When I left you, I was but the learner

Fi & I spent some time Christmas shopping in London last weekend, & we came across some fantastic Lego builds in the toy section of John Lewis.  Representing were Vader:

Threepio:

& R2:

I don't spend enough time in department stores to know whether these are commonplace, but I was pretty excited (as were most of the display's target audience) to see them out in JL.  Star Wars makes everything better.

Winter Wonderland

Oxford University Press U.K. has spared no expense decorating for Christmas.  OUP elves have festooned the building's interior with ornaments, garland, & lights, & the whole display does wonders for boosting the Christmas spirit.  Perhaps my favorite part is the tree placed in the courtyard just behind the Walton St. entrance.

Isn't it nice?  This is one of probably ten placed around the compound.  I really appreciate working in a place where people aren't scared to rock out the seasonal decor.

Jenny & Barrett's visit

After spending a couple of days vacationing in Scotland, Jenny & Barrett came to visit us in Oxford for Thanksgiving.  With her usual dedication & care, Fi had them out & about taking in all the best sights from the time they arrived.  For whatever reason though (probably beer), I lapsed big-time on my picture-taking responsibilities, so as I sit here in attempt to cobble together a post, I've got about 5 usable shots at the ready.  With that apology, I give you my abbreviated version of J&B's time with us in the UK...

Here's J&B on the bus from Oxford to London, where we spent Friday & Saturday:

The happy couple sharing the frame with St. Paul's & the Millenium Bridge:

& then tippling a tasty beverage at the Swan:

In front of the Tower Bridge (not to be confused with the London Bridge):

Slightly fuzzy at the Christmas Market.  I'm sure that has nothing to do with glühwein.

The best for last, ladies & gentlemen, my sister (before the UT v. A&M game).

Tania's Birthday Tea

The weekend before Thanksgiving, I accompanied the Mooring ladies to afternoon tea in celebration of Tania's birthday.  I was pretty excited about the prospect.  Even though we had tea with my parents at the Old Parsonage in Oxford only a short while ago, somehow it didn't quite pack the punch of my previous experiences at the fancy London hotels.  Lucky for me, the gals had booked at The Langham, which has been, in my short experience, the city's finest tea-serving establishment.

Since the faithful readers of you will have already read my tea-narratives from earlier in the year, I'll spare the lengthy descriptions & skip straight to the crowd pleasers.  Germanophiles will be happy to know the Langham features a selection of über teas.

Here's the table.  We sat around it on small couches & armchairs.

The birthday girl & her fam...

One of your narrator for a change

Finally, the moment you've all been waiting for, our food.

Delicious.  You know, my birthday is less than a month away.  Perhaps there'll be a tea for that occasion?

Christmas Time is Here!

Behold, Gloucester Green Market's finest pint-sized Blue Spruce, decorated with care.  'Tis the season, after all, for Tannenbaums, mulled wine, mince pies, & A Charlie Brown Christmas.  

I never thought it was such a bad little tree.  It's not bad at all, really.

My Favorite Things

Oxford's quite a pretty place in the fall.  The leaves here show the season like no place else I've ever lived, so it feels pretty special this time of year.  Walking through the autumnal foliage in the last few weeks has caused me to think a few times about what it is I appreciate about living in England (besides my special lady friend, of course--she's the #1 reason to be here).  One of the top contenders right now:

Ale

Real ale, or bitter, as its also known, offers a new beginning to those of us weaned on fizzy, insipid lager (what up, Miller Lite). Granted, the carbonation void makes for a huge hurdle (there's no carbon dioxide added to cask ale, so it's totally flat compared to traditional lagers).  It took me more than a few pints before I got over the feeling that I was drinking beer that'd been left out overnight.  In spite of the learning curve, even the worst English ales have a huge leg up on the majority of American beers in the flavor dept, & the difference can be eye-opening.  The varieties available are nearly endless, so I try to branch out as much as possible & taste different kinds.  Since many regions here have their own breweries, who change their offerings with the seasons, there's always something new to try.  Over the last 9 months, I've been building up a list of favorites.  Here's the first string as of now:

1. Adnam's Broadside

2. Fuller's 1845

3. Hobgoblin

4. Old Peculier

5. Brakspear Organic Oxford Gold

Hampshire

Last weekend Fi & I went to visit a good friend, Louisa, at her parents' house in Hampshire, a county about an hour due south of Oxfordshire.  Louisa lives in London now, but occasionally she spends the wknds at this house & tries to cajole us into coming along.  Even though it's taken awhile, I'm really glad we finally fit it into our schedule. This place was gorgeous.

Louisa also had another couple visiting, Viv & Andy, from London.  The wknd consisted mostly of the 5 of us eating & drinking, but we did take a stroll around at one point on Saturday afternoon, so I availed myself of that opportunity to snap some photos for a blog post.

Pretty, isn't it?  The sun was in & out while we were on our stroll, so the sky looks gorgeous in some of the pictures.  In others, it looks like we're in England.

No shortage of waist-high ferns in this part of the wilderness.  Very cool.

Private property in England is often still passable for walkers.  In cases where a traipse across the grounds isn't verboten, there will be steps built into the fence.

Here's a view of the house from the back.

This means 'not welcome'.

Here are a couple from the back porch, overlooking an enormous oak tree.  If you look closely in the distance, beyond the fence, you'll see a small flock of sheep.

To end, a shot of Fi in her natural habitat, roasting her cheeks by the fireside.