While We Were Away

While we were across the pond two of our Coast kids drove across the Cascades to visit our Colville kids. We were happy that they could use their key to use their guestroom in our home as usual even though we weren’t home.

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Uncle Joshie is such a good sport!

My blog is my journal and scrapbook and photo album of our family events and I wanted to document this time with our Daughter-in-law’s wonderful photos! Those little ones grow so fast.

I’m at our Women’s Retreat that started last night at a Bible camp at Waitt’s Lake which is about 50 minutes away. Hope your weekend is going well.

 

The Turf Tavern

The Turf Tavern was on our list of pubs to visit while we were staying in Oxford. On Tuesday September 13th late afternoon our tour guide dropped us off at St. Helen’s Passage to make our way to The Turf.

We got the lay of the land and found our table # so we could order our food at the bar. Fish and Chips for Dear and Steak and Ale Pie for me.

We found by the end of our stay in Oxford that this was the best run pub in town, in our opinion. We enjoyed a meal or an ale at the Turf Six different times while we were in Oxford. The Staff was always cheerful and the servers were efficient and ready to help with any requests.

Since Sticky Toffee Pudding was on the menu we ordered one for us to share for dessert.

To find one of the passages to the Turf find the Bridge of Sighs and then walk under it to a narrow passage way which will take you down another passageway to the property.

Their name drop board shows all the famous people who have been to the Turf. We heard about it in researching the Pubs from the Inspector Morse Series.

The Turf Tavern (or just ‘The Turf’ to it’s locals) is probably the oldest pub in Oxford. The pub was built in the Canditch (the most outside City Wall) as gambling and betting was not permitted inside the walls of the City.

It’s foundations and use as a malthouse can be dated back to 1381, noted by tax imposed by Richard II. Originally called the ‘Spotted Cow’ the name was changed as it’s reputation grew as a venue of gambling. Patrons would frequent The Turf to mee their “Turf-Men’ and although logic might dictate that this was primarily a horse connection, it seems they would take bets on pretty much anything.

Since then it has become a firm favorite for Oxford Dons, students, Tourists from near and afar and many celebrities all searching the streets of Oxford, to find it’s best kept secret.

This is one of the outdoor patios at The Turf. The ancient city wall and the Bell tower at New College you see looming over the patio. I zoomed up with my camera to catch the gargoyles.

After church on Sunday when most of the Pubs and restaurants in town were full with people getting their Sunday Roasts and other goodies we high tailed it to the Turf again and tried to find a seat. At first the only seat we could find was outside in the patio but when our food arrived we noticed an empty seat inside and asked our server if we could switch and he obliged us. It was nice to leave the patio as some of the patrons were lighting up their cigarettes. I enjoyed a delicious Lamb Roast with standard Yorkshire pudding and gravy and roasted veggies. Dear opted for Fish and Chips again.

Our final visit to The Turf was on Friday afternoon the 23rd of September. This was our last full day in Oxford.

A pint and 1/2 a pint. We ordered something way outside of our usual on this day. A Chicken Wings platter with different sauces, etc. We met a Canadian mom and daughter who were visiting relatives in Oxford. The mom was originally from England and went to college in Oxford. A fun conversation.

If you ever find yourself in Oxford follow the passageway to The Turf, quiet and off the beaten track.

Truth for Today #35

Thursday October 6th

On Thursdays my posts will include verses that stood out in my readings from the Bible during the week. One, two, three or maybe more. If you have a verse/verses that you read during the week and would like to share, leave it/them in the comments and I will add it/them to the post. Let’s dig deep in God’s Truth this year!

Proverbs 9:10

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

Proverbs 14:26-27

In the fear of the LORD one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge. The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death.

Proverbs 19:23

The fear of the LORD leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm.

Proverbs 29:25

The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.

From Vera:

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭103:1-5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

 

The Bodlein

On Tuesday September 13th we booked a tour for the Bodlein Library at 11:00. We waited for our tour guide in this section of the building which was the Divinity School. Divinity School is the oldest and largest room in the Old Bodleian Library, and a masterpiece of late Gothic architecture. The stone carved ceiling is magnificent.

I’m standing between the two pulpits.

This room was used as the Hogwarts infirmary in the Harry Potter film series. It was also used in the Morse Series and Shadowlands. The Hugh Humphreys library was also used in the films. No photos were allowed in the library.

This is the door that was added by Sir Christopher Wren.

Our tour guide arrived and he had so much history stored in his brain to share with us.

We went through this door to the Convocation House and Chancellors Court which was the Universities former courtroom.

Originally built in the 17th century, Convocation House was once designed as a meeting place for the University’s supreme legislative body while Chancellor’s Court was the University’s former courtroom.

Adjoining Convocation House is the anteroom, Chancellor’s Court, which was used as the court for the university.

After we left this room we walked up a series of stairways to the Duke Humphrey’s Library. Duke Humphrey’s Library is the oldest reading room in the Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford. It is named after Humphrey of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Gloucester, who donated 281 books after his death in 1447.

