LIFE OUT AND ABOUT

I got really sidetracked on Sunday – I wanted to write about my lovely weekend and somehow it turned into a trip down memory lane – hey ho.

‘The boyfriend’ is really on form at the moment, although I am still possibly being a bit of a bitch – I can’t help it really!! He must really love me – because he took me to a place I have wanted to visit for a long time – Oxford.

I have read so much about the place and its customs, that when I arrived it was like coming home. I know this might sound stupid, but I actually felt quite emotional - firstly because my ‘lovely’ boyfriend had listened to me and secondly, because I had finally arrived.

Saturday was such a beautiful day, blue skies, swallows flitting about everywhere and a light breeze. It just so happened that there were loads of graduation ceremonies going on, so Oxford was buzzing with activity, the Oxford University graduates walking about in their robes with their families, who had arrived for their special day, excitedly chattering away and beaming proudly.

We walked for hours visiting loads of the College buildings, Magdelen (pronounced Maudlin), Balliol, Jesus, Christchurch, Trinity and so on – beautiful buildings with so much history.

We had a stroll in the Botanic Gardens and sat on a bench by the river, watching people punting up and down in their graduation robes and bumping into other punters – each time this happened they would shout “Sorry” in that very English way – it was hilarious.

We went to the oldest public museum in Britain ‘ The Ashmolean’, which although not a big museum in comparison to the British Museum, still houses a respectable collection of Roman and Egyptian artefacts, also a collection of Pre-Raphaelite paintings and old European porcelain, to name but a few items.

I would have liked to stay there longer, but our boring humdrum world was calling us home, so home we went.

Sunday morning started much the same as the previous day, bright sunshine and blue skies. Today we were having Sunday dinner with my Dad – my sister (Palmers Green) was cooking roast pork and some vegetables and I offered to cook the roast potatoes (cooked in goose fat – delicious) and I also roasted a couple of chickens, oh and boiled/mashed some swede with black pepper and butter.

Originally it was only going to be my sister cooking lunch, but it ended up being a full scale family do, with my other sister, hubby and kids also turning up and then later on one of my brothers and his two young children arrived and joined in the feast. And it was a feast, as usual too much food was cooked, although I am pleased to say there was very little wastage – my mother has taught us well and we always leave a clean plate – not very good for the waistline!!

Food cooked for this day:

2 joints of pork
2 roast chickens
Roast potatoes
Swede
Sweetcorn
Peas
Carrots
Sage and onion stuffing
Yorkshire Puddings (we eat these with everything)

Desserts
Apple crumble
Bread and Butter Pudding
Hot Chocolate Fudge Cake
2 types of Ice Cream (Vanilla and Coffee)
Lemon Sorbet
Thick Double Cream

No I did not eat a bit of everything – I had a damn good try though!!

Yours bloatedly

Jo xx