making up syllables: low down lon don, pt. 2

part two, abi's redemption/the fall of abi. last we left off abi had faltered a bit on her hosting duties, but the next few days was where she would do her best to make up for it. we would be visiting her comfort zone after all, oxford and woodstock, where she claims she was raised. but first we had to have breakfast didn't we? and what better breakfast in england than a good traditional english breakfast at a greasy spoon? regency cafe, somewhere in london, fit the bill quite well. if you ever decide to go i'd suggest showing up well before noon, when they close, and being mindful of your order lest you get yelled at by the hostess. none of these things happened to us but i was left with the impression that it wouldn't be pleasant if either had.

we caught the train at paddington station in the nick of time and headed first to oxford, home of oxford university. the oxford campus, from what we saw, is quite lovely. the grounds and city are easily walkable and everything is photogenic in that classically european way. except that it's still a college town so there are plenty of modern shops and stuff about, which tends to ruin the mood. not to mention all the tourists! probably a bunch of americans if you know what i mean. actually it was graduation weekend so i imagine there were a large number of families in attendance. anyway, after walking the grounds for awhile we stopped in at the eagle & child pub (do they just put two random nouns together when naming these pubs or is there some kind of story behind all of them?). this particular pub was noted for its literary background, specifically as the stomping grounds for c. s. lewis and j. r. r. tolkein. so us two had a pimm's cup and no doubt filled its halls with the level of banter it was used to in their time, as you can probably tell from the photos below.

eventually we caught a bus and headed to the home of abi's infant years, woodstock. woodstock is like small town america if small town america was much older and built around a massive palace grounds. it has a nice relaxed feel and you get the impression that everyone knows everyone else and gossip spreads around quickly. i was particularly interested in woodstock because i would get to meet abi's father's friends who she always talks about, particularly wolfy and mick. after settling in at her aunts we made our way to the king's arms, not to be confused with the king's head right down the road. wouldn't you know it there wasn't a wolfy or a mick to be seen? but we decided to wait and have a drink and our patience was rewarded. i first met wolfy, a man probably in his 50's or 60's but seemed to have lived several lives over from the stories he told. from what i could piece together he started in the music industry as a grip or roady sort and eventually moved up to a promoter type position. now he travels the world with musicians booking and promoting their shows. he was apparently just in south america with sting (or some other outrageous combination of country and artist) and told us about a time he was hanging out with woody nelson, kris kristofferson, and waylon jennings. in between stories he would offer us life lessons and world wise tips. in short, the wait for wolfy was worth it. eventually i would also meet mick but he was more reserved. stuck to a seat in the corner and offered words here and there to his friends. occasionally him and abi would go outside for a smoke. he seemed like a man confident in himself but slightly awkward with others, like a mob boss in a children's home. and then there was taffy, apparently a generic nickname for people from wales thanks to the river taff over there. taffy, just the night prior to our visit, had gotten drunk and decided he needed a haircut so had shaved off all his hair. this was the big news in woodstock, at least at the king's arms. taffy was a funny guy if not a little crude...more like straightforward. the funny thing about all these guys was that you could tell they had protective paternal instincts for abi - giving her advice, congratulating her progress in england thus far, providing a nice supportive network of aging english men. just what every girl needs.

the next day we spent mostly on the grounds of blenheim palace, birthplace of winston churchill and residence of the dukes of marlborough. it is a massive place, full of greenery and sheep and sheep poop and also one very big house. we walked around for awhile and had lunch outside. then we went back to the king's arms for afternoon drinks. apparently life in woodstock revolves around the king's arms. our good friends mick and taffy were there and so we had perhaps too much to drink for that time of day. eventually, however, we decided to go back to blenheim palace and catch a cricket match being played on its lawn. through some crafty trickery abi was able to get us in for free (i will say that she knew her way around woodstock pretty well) and so we set up shop around the ring. this was probably the first time i've ever watched cricket in earnest and i'm not positive i could explain what was going on. so everything is set up in a circle with two wickets spread out in the center. the pitcher is on one end and a batter on the other. if a batter hits the ball he can decide whether he wants to run or not. and if he runs then he stays on base while someone else hits. the pitcher has to try and hit the wickets. and then the outfielders try and catch this large clay ball. and i have no idea how its scored or outed. but it was nice to watch, especially in that ideal setting.

after watching the match for awhile - cricket matches can apparently last for days - we retrieved our belongings and caught the bus back to oxford and then the train back to london. we were so close and abi was doing so well but once again the bus system was her undoing. apparently she took a risk on a bus number and we ended up some miles away from our destination and instead of backtracking and finding the right bus it was decided we could just walk it using google maps to guide us. and we did eventually make it back, a good hour and a half after getting off the bus. so again, abi if you are reading this, learn the bus system.

the next day was kind of a personal day. i sat in a starbucks uploading photos and eventually met jamie to do some australia shopping. then in the evening i met jill's sister susan at emma and will's (her daughter and son-in-law, respectively). i haven't seen emma and will since julie's (jill's daughter) wedding, and they are now expecting their first in august, so it was nice that we found a way to meet in their no doubt busy schedule. they have a nice spot in southeast london right on the river near the domed O2 building. they did a holiday in australia not unlike the one i'm about to do so they were able to give me all sorts of tips over drinks and dinner. after saying our goodbyes, susan and i hopped in her car and she drove us to bristol. along the way there was a surprisingly harsh storm that filled the sky with an impressive mix of blacks and oranges, reds and blues. i didn't have my camera at the ready or i would have taken some photos.

and so that's it for london (for now, back again after edinburgh). next stop, bristol.