Linton Lodge Oxford

... by Ridgway Christian Fellowship, and bought the Spring Harvest Live album 2009. Sun 11th October. Lots of rowers out on the river. We went to Ridgway CF for their 10am service. Good welcome, good talk, mainly modern songs. Several songs we didn't know (do they write their own perhaps?) Had a very good value Sunday roast at the Dolphin, and walked back to Gabriel in the rain. Bernard and Chris, the church leaders, came for tea on our boat. We went to their 7pm "Outpouring meeting ...

I am shortly off on a trip to South China and will be using Travlepod to keep a blog again. I have added a few names to the mailing list and kept the old ones too. If anyone would prefer not to receive notifications of my travels, please let me know and I will take you off the list!
All the best
Helen

... arrived in Banbury and found BCF boats Sonflower, Juke's memory and the Stella May. Our mooring for Canal Day was on Spiceball Park by Tom Rolt Bridge, by a useful patch of grass for the Sunday service and the gazebo. Caroline arrived on Scyeffe. We went to Peter and Fran Braybrook's for a very pleasant evening meal. We discovered then that Caroline had bought Little Bourton Lock Cottage. Sat 3rd October. We went shopping at Morrison's, as the closer Somerfield's has closed. Then ...

... architecturally impressive
- Alice in Wonderland's shop: dingy, twee, ****** and wouldn't recommend it
- Christchurch Cathedral and College: again, beautiful old building with lovely manicured gardens. We watched the little tackers play rugger on the sports field
- Christchurch War Memorial Garden: lovely gardens

We weren't all that impressed with Oxford as a city centre mainly ...

... We may have been the first Hollywood wedding the vicar had down (his words!) but Tom Parker-Bowles had married there with Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall attending along with Princes William and Harry in 2005.

The service was short, lovely and very similar to a regular wedding service - complete with ring exchange and vows.

After the service we took a few photos in the church before heading off to the pub. The pub - The ...

... was very bloody, less so in England than Germany, but awful nonetheless. Hugh Ridley and Nicholas Latimer were preachers and theologians, spreading the Protestant faith and, at last, giving their lives for the Lord they loved and knew. They were burnt together in one of Mary Tudor's autos-da-fe on October 16th, 1555, at Oxford. Cranmer had been, among other things, co-author of the Book of Common Prayer and first Anglican Archbishop of ...

... and headed on to oxford. Once in oxford we had a guided tour of the city which explained the history, architecture and of course locations where the harry potter movies er filmed. Then off to the pub for a sneaky pint before heading to the hotel to check in. Time for a quick shower and change of clothes and then off for some dinner.

Early night tonight still feeling the effects of jet-lag and a cold!

... the same story. However Wednesday night before crawling into bed I noticed a familiar sight out my window as snow was trickling down. I looked out and there was just enough to cover the road and cars but it was now well below 0 as it was night and didn't look to be letting up. Thursday morning was like Christmas morning as I looked out my window as soon as my alarm went off and saw what appeared to be a good 10cm-20cm of snow. The cars were ...

... window and saw the snow and it hit me, I am here studying at Oxford University. I know I have said this many times, but I am just so greateful for this (amazing doesn't encapsulae this) stupendous experience. After just a few hours, Kristin and I have been able to share great experiences and I look so forward with so much hope to the rest of my time here. My best friend Kyle recently sent me a ...

... to channel water out of here and it's a lot like a giant spider web of concrete rivers that most people don't even see as there tucked in beside buildings and is usually overgrown with trees. They have a large supply of sandbags and personal on constant alert in case things go south and they get on it pretty quick. I asked her if were in danger and our flat is in the clear. We are on the side of a hill and nowhere near the low areas of the ...