The Cotswold's and Oxford

Magdalene College (pronounced Maudlin)



The Eagle & Child

Heathrow at last, rang Sandra, sorted out getting to Dunstable (Following poem tells all) Went for dinner to one of those great little english pubs you see in the movies, called The Fox, it was a real treat. Next day went to StAlbans Catherdral, it is alongside a little river & a pretty park, went to another old pub, called The Fighting Cocks.

Went down to London by train the next day, and walked and walked, looked and enjoyed, Buckingham Palace, The Royal Mews, Picadilly Circus, St James palace, St James Park, Clarence House, The Horseguards, and Lords Cricket Ground. Also went to Selfriges, Harrods, The Gloucester Road, it got dark ( about 4pm) before I could get to the Old Bailey, but I did find lots of the streets from the Monopoly board. Took train back to Dunstable, where I had a quiet New Years Eve watching "North and South"

All up late next day & we set off for Stratford on Avon, what a terrific place, just so much history, loved Anne Hathaway's Cottage. Sandra & Terry are great people & so easy to get along with. Decided not to go to France, with the bottom falling out of our dollar & everything getting so expensive. Accompanied by Pam, a friend of Sandy's we went to The Cotswold's. I really don't have words enough to describe just how beautiful it all was, the countryside, the little lanes with hedgerows, the villages, the taverns, the overwhelming sense of history.

Saw an Inn, that was still in full use, having been built in 947 AD, it really was hard to comprehend. The sun came out after some early rain it was just perfect.
We had some pretty bad weather overnight & I suggested that we shouldn't go to Oxford as planned. Both Sandra & terry insisted, so off we went, it rained but stopped after a while, so we took this marvelous tour, in an open top double decker bus.

What an enchanting time it was , so much to see and learn. Walking along the cobbled streets & around the colleges where so many great people had gone before. I could hardly beleive I was there, and just loved every marvelous minute of it. Magdalene College, was a joy, C J Lewis had taught there, saw the tower where the choristers sing at dawn on May morning, the park with the deer grazing, the Eagle & Child Inn, where C J Lewis & Tolkein had met every week for 30 years, what a marvellous experience to be there.

On the way home Sandu drove us through the forest and village of Ashridged, where"First Knight" had been filmed, no Richard Gere in sight though, and lots of places in Oxford where Inspector Morse was filmed.Left Heathrow with mre tears, what beautiful people Sandra & Terry are.

Well after 3 months & thousands of miles by plane, train, bus, car and by foot my journey is at an end. It has been an incredible time with wonderful & memorable experiences, seeing places I had only dreamed about, meeting all the wonderful "Angels" who have shared part of their life with me, taken me into their homes & made me feel totally welcome. Even if the places I had visited hadn't been so wonderful, just meting these lovely, and loving people would have made the whole trip worthwhile & I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

While I was travelling I kept saying "If I come back I'll..." well it has now become "When I come back..", which I did, but that is another story.............Jacqui


There are holes in the sky where the rain gets in; but they're ever so small thats why rain is thin......Spike Milligan.