Final Oxford 2013 post

We leave Sunday, so now it's the mad dash to settle accounts, pack, and say goodbyes.

*sniffle*

And yet, I am so EXCITED to be home after 7 weeks away! My kitty, my house, my TV, my bed, my quiet work space, my AIR CONDITIONING -- I yearn for them all.

So . . . I'll sum up the last couple of weeks quickly.


Weekend before last we went to Cheltenham! Or near it, at least. Here we are at the highest point in the Cotswolds. Too bad a piece of my hair blew into Steve's face -- any photoshop whizzes out there know how to delete that renegade strand? Anyway, we spent the weekend hiking about, eating good food, and even visiting a castle with friends Liesa (who also taught in the OU law summer program), Becky (who worked at the front end to get the program going), and Liesa's daughter JK (who adds class and charm to every endeavor).


Couldn't leave Cheltenham without visiting the famous racecourse, which you can sorta see at the right.


We returned to Oxford to find our friends Bede, Leigh, DeAnne, Kevin, Glenda, and Brandon nicely settled at Keble College. Frolicking commenced, including a day out punting the Cherwell. (Bede's friend Dominic is managing the pole in this photo.)

We also:
-- climbed the tower at St. Mary's Church
-- visited every pub in Oxford (well, Leigh did, anyway)
-- had a fancy tea at the Old Parsonage
-- ate delicious Indian food in Jericho
-- got rained out during a Saturday evening performance of Merry Wives of Windsor (but four of us went back later and enjoyed the entire play muchly -- one of the best Shakespeare performances I've ever seen)
-- ate delicious Italian food in Summertown, and . . .


walked through Port Meadow to have a Sunday roast at The Trout Inn. Above you can see us at the ruins of Godstow Abbey before our walk back to Oxford.


And finally, since I can't help taunting you with tea photos, here is Caroline, Brasenose's lovely conference manager, admiring the tea tray at the Old Parsonage. After enjoying the "very high" tea earlier with the gang, I had to coax Caroline and her officemate Denise to come out for the same tea experience. We were severely harrassed by wasps, but otherwise it was a lovely afternoon.

I could share a million more photos, but nobody has patience for all that, so maybe I'll put them on Flickr one of these days?

Now, back to packing . . . hope to see you soon!

P.S. I have a book coming out IN LESS THAN A MONTH. Eeeek!

[Cross-posted at Livejournal]

Filming in Cambridge and . . . running away with the Circus!

Last weekend was all work and no play in Cambridge. Of course, it's always uplifting to be in the midst of such gorgeous surroundings, but we are not professional filmmakers by any means, so making a promo video for THE DARK BETWEEN took a lot of patience, creativity, and hard slog.

(And seeing myself on video? Very humbling, if not downright depressing.)


Anyhoo, after a sweaty, crowded train from London, we arrived to a rather frantic and swarming Cambridge. Apparently Open Days were wrapping up. By that evening, however, the streets were pretty calm (as you can see above).


On Saturday we met up with Harry, a PhD candidate at Corpus Christi College, who provided a fabulous insider's view of Cambridge and its history.


My favorite part of the day was revisiting Newnham College, the inspiration for Summerfield in THE DARK BETWEEN. Our past few visits have been during the gloom and rain, but the sun came forth with a vengeance for our filming expedition. Aren't the bright flowers wonderful?

This flurry of filming came to an end with a 3+ hour bus ride back to Oxford that took place at exactly the same time as the Wimbledon showdown between Murray and Djokovic. Alas! But hooray for Blighty!

Now . . . the circus. As far as I can remember, I never went to any sort of circus as a child and, to be honest, I never really wanted to -- clowns have always scared me. Last week when we saw the old timey wagons pulling into University Parks, I was skeptical. But then I read more about Gifford's Circus and learned that its founder, Nell Gifford, read English at Oxford before beginning her circus career. The reviews were positive (here's a fun recap with photos), so we decided to give it a go.

It was FABULOUS! A grand, old fashioned event under a tent with vaudeville comedy and music, magic shows, dressage demonstrations, and gasp-inducing acrobatics. At the end they invited all the kids to dance with the performers, and even after the performers left, the kids were still tumbling about, no doubt dreaming of running away with the circus. It warmed my heart, I tell you.


And really, where else are you going to see a fawn on a tightrope?

Have a great week everybody!

[Cross-posted to Livejournal]

Friday favorites

Favorite thing #1: You know how I love to give away books, so just thought I'd let you know that these lovely people won books and/or swag in the last giveaway:

Tiffany D.
N Marie M.
Tiffany A.
Jenna J.

Thanks to everyone who entered!

Favorite thing #2: Amy Plum! If you're still keen for a DARK BETWEEN advance copy, Amy will be offering one for her next Contest Monday. Check her webpage on June 17!

Favorite thing #3: Daylilies!



The top left and bottom right look a lot alike in the photos, but the bottom right is actually more orangey-yellow. They are all very pretty and have just started blooming. Sadly, we will miss their best days while we are overseas.

But that brings me to Favorite thing #4: OXFORD!


We're off again for another summer at Brasenose College in Oxford. This year we're leaving a little early so that Steve can attend a conference in Zurich, Switzerland. (My first time in this country!) In addition to our Oxford frivolities (or "work" as Steve would call it), we'll spend a weekend in Cambridge getting photos and film footage related to THE DARK BETWEEN. Prepare thyself for photo spamming. :)

Now must return to getting the house ready for our wonderful house sitter. (Cedric is very smitten with this individual.)

Any exciting summer plans of your own to share?

[Cross-posted at Livejournal]