The lazy days in Oxford continue! The academic year does start back up in around two weeks, and this year's class of incoming Rhodies is starting to arrive (how'd that happen? time flies!). More and more friends are back in town, and we've been trying to take advantage of the still-pleasant weather before the sun forsakes us for a few months. On that note, a friend and I made a fun all-day sojourn out to the Cotswolds one day this past week, which was like visiting our own little corner of the Shire. We took a train out half an hour from Oxford, then disembarked in a tiny adorable town full of midday markets and elderly British people, and after grabbing lunch at a tea parlor in town we headed out on a walk through the fields and scenery surrounding the area.
The country paths around here ramble through an assortment of fields, privately owned by farmers, and we made it through a series of gates and also made a couple of cow friends along the way.
All the tiny villages we passed were quaint, hobbit-sized, and charming. I didn't get photos of any of the houses, many of which had thatch roofs, but here's one of the churches we passed:
And an idyllic field, complete with fall leaves and a couple of sleek mares and their foals lounging in the grass. Again, good company, good weather, and this kind of day: what more could I ask for? I've realized that in recent weeks Oxford is finally feeling more like home. The house is contributing to that, for sure, but so are deepening friendships and a sense of camaraderie and adventure in this quirky little isle.
I'll have more quirkiness to report soon, since I'm off in less than an hour to attend a Stanford black-tie gala dinner at a royal palace in London, but that will be a story for my next post. (I'll try to brush up on my curtsying before then, don't worry.)
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