Oxfordshire Ramblings...

When did it get so hard to get up at 8:30?!

So, yesterday my Mother, Brother, and I got in the car at a silly time in the morning to go a visiting our beloved and well distanced (as in miles) Grandfather in the lovely and very English county of Oxfordshire.

It was decided early on that my brother and I should explore the lovely workings of the inner city of the fine county while Grandpa and Mum got on with other more important things. So for a ploy of entertainment we were dropped off on the outer town-ish area and we proceeded towards the lovely interior.

Crossing the wide River Cherwell across the prestigious Magdalen Bridge walking towards the famous Magdalen College you find yourself swamped with, not only a massive amount of beauty found in the architecture of the ancient city, but swathes and swathes of tourists. I know my brother and I were just visiting, and that happened to be one of our few times venturing into the centre of the royal city, but we had been visiting the county for some time now - believe it or not, for as long as our grandparents had lived there, which just so happens to be all our lives. So we're locals now I suppose - aren't we?

Whilst crossing the bridge on one side, there must have been a College Open Day/Graduation Ceremony/Walking Tour happening on the other side of the bridge because as we entered on one side about two-hundred people exited on the other side, they were all wearing their boaters (it's a type of hat) and jumping along simultaneously. It was soo bizarre - but hugely entertaining (as was the aim of the trip).

And speaking of entertaining, whilst trying to shop - it being my mother's birthday right now today this very moment, well it will be tomorrow by the time this is posted - we exited a shopping centre after rummaging through the Game and Game Station, and Next (as I reminded my brother that it was our mother's birthday tomorrow) we came across and entire brass band finishing a rendition of 'Hey Jude' by the Beetles. Then later on - as we couldn't stay and watch the brass band because my brother wasn't willing to - we bumped into a woman singing Opera whilst busking. I thought to my self, and to my brother, 'Bloody Hell! In Bridgend we've only got One Pipper, and In Carmarthen all I've seen is a pair of Fiddlers' (we chuckled). The cities must be rolling in it, to have such events (I know they are, I'm not a simpleton).

Anyway, the problem I find with cities is that they're full of people, and they're often far too large. A problem I don't often counter because of living in such places as Bridgend and Carmarthen. I like the country, I was born to the country and I will hopefully die there too (who knows, mauled by a humungous bear, or perhaps just a really hungry house cat). I am against the hunt, not because I'm urban, but because I'm the son of Nigel John Ajax-Lewis, Chief Conservation Officer of South and West Wales. You need to conserve what you can. But I'm getting off the subject...

As I said, cities are far too large for what they are. But that's not why I complain. I complain because our blessed mother told us that it was just three miles home - well to grandpa's home - from town. So we thought, it's a nice day, why not walk back? (I had just treated my brother to a Pizza Hut so we were quite refreshed - you still owe me £10 you bastard!) We walked for about two-and-a-half hours stopping along the way to buy even more fluids - it was a really warm day. We got home and were informed by our grandfather that the trip was actually closer to six miles. Now I'm a fan of walking, and I can walk more than six miles on a good day, but yesterday was not a good walking-day weather day. The sun was so very warm and you could feel the heat bouncing from the pavement - and I had neither hat nor shades. Either way it was a good day out.

But that's me, until next time bloggers...