Spring Blues

The last month has seen Meaghan and Noah celebrate their birthdays. Noah had been counting the sleeps until his birthday and was absolutely thrilled about all his presents from Australia. He's been scooting around Oxford on his new scooter (now fits in with all the other Oxford kids) and loves showing it to every other kid and parent in the park. Mark took Noah to the 'Lazy Town' concert for his b'day while Meaghan showed him a night on the town with dinner at Jamie Oliver's restaurant and then the 'Horrid Henry' production at the Playhouse. Speaking of nights out, we had a great night out with Jules and Anna, as well as Mike, one of Mark's old Melbourne High mates who has been living in London for the past few years. It was a real school reunion for Mark, Jules and Mike - the first time they've caught up in about 7 years - who would have thought then that they would have next met in a pub in Oxford?

Pesach has come and gone and we were invited to a Seder at some friends of Mark's parents in London. It was a lovely evening and we had a great time.
The Easter long weekend has also come and gone and although the weather has been great either side of the long weekend, the Easter weather was typically bleak and wet. Friday was rained out and we were stuck indoors. On Saturday we went to Stratford Upon Avon and visited the house where Shakespeare was born as well as the cottage were Ann Hathaway (his wife) grew up.































We had plans to visit Bath on Sunday but disaster struck when our car broke down on the motorway about 30km out of Oxford. Ended up getting towed back to the garage and then stranded at home for the rest of the Easter break. Of course the sun came out on Monday so we took a long walk through the fields of Port Meadow, much to the annoyance of Noah who described it as the 'worst day of his life'. That was until we found a pub with a huge beer garden and jumping castle which kept Noah and Ethan entertained for ages while we drowned our sorrows in a few ales.













With the car back on the road, we drove to the Cotswolds today and visited some quaint, picturesque little villages with great names such as Bourton-on-the-Water, Stow-on-the-Wold and Lower Slaughter.



















The kids are really growing up. Noah's a real chatterbox and a little charmer, talking the ears off anyone who'll listen. Ethan has a real personality - cheeky as ever and hilarious. He's finally pulling himself up now so he might actually decide to walk some day soon (he's getting way too heavy to carry).






















Finally, the Blues are providing great satisfaction (that's Chelsea, not Carlton) . Having adopted Guus Hiddink's team, we've watched them progress to the FA cup final and Champions League semi-final - and with the Premier League coming to the end of the season, should be an interesting month or two ahead. Never thought I'd get into the 'football' over here but it draws you in. Who needs Fevola when you can watch Didier Drogba (although we do miss Juddy!)

Out and About

We've been playing tourist again. The weather has been magnificent (who says the sun doesn't shine in England?) although we're told that these 14 degree sunny days are the best it gets as even though summer is slightly warmer, it is usually grey and wet. Last Saturday we took a drive to the Cotswolds and visited the wildlife park. It was great for the kids. Noah loved the penguins, Ethan loved the lions, Mark loved the lemurs and Meaghan loved the ice-cream.












On Sunday we went to Warwick Castle with some friends (an Aussie/Kiwi doctor couple working at the same hospital as Mark). This is an awesome medieval castle originally built by William the Conquerer in the 11th century. We visited the dungeons, walked the ramparts and climbed the 500 step spiral staircase to the top of the tower - incredible views. Unfortunately the jousting and firing of the enormous trebuchet (catapult) only occur in summer but we did see the falconer with his impressive eagles and hawks.

































Yesterday we took the train in to London for the day. Meaghan fulfilled her childhood dream of visiting Buckingham Palace but we were a bit insulted to learn that our invitation was not exclusive and the Queen had invited tens of thousands of other tourists. While we did catch a glimpse of the guards and the band marching along the Mall to the Palace, we couldn't seen any of the Changing of the Guard (we were warned but couldn't be bothered getting there an hour and half early to get a prime position). We then walked down to the Riverside and did the London Eye. Great views over London but the glaring afternoon sun actually made it difficult to see (never thought we'd be complaining about too much sun in England). Noah, who had been looking forward to the London Eye ever since we stepped off the plane, struck up a conversation with a woman in our capsule and spent the entire 30 minute 'flight' talking at her and never once looked out at the views below. From there we negotiated the hundreds of buskers (some quite innovative) and headed to the Tate Modern (not a great idea with exhausted kids but at least Noah can say he's seen a few Picassos). We ended up having a picnic in the gardens before tackling the London underground with stroller (this country is so stroller, sorry buggy, unfriendly). After hours and hours of walking yesterday, we spent today (mother's day or 'mothering sunday' in England) recovering.






























