The City of Dreaming Spires

On Saturday Mr B and I spent a freezing day exploring Oxford. We walked, we window-shopped, we sight-saw, we drank, we ate, we cinema-ed and I snapped...

a lot

so here

just for you

is our day

in pictures


Outside Christ Church College




It was so cold, but so nicely clear and bright!




Inside Christ Church Cathedral


One day, maybe, no hopefully, we'll live in a little house like this


Exeter College & the Bodleian Library





The Bridge of Sighs. I think we'll be seeing a lot more bridges like this one in May!!


I just love buildings like this!


A market stall on the high street. We were ever-so good and only window-shopped. I am very impressed with my willpower so far this month (we'll just conveniently forget about the necklace!).


We had refreshments in the 'Morse Bar' in the Randolph Hotel (named after Inspector Morse /John Thaw who frequented this bar lots). I drank a whole pot of tea (English breakfast of course) and Mr B drunk a beer made from champagne (very posh).

Then we went to the cinema and watched Valkyrie. After all the negative reviews it received I was not expecting much (even though the stellar cast excited me) but I was pleasantly surprised. As a big WW2 geek, I am happy that such an historically accurate, gutsy and sympathetic film was produced. The actors were superb, Bill Nighy especially. If you're interested in WW2, or are looking for a serious drama I recommend it.


We had a lovely day and hope to go again soon to try out this restaurant that we didn't get a chance to eat at... the queue snaked down the road outside and there was no way I was waiting an hour or two in the cold, even for a Jamie Oliver Italian. Can we go sometime soon though Mr B? Please? Pretty please?

Thanking you

I would like to say a big thank you to all of you who wrote such lovely comments yesterday. It's always so difficult when a friend, furry or otherwise, passes away and it is really comforting knowing you all understand and sympathise.

Today has been easier than yesterday. This weekend we'll have a little send-off for Simba in my parents' garden.

Mr B and I had such a great time in Oxford last weekend. My photos came back from the developers today, so tomorrow I will tell you all about Oxford and share my photos (I'll be writing the post while at work of course)!

Thanks again lovely ladies.

Goodbye

This morning we had to say goodbye to one of the sweetest little friends we have known, Simba.

On Sunday night she fell out of the hutch. We thought she was ok after the fall as she was hopping around, she just seemed a bit shocked. However yesterday evening she wasn't moving her back legs at all so we took her to the vet. He gave her painkillers and a sedative and she stayed there overnight. This morning she hadn't improved. The vet x-rayed her and saw that she had broken her back.

We held her while our Simba drifted off to sleep. She was so calm and so beautiful.

We will miss you.

Blast from the Past

The first week after I joined Facebook most of my school friends added me as their friend. It was deliciously intriguing seeing what everyone looked like & what they were up to now, sometimes as long as 19 years on.

I couldn't get enough.

I was playing with sylvanian families and rainbow brite, receiving party bags on a regular basis and imagining that I would become a princess when I last saw some of these Facebook friends.

How wonderful it was to find these old friends again, after so long.

But now, a couple of years after I first joined, Facebook is not as entertaining as it once was. The initial finding friends frenzy has died and things aren't as interesting as in those first few months.
But this morning I had a friend request, from a friend from long ago. I had, I'm ashamed to say, completely forgotten her. The last time we saw each other was on my last day of my first school, when I was 7. When I clicked on her page I remembered her. She's hardly changed! How could I possibly have forgotten her? She has 2 gorgeous children now. I never would have known. When I looked through her photos I remembered I have photos of her, when we were the same age as her daughter now, and I smiled.

Facebook is just great sometimes, isn't it?

I couldn't resist

Hooray I bought the necklace!

Thanks for the encouragement to buy it ladies (not that I needed much of a push)!

I hope you all have lovely weekends.

I will be exploring the towers and treasures of Oxford with my man...



Oh I do love England.

The good, the bad and the not-so ugly

The Good
I am looking forward to yoga so much tonight. My back feels like one big knot. I keep shifting in my chair trying to make it click, but alas I'm no chiropractor. Stretching and rolling and lying on the wooden floor tonight will be heavenly.

Our celebratory trip to venice for my parents' ruby wedding anniversary is all booked!!!!! I am ohsoexcited!! I really cannot wait! Have any of you been to Venice? Have you got any recommendations? Can you tell just how excited I am yet? aaaaaahhhhhhh!

I am looking forward to spending a weekend with Mr B in Oxford. We will walk, go to a tearoom, enjoy dinner out somewhere nice, perhaps visit Christchurch College or the Ashmolean Museum and I will take lots of proper photos with my Minolta for your enjoyment next week.

I am loving 'her glossiness' lip gloss by Benefit. Mr B thoughtfully bought it for me for Christmas... high five Mr!

The Bad
I cut my own fringe last night. It needs improvement.

I think I prefer myself blonde but 1. There's no sun whatsoever helping my hair along in its quest for goldness. 2. The hairdresser is not embracing the credit crunch yet. Enzo (yes, my hairdresser is called Enzo, cool huh?) please realise that we are in a time of crisis and lower your prices, then I can get some artificial golden help.

I am struggling today at work. My eyes feel scratchy, I feel tired, grumpy and all the rest. I can tell how bad a day I'm having by how many times I press refresh on my hotmail in the hope of a friendly,fun, non-work message. This morning I've pressed refresh 4790 times. Not good.

The not-so ugly



How lovely is this necklace? I am trying my very best not to buy it...

Lovey award

Pink Pearls & Muddy Sneakers has awarded me with this award!! Thank you PP&MS (an aside - we Brits call them trainers!) for thinking of me! Her blog is marvellous - she makes me laugh. Go and check it out!

The award states: "These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind of bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to three bloggers who must choose three more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

I would like to give this award to:
Laura
Bama Belle
Kate