As I mentioned before I was disappointed that photos were not allowed in the Duke Humphrey’s but I’m glad we could see it in person.

The Divinity School and the Convocation House can be rented for weddings or other meetings.

You can read some history about the Bodlein here.

Marcus Ciderfest 2022

On Saturday we met our family and daughter-in-law’s family at the Marcus Ciderfest. Classic cars and trucks play a big part in the fest and parade. The mustang belongs to Uncle Scott and the Thunderbird was gifted to our DIL from her grandfather.

After the cars were parked with the other classic cars and trucks we walked over to the apple processing operations to get some fresh apple cider before the crowds arrived.

Look at that mound of apple peelings!

We found a good position on the highway for the parade. Most of the participants in the parade throw candy out to the kids along the route. Our littles were magnets for the candy throwers and got a few pounds of candy!

Smokey the Bear started things off.

Colville Station Border Horse Patrol rode in the parade.

We were eagerly waiting for Granny Great and Jim to come along in Jim’s old car.

Here they come.

They see us!

There were lots of other cars and trucks and animals and politicians but these are all the photos from the parade that I’m sharing.

Waiting for a snack.

Up close and perfectly blurry. And then he insisted on taking a photo of me.

We said our goodbyes and took our 1/2 gallon of fresh cider, caramel apple and some farm stand cookies home.

Dear started on a new house project on Saturday morning before we left to the Ciderfest. Have I mentioned we’ve been waking up really early. He had a few hours to work before it was time to go. Our guest bathroom is getting a new counter top, sink, fixtures and backsplash. Once that is all done it will get a fresh coat of paint. Saturday morning was demo time.

We had a nice Sunday morning worshipping at church and came home for a relaxing day. How was your weekend?

Not What I Am, O Lord, But What Thou Art

Not What I Am, O Lord, But What Thou Art

Not what I am, O Lord, but what Thou art!
That, that alone can be my soul’s true rest:
Thy love, not mine, bids fear and doubt depart,
And stills the tempest of my throbbing breast.

It is Thy perfect love that casts out fear;
I know the voice that speaks the It is I;
And in these well known words of heav’nly cheer,
I hear the joy that bids each sorrow fly.

Thy name is Love! I hear it from yon cross;
Thy name is Love! I read it in yon tomb:
All meaner love is perishable dross,
But this shall light me thro’ time’s thickest gloom.

It blesses now, and shall for ever bless,
It saves me now, and shall for ever save;
It holds me up in days of helplessness,
It bears me safely o’er each swelling wave.

Girt with the love of God on every side,
Breathing that love as Heav’ns own healing air,
I work or wait, still following my guide,
Braving each foe, escaping every snare.

’Tis what I know of Thee, my Lord and God,
That fills my soul with peace, my lips with song:
Thou art my health, my joy, my staff and rod;
Leaning on Thee, in weakness I am strong.

I am all want and hunger; this faint heart
Pines for a fullness which it finds not here;
Dear ones are leaving, and, as they depart,
Make room within for something yet more dear.

More of Thyself, O show me hour by hour;
More of Thy glory, O my God and Lord:
More of Thyself in all Thy grace and power,
More of Thy love and truth, incarnate Word!

Words: Horatius Bonar, 1861,

Oxford Morning

On our first morning in Oxford, September 13th, we went out early to have breakfast at Brown’s Cafe in the Covered Market.

Our first Full English without the beans. We tried the fried bread instead of toast…never again. It tasted like some bad fried food at a Fair.

On the way to the Bodlein to get tickets for a tour we strolled around the Radcliffe Camera and The University Church of St. Mary. Early morning was a good time to be there before more foot traffic started.

 

University Church of St Mary the Virgin

From its beginnings over a thousand years ago, St Mary’s has witnessed the foundation of the University of Oxford and some of the most significant events in English church history.

Fellows of Oxford Colleges were regularly invited to preach at the church in the 18th Century – in the case of John Wesley, on three occasions.

Wesley’s years in Georgia, subsequent conversion experience and new found energy to spread the Gospel to all who would hear, had by 1741, distanced him from Oxford both physically and spiritually.

In 1741 he returned planning to deliver a condemnatory sermon at St Mary’s but was persuaded by a friend to substitute this criticism of Oxford’s lack of godliness for the sermon on the ‘almost Christian’, which he preached on 25th July 1741.

No such restraint applied in 1744 when towards the end of his sermon on ‘Scriptural Christianity’ he made a powerful attack on the University’s spiritual apathy. Not surprisingly, Wesley was not invited to give the University sermon again.

Indeed, he recognized that effect his sermon might have reflecting: “I preached I suppose the last time at St Mary’s. Be it so…. I have fully delivered my own soul.”

This time around I didn’t take photos inside the church because during the Mourning Period for Queen Elizabeth II most churches and cathedrals requested that visits were limited to signing of condolences. Many of the College chapels were closed during this period. On our visit in 2014, photos from the indoor of the church can be seen here.