As for day to day life in Oxford, we've well and truly settled in and are throroughly enjoying it. Noah loves kinder, has made lots of friends, is learning French and bakes biscuits on Fridays! Ethan is thriving but is a cheeky little monkey. He grunts and points to demand things and shakes his head and waves his hands to say "no". Mark is enjoying work but is enjoying weekends more (when not on call). Meaghan is getting to know some other mums and has regular Friday morning coffees with a group of friends at the local pub. Can't believe it's already been almost 3 months........

Pigs and Palaces

A few more outings around Oxford these past couple of weeks. We had a great day at Blenheim Palace, an early 18th century palace built as a gift to the First Duke of Marlborough who led the Allied Forces to victory over the French during the Wars of the Spanish Succession. It is the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill and current home to the 11th Duke of Marlborough. The palace is set in 2100 acres of beautiful parkland with landscaped gardens and a magnificent Lake. A miniature train links the palace to the 'Pleasure Gardens' which contain a butterfly house, the world's second largest hedge maze (quite a challenge to get out of), an adventure playground and more. Much of the new period movie 'The Young Victoria' (just released in UK - not sure about Aus) was filmed there.

At the other end of the spectrum, we visited Didcot Railway Centre, home to some old Great Western steam engines and visited by Thomas the Tank Engine on rare occasions (ie. last weekend). Not sure if it was the chilling wind, heavy rain or being surrounded by millions of snot-faced tantrum-throwing kids but this place just didn't do it for us. Not sure from the photo if Noah felt the same way or if he was just upset that part of his monkey balloon that we had just queued for hours for burst.













We dropped by Millet's farm, a bit like Collingwood Children's farm but with fewer animals and less to do. Highlights were the enormous pigs, especially the blonde, woolly Austrian ones that looked like a cross between pig and sheep (not the one in the photo).

For something a bit more cultural, we joined Jules and Anna for dinner before attending a classical music recital at Pembroke College. Can't fault the musical talent of these students but must admit it wasn't the most mind-blowing evening.

Monday was Purim and Meaghan took the boys to a party at the shule, Noah dressed as an English Bobby and Ethan wore his Ali G velour tracksuit (shame Meaghan forgot the camera as they both wore stick on moustaches - hilarious!).

Last night we went out to a place called the Nut Tree Inn for a wedding anniversary dinner (without kids). This charming restaurant in an old farmhouse was about 20 minutes drive from Oxford and accessed via a number of narrow windy dark roads with no lights or signs. Thank goodness for our sat nav. The restaurant was awarded a Michelin star this year and the food was great although not sure if Meaghan's diarrhoea-filled day today had anything to do with their rich sauces.

And finally (for now), a happy birthday to Bobba Val for the 14th and happy 60th birthday to Mum/Booba/Sally for the 16th.

Fine Dining and Fairy Bread

We had some genuine Oxford experiences this week courtesy of Julian, one of Mark's old school friends who is currently doing a PhD in legal philosophy at Oxford Uni. On Tuesday, Mark was invited to dinner at the 'high table' at Pembroke College as a guest of Julian. Mark wore a suit and Julian wore an academic gown. The evening commenced with pre-dinner drinks in the college "reception room" before being ushered into the formal dining hall and seated at the 'high table' (similar to the head table at a wedding). The students are seated below along long tables (a bit like in the Harry Potter movies) amongst walls lined by portraits of previous masters and founders of the college going back hundreds of years (photo). After grace in Latin, a 3 course meal and a few glasses of French wine, guests of the high table (about a dozen of us) were led into a separate dark candlelit room and seated along a table lined with platters of fruit, nuts and chocolate. The head of the table passes around caraffes of port and dessert wines (in a specific order - one is frowned upon if they disrupt this custom) which do 3 laps of the table and are followed by the snuff box(!) The evening concludes in the common room with brandy and coffee. A truly unique experience.

