Patsy's Ponds

 We reently went to Oxford, with some friends of Wolfie and their family. We went to the Science Oxford Centre, where we could visit Patsy's Ponds, which are restored by the Patsy Wood Trust. Now I love ponds, I love how they are small, quiet, unassuming areas of widlife. I find them calming and so very atmospheric at the same time. So yeah, I took a few snapshots. Am I the only one who find ponds pretty and so darn charming?

The Bright Kid

 Yesterday, we went to a family gathering on my wife's side (well, of course on my wife's side, my own side of the family is kind of far). One of her aunts told me that the last time they had all been together like this was on our wedding day. There was one of the people there, the son of my wife's cousin, whom I hadn't seen in a while and was really eager to meet again. You see, when he was like two or three, he had become quite fond of me, a sweet little boy with an inquisitve mind. We always got aong well. Well, the sweet little boy just graduated from the University of Oxford this year and will start his very first real job this September in London. I am really impressed and feel so priviledged that he always liked me. We didn't have time to speak much, but we really enjoyed our catching up. So yeah, long story short, I'm the friend of a really bright kid.

Un dodo

Mon fils est allé il y a une semaine au Musée de l'histoire naturelle de l'Université d'Oxford. J'étais au travail, alors il est allé avec sa mère et sa grand-mère, pour y rencontrer son cousin (le fils de ma belle-soeur). Je n'ai pas pu y être, donc, mais Wolfie a été généreux: il m'a acheté un petit dodo en toutou. Et il a même insisté pour que le dodo soit à moi et pas à lui ou à sa mère (au grand dam de celle-ci). Mais bon, il est pas mal mignon et il se porte bien, surtout pour un animal disparu depuis le XVIIe siècle.

Knowing places in books

 I am currently reading A Spy Alone, which I am enjoying quite a lot. I started it not expecting much, just a half decent thriller, but it really caught my attention. Anyway, in the very first pages, it mentions and features two cities, Oxford and Reading. The former is more prominent than the latter, and the latter is truly a large town, not a city, but I digress. I have been to both is what I wanted to say. And it is one of the little bit of literary joys I have when I read: that first-hand knowledge of a place you are reading about. Am I the only one who feels like this? What about you?

A railway in the garden

Here is a bit of anecdotal news which I have been wanting to comment on. My wife recently found this article about a home in Oxfordshire that has a railway in its garden. It is up for sale. The railway has been built by a railway enthusiast, obviously, in a country that is full of them and thankfully full of engineers (professional or amateurs) too. The tracks were built in 2007. Anyway, you read the article. Sadly, while we are not far from Oxfordshire, we are not nearby either and at more than a million of course we cannot afford it, but doesn't that sound like a dream house? Well, dream garden, more like. That garden is a proper playground. If I had the house, it would encourage me to tend its garden, even though I am lousy at gardening. Anyway, I know it won't happen, but one can dream.

Dark Blue Oxford University Ale

A bit of context: we went today to the Didcot Railway Centre. Our very first trip there, but not our last. We also had lunch there and with my lunch, I had a local product (since we were in Oxfordshire and all). The Dark Blue Oxford University Ale from White Horse Brewery. Sadly, there was no glass to pour the beer in, so I could appreciate its colour, which is dark chestnut, not dark blue. I know I had some from this brewery before, but cannot remember which one or when. I will try to drink some more of them, because it was really enjoyable, although this may be due to the circumstances than the beer itself. A dark ale on a cool, cloudy day, then a few trips on vintage trains. What's not to love? No seriously, I love than in this country, you can have proper brews in museums, not merely some generic beers.