel. In 10 to 12 days it should all be done and we will be done with the construction zone mode and back to our quiet home mode until the next project.