Three Summers in a Row!

 As you could tell from the Fat Quarterly Retreat post I was in the UK with the girl. 

 After the FQ weekend the fun didn't stop there!

 Marguerite took me to the Victoria and Albert Museum for lunch before she head home. 

The girl met me there and soon we were off to Oxford. 

In OX the girl stayed with her friends...

...and I got to stay at Magdalen College!!  View from the room...the River Cherwell and Magdalen Bridge!

 I also stayed with one of the girl's friends and her family but neglected to take a photo! 

Thanks so much Jane and gang!!

 Keeping the fun going was another meet up with my buddies Jo and Mr. D! He was so kind to humor us with a visit to a couple yarn shops and the sneaky Jo left me a little present in my room!

We tromped all around Oxford and Jo pointed out how funny it was that an American was showing them around!:)  Later we met up with the girl and her friends and the most generous and lovely Mr and Mrs treated us to lunch at Turl Street Kitchen!  So yummy! Thanks pals!! xo

 Tuesday we visited The Story Museum so we could see the current exhibit 26 Characters.  I thought it was going to just be photos of 26 famous UK authors dressed as their favorite storybook character but it was much more. Each room is decorated to fit the theme of the storybooks they came from with loads of interaction.  If you get to OX before November go visit....quickly!!

 There is even a talking throne!!:)

(Christ Church's Tom Tower in the background!)

 So many exciting things are happening at The Story Museum. No wonder the girl misses working there!

 View east up High Street from Carfax Tower.  We had gorgeous weather the whole time!

 View from the steps at the Ashmolean Museum.

Took a train ride to Stratford -upon-Avon.  Flowers are everywhere! Alex (in the skirt) used to live and work there so we had a great tour guide.

This is where she worked...the Royal Shakespeare Theatre!:)  

She now works at The Story Museum...still a lucky girl!

 We cruised through the swans on the Avon and had our one an only rain of the trip...a whole five minutes of rain!

 There was a lot of eating....

(Joseph Marcell as King Lear!)

 ....Royal Shakespeare Company production of King Lear in the Bodleian Library Courtyard....

...and ice cream, ice cream, ice cream with most of the roommates the girl had (minus 2) in the 3 1/2 years she lived in Oxford.  Such a wonderful group of friends!

Many other adventures were had but on the day we were to head back home we rushed for one last visit to the V & A...

...I really wanted to see Joey the Horse...the most amazing puppet ever made.  She thinks so too!

Our visit was too brief...but I missed hubby!:)

Thanks for taking me girl! xo

~d

Beautiful Song for a Wonderful Museum!

Greetings all! I just wanted to take a moment to tell you about something close to our hearts and our girl's heart.

Faithful readers all know the girl has been living and working these past three years in the city of  dreaming spires, Oxford, UK.

She's been working for several non profits but  

the one closest to her heart is The Story Museum, a center of children's literature and storytelling, a place of wonder and magic!  

One day the museum will be totally open to the public but in the meantime in their words, 

"The pumpkin is being 

transformed into a coach and taking us one step 

closer to the ball!"

One of the lovely interns, Nat Mahri, has written a song and the proceeds are going to the museum.

Spaces is a beautiful song and can be downloaded for whatever you wish to pay...your call! 

Go give it a listen and hear for yourself!:)

Thanks Natalie!!

~d

She Owns This Place.....Part I of our UK Adventure!

Yes, she owns it...Oxford....home of Oscar Wilde, Lewis Carroll, C.S. Lewis, Susan Cooper, Iris Murdoch, J. R. R. Tolkien and Philip Pullman.  This storied place of 007, 101 Dalmatians, Harry Potter and of course X-Men!

But she owns it!

Walking us about the schools of the University of Oxford...

...and the Radcliffe Camera ...

....Christ Church College...

...and the Bridge of Sighs....she showed us her home away from home!

While in the UK we had the joy of meeting up with lots of online peeps.  Our first meetup was with the lovely Jo (sewjo) and her equally lovely Mr. D!

The wonderful Mrs and Mr took us to our first palace, Blenheim Palace, home of Sir Winston Churchill and now the current 11th Duke and Duchess of Marlborough.

Here is just a wee shot of it....not to big right....wrong!!

How about this shot?  OMG!! 

But really...the best part of it all was meeting Jo and hubby...I can't do the meeting justice...I get all choked up thinking of it.  Jo said it better...go visit her blog post and tell her I said hi and send hugs and kisses!!:)

One of the things that we will always remember about Oxford is all the bikes...they are everywhere...thousands and thousands of them!

But this one was my favorite.  Maybe my favorite photo of Oxford too....

...other than this one!  The girl and her roommate/best UK buddy holding the Fairy Tale quilt that we were finally able to deliver to her!  I gave up packing more clothes for that puppy but it was worth it as she is wearing it around the house....because since we left it's been cold and the skies haven't stopped weeping!:P

Bird's eye view of Oxford... heart marks the spot where the girl works....lucky, lucky girl...we heart you so!!

~d

Next up ~ the city of Bath

It's Official...She's going to Oxford Brookes....

....Yes....Oxford Brookes in jolly olde Oxford, England...that is where Dear Daughter is going to grad school next Fall to get her MA in Creative Writing!

DD sent her application in this summer and then was supposed to have a phone interview on Thanksgiving morning but the call never came and she just made it to the meal on time! So she waited another week (after hearing the really good excuse why she was stood up, a young person's safety was at issue) and had a lovely chat with England and was told they would recommend her for a spot! Of course we weren't allowed to say anything until she received the "Official Letter" which was killing me! Well, today she received an email from Harriet (her new favorite person and contact at Brookes) saying she was quite in and would be getting a letter in a few days!! So now I am spreading the news and bragging!!:)

Guess Dear Husband best be getting his passport!

~d

ps...Lynz...she is going to want to visit you in Scotland!;)