a blue cloud cloth

"I believe in some blending of hope and sunshine sweetening the worst lots. I believe that this life is not all; neither the beginning nor the end. I believe while I tremble; I trust while I weep."

Spoils from England

Black Mountains, Brecon Beacons National Park

DAY SEVEN cont. We drove through the foothills of the Black Mountains in Brecon Beacons National Park to see these ruins at the Llanthony Priory Hotel. An Agustinian monastery built in 1109, it was destroyed in 1503.

Oxford, U.K. | DAY SEVEN We took a day trip to the border of Wales. We rented a car, and I drove on the left side of the road and managed all the roundabouts fairly well. The narrow, hedged lanes in the country were the worst- when there was an oncoming car, one of us had to reverse to wherever the lane widened enough to let the other pass. We first stopped at Hay-on-wye, a small welsh town known for their high concentration of bookshops. It was charming. We had afternoon tea there as well.

Oxford, U.K. There are pops of color everywhere.

Oxford, U.K. | DAY FIVE We went punting. Or rather K punted and I took all the pictures. I lack the necessary muscle groups to make much of a go of it. At one point an older man running up on the bank saw us an attempted to yell instructions. Then he tried to mansplain basic physics because he apparently thought we were that dumb. Then he jumped in with us and brought us round the bend before finally giving up. We still made it back on time, though.

Oxford, U.K. | DAY FOUR The morning was spent enjoying the rare sunshine and gentle breeze in K's backyard. She read for her paper and I read for pleasure- our books ended up rather at odds. We had plans to go punting in the afternoon, but a heavy deluge interrupted rather thunderously and we sought shelter in the cloisters before dashing to the Lamb and the Flag, a 500-year old pub where Tolkien first read Lord of the Rings.

Oxford, U.K.

Oxford, U.K. | DAY THREE St. Giles Church

Oxford, UK | DAY TWO Some random pictures about town and New College.

<p>Oxford, UK | DAY TWO</p> <p>I’m a day behind on posting, but I never had a chance to finish yesterday’s adventures, so here they here. </p> <p>We climbed The bell tower at New College. It was a long, steep, arduous climb that may have cause a slight panic attack two thirds of the way up. Also I may or may not have been the main one panicking. </p> <p>We had to sign a waiver, stating we had not imbibed or that we were currently in throes of exams. Then we had to take our waiver to the porter who, after obtaining K’s student card, gave us the key and instructions that mainly concerned the steepness and narrowness of the steps. </p> <p>From there we proceeded to the cloisters and the large, imposing door that graced one of the walls. </p> <p>The views were gorgeous, and once we reached the top we were under the influence of the adrenaline rush and it was such fun. We even made our way down without incident, though we did pause to rest on a bench in the cloisters until my legs stabilized again.

Oxford, UK | DAY TWO Today was full of adventures that warrant separate posts. Most of it was spent exploring New College. The pictures above are from the grounds and the chapel. For you Harry Potter lovers, do you recognize the tree?

Oxford, UK. DAY ONE Today I slept in till noon because jet lag. We had a proper Sunday roast, then K had to write a paper so we spent the rest of the afternoon at Queen's Lane Coffee House which is reputed to be the oldest coffee shop in the city. I wandered around at one point in hopes of finding a SIM card but the shop was closed. The large building in the middle is the Radcliffe Camera, part of the Bodelian library at the university. It's sprinkled some, but so far the rain has held off.

5/12/2016 Brooklyn Botanic Garden | part 2

5/12/2016 Brooklyn Botanic Garden | part 1