These photos are from the High Street entrance to the University Church of St. Mary.

After our tour at Bodlein (which requires it’s own post) we returned to the Covered Market to M. Feller & Daughter traditional butcher to buy some lamb sausages, bacon, and a half dozen eggs. Then we made a stop at Sainsbury Grocery store for tomatoes, mushrooms, butter and other goodies to have at the apartment so we could make our own breakfast.

We took everything back to the apartment and regrouped to meet a tour guide for a 2-1/2 hour tour on Tuesday afternoon.

Back to the USA and Colville we are getting more in sync with the Pacific Time Zone.

Keeping Florida friends in our prayers!

Getting Settled in Oxford

 

We arrived to Heathrow airport on Monday September 12th in the early afternoon. We were amazed at the customs procedure. There were several entry stations where you enter singly and put your open passport in a scanner while a camera takes your photo. After the scan, if no red flags pop up, you proceed to the baggage claim area. No human interaction at this point. We were flabbergasted but happy with the streamlined procedure. Next we followed the signs to baggage claim and waited for our bags to appear on the moving belt. Again we were happy to see them both appear and then we looked for signs for the central bus station located at Heathrow Terminal 3 . It was a long walk and when we found the bus station we looked for the The Airline Bus, Oxford. The first bus we spotted was with a cranky bus driver who felt his bus was full but a few stalls down there was another bus with a happy bus driver ready to take our bags and let us know a return ticket would save us money. On board and ready to go. The journey would take at least 80 minutes with the stops involved along the way. When we got to Oxford it was a prime traffic time so the journey took longer. We got off the bus and got our luggage and proceeded to find our apartment. Our Airbnb hostess gave us great directions and instructions. It was only 0.2 miles to our apartment from the bus station.

To get into the apartment complex we had to enter a security code for the door to open.

We found our apartment and entered another code to get the key from a lock box. In and ready to dump our bags and settle in before we headed out to find a pub for a meal.

We found our way to New Inn Hall Street heading for St. Michael Street to find The Plough Pub on Cornmarket and St. Michael Street.

The Plough was closed so we headed back a few businesses on St. Michael to the Three Goats Head Pub. We found a table and placed our order.

We both enjoyed a Steak and Ale Pie and we had a conversation with a couple from Finland. Maybe half a conversation as we both tried to get beyond a language barrier.

On the way back we discovered a connection to the Wesley family on New Inn Hall Street.

Walking back on St. Michael you can see the Wesley Memorial Methodist Church on New Inn Hall Road.

Oxford is full of connections to the Wesley family. John and Charles Wesley followed their elder brother Samuel to Christ Church; their father, also Samuel, was a student at Exeter College; and their grandfather John studied at New Inn Hall (from which New Inn Hall Street takes its name).

If you follow this link you will find some interesting history of the Wesley family in Oxford and beyond.

On the same road we passed St. Peter’s College.

This was the apartment building where our airbnb apartment was located on the Oxford Castle and Prison location (part ruined Norman Castle).  The Swan and Castle is a pub in the Wetherspoon Pub chain. A cheaper pub that is open from 9am until 1pm. We weren’t aware of this fact before we booked our apartment. This wasn’t the type of pub we would choose.

The second balcony up is our apartment. Outside tables were situated below our balcony and windows. The drinking age in the UK is 18 and because this pub was one of the cheaper pubs many young people congregated to drink and smoke and enjoy themselves loudly each night. OYE. Such a nice apartment in a wonderful location with this downside. Thankfully we packed earplugs and there was a fan in our bedroom that we utilized for white noise. It was quiet from 2am until 8am so that was a plus. We decided to go with the flow and enjoy the upside to this apartment and not get in a snit about the downside.

Looking out our apartment window we said goodnight to our first day in the United Kingdom.

Back to the present we are getting more acclimated and feeling less tired. Hopefully we’ll be able to sleep longer into the morning, too.

Good to be Home

We left the other side of the mountains for our 5 plus hour drive Monday at 3:15 am because sadly we both woke up earlier and couldn’t get back to sleep. We are recuperating and trying to get our internal clocks back in sync with the West Coast. It’s not easy. My head feels like stone. When the creative side of my brain starts working again I’ll start on my posts from Oxford and beyond. Thank you for your visits and following along on our trip.

Our Colville kids stopped by for a short visit and it was so good to get hugs from our grands.

On the highway home we spotted Fall colors and changing leaves. Soon those leaves will be falling. Hope all is well in your corners. Praying for those of you who have storms coming your way and for our friends on Prince Edward Island that their power will be restored soon!

Back in the USA!

We said our goodbyes to our British friends and made the journey home on Saturday. Our flight took an hour longer than usual because of weather over Greenland that diverted our flight path over Canada instead of the arctic path, 10 hours instead of 9. Customs in both London and in Seattle have really been simplified. We are resting up at our ‘Coast Kids’ home. Thankful that they could pick us up at the airport and house us. We will be driving the 5ish hours home on Monday. Looking forward to being home again soon.