Oxford Again, 2013

Rebecca studied at Oxford one summer a decade ago and was there another time too and so wanted to visit her old haunts again. We spent a pleasant day walking about, seeing the sights, the haunts, shopping, resting in the park, and more. Not pictured: lunch at Chiang Mai, a Thai restaurant that has become a family favorite since she discovered it and took us there in 1998. As sometimes happens, the food was so good I forgot the documentation. Not least the coconut ice cream served in the half shell.

We always go to the Bodleian Library, which had a special exhibit on "Magical
Books," aka fantasy, something Vicki and Rebecca both enjoy; Professor Tolkien
was amply represented

John Bodley, founder of the Bodleian: "we must preserve our
precious Bodley fluids"

I never miss the School of Metaphysics; which is now the receiving office;
sic transit, Gloria

Mailbox, the old-fashioned way; could have been a prop from Harry Potter

Radcliffe Camera; and turbuss contingent

The glory of Oxford...yes, but how many players do they have in the NFL?

Over-reaching?

Us at the Eagle and Child, 2013

Chiang Mai Kitchen (from its own website)

The Making Of Harry Potter

[We return now to our regularly-scheduled chronological narrative.] Our first sight after picking Rebecca and Penelope up at Heathrow was Warner Brothers' The Making of Harry Potter, aka (to me) Harry Potter World. I took care of Penelope while Vicki and Rebecca did the 4 hour tour (including gift shoppe). You'd think P would be screaming for her mommy under the circumstances, but no, she just adjusted without a whimper and was the happy and easily entertained toddler she was for nearly all the next two weeks. Of course that shouldn't be too difficult when you're the constant center of attention, upon whom new experiences and treats and presents are being showered constantly. That's what grand-parents are for. [Photos by Rebecca; captions by Vicki.]

Harry's cupboard under the stairs

The professors

Same outfit for Harry in different stages of disrepair

Harry's bed; by their 5th year at Hogwarts, the boys could
only lay on them curled up because they were too short

Dumbledor's office

The pink lady

The chessmen

Dragon alley

Wizarding shop

The scale model

Penelope Among The Britons, 2

With Mama and Grandma at Highclere Castle (Downton Abbey)

The four of us; "hi, Claire!"

In Virginia Woolf's Writing Shed, Monk's House; sorry, I
didn't get any pix of her at Jane Austen's

Penelope has always been into sorting and re-sorting rocks, so we thought
Brighton Beach might amuse her...

After fish and chips and mushy peas at Harry Ramsden's, a bowl of strawberry
ice cream

With Grandma on the Volks Electric Train, Brighton

At the Horse Guards, London

Chasing pigeons at St. James Park

On the big screen at BBC Broadcast House

On one of several double-decker rides; "3...to...Oxford Circus"
"3...to...Crystal Palace"

Napping at the V&A

Looking at the dinosaur with Grandma, and the throng, at the Museum of
Natural History

Riding the big trains, underground

And a final plunge in the camper's pool while the grown-ups pack up

Penelope Among The Britons, 1

Normally I would continue with the chronological/narrative flow, such as it is, but, hey, this is the grand-parents' blog, and Penelope is the star, whenever she is available.

First day in Britain, with Mama at Harry Potter World; Penelope, who is not a
Harry Potter fan yet, stayed with Grandpa in the camper 

Outside Alice's (Wonderland, not restaurant) in Oxford

Asleep in the camper; it's impressive how adaptable young children can be;
well, this young child anyway

In the rose garden at Blenheim Palace, collecting petals;
yes, that's a Happy Meal box

Riding the Blenheim train with Grandma and Grandpa; we never miss a train

With Mama at Avebury

Born camper at Longleat

Feeding the deer at Longleat

Three generations at the family castle, Nunney

Princess in her castle

With Mama

At Nunney

In the dress-up room at The Vyne

Building a mud mound at The Vyne

Wallace Collection "Other" Items

Among the best two or three private collections we have seen, maybe the best, so far...

Hertford House, on Manchester Square, a beautiful old town home; the Collection
is that of Richard Seymour-Conway, 4th Marquess of Hertford and his son,
Richard  Wallace; given to the nation by his family, opened in the early 1900s

Just about every room is replete both with paintings and with fine furniture,
porcelain, etc; actually, "fine" doesn't begin to capture it...

The ceramics are all over the museum, the largest collection of Sevres in the
world; and more Meissens than we saw in Dresden

Ditto

There are more than 500 pieces of furniture, mostly 18th century French (evidently
could be had for a song after 1789), many Boulles; here, the Levasseur Grand 
Bibliotheque, 1775; I must learn something about furniture some day (presently I
can only distinguish between Ethan
Allen and Ikea)

Despite everything else, here's the one most memorable
and revealing item at the Wallace:a 1793 poster advertising
the auction of furniture from the Petit Trianon..."meubles et
effets"

Made for Marie Antoinette, 1780

Ditto

Louis XV's perpetual whom-to-pray-to-which-day calendar

Ditto

And there were several large halls of arms
and armor; and more; stupendous place...