On Friday, we were both invited to a banquet at the same college by Julian and his wife Anna. This was a black tie affair and held in the same dining room -although this time we were seated with the 'commoners' - The commoners being undergraduate Oxford students with very posh English accents (think Prince Charlie) from public school (ie posh private boarding schools). Meaghan sat among three such lads and proceeded to "interview" them. Two were "reading" Law and the other Medicine, they had all been educated at boarding school and their parents were graduates of Oxbridge. Yes, this is the reason stereotypes exist - because they are true! Meaghan had great fun with these fellows and by the end of the evening we all learnt something; they discovered the term 'bogan' and we learnt how to "sconce" someone. Sconcing is essentially an Oxford drinking game along the lines of 'drink if you've ever........' but much tamer given that the college master and his wife were present. Proud to say that the "sconces" were read out by a very well spoken Aussie MC. We moved on to the bar at Jesus College (Anna's college) where we found ourselves amidst a toga party (or should I say pimply, pasty, scrawny Poms dressed in bedsheets - see photo of Meaghan's new friend James). Or we just getting old or are they getting younger?
Sunday provided a slightly different experience as all 4 of us went off to playshul at Oxford Synagogue. Noah enjoyed the fingerpainting and everyone sang happy birthday to Ethan (in Hebrew). The kosher cake tasted ......kosher! Sunday afternoon was a combined 1st birthday party for Ethan and 2nd birthday for Monte, who belongs to John and Nova, fellow doctors from Melbourne who are working at the same hospital as Mark. Meaghan made fairy bread which was a real novelty for the English guests. John and Nova made an amazing caterpillar cake which was the perfect complement for our last minute supermarket cake (see pic). Ethan finally turned 1 today (is he only 1 - been a long year). It was great to hear from all the family and he loves all his cards and presents.

This week in Oxford.....

The horrific news coming out of Victoria over the past week has been devastating and seems even more unrealistic when we looked out of our windows and see a city blanketed by snow and ice. It has been a major story even in the UK and our thoughts are certainly with those affected back home.

The ice has thawed and the snow melted and life has returned to normal in the UK - just cold and dark. We managed to drive down to Windsor on Saturday and visited the Queen at Windsor Castle. Unfortunately she snubbed us and we had to make do with an audio tour. Nevertheless, it's quite a remarkable fortress and the state apartments are very impressive. Noah was in awe of the soldiers/guards.

























Noah has started kindergarden and loves it. He has settled in really well and has already made a few friends - 'Oksar' and 'Senena' - we assume are Oscar and Sienna. We are encouraged by the fact that he will be learning to read and write and are impressed that he will be learning French as well. Although we were sightly alarmed to hear that the children receive chocolate as a reward for good behaviour. Ethan has become a real character. He has started 'Monkey Music' and has taken a real liking to it. Looking forward to his first birthday next week (has it only been a year???)



Meaghan has had an interesting week. It started on Monday morning when she went outside to collect our first home delivery of milk and yoghurt which she had ordered online - only to be greeted by 18 litres of milk and nine 6-packs of yoghurt (no joke). Where Meaghan thought she was entering 9 for 9th of Feb, she was actually writing 9 in the quantity section. Thankfully the company was understanding and collected the rest and thankfully the order wasn't for the 28th!! Meaghan has been trying a variety of avenues to aquire friends in Oxford and has finally had some success.....firstly the lovely Diane, a South African lady who has been living in Oxford for 22 years. En route to kinder, Diane stopped Meaghan on the street and invited her in for a coffee once she had dropped Noah off. Of course Meaghan, being Meaghan, couldn't remember which house Diane lived in (well they do all kinda look the same -especially covered in snow) and went home instead. Luckily Diane was in the street again the following week and over a cup of tea, set to work telling Meaghan how to meet other 'at home' mothers and other important Oxford facts. We look forward to a promised Sunday roast at their house soon! The local Sumertown Wine Cafe is a popular joint for yummy mummies during the day and Meaghan has met a few other nice mums so hopefully the diary will start to fill up.
This week holds a few potential highlights with a 'high table' dinner at Pembroke College (for Mark) on Tuesday, a black-tie college banquet on Friday night and Ethan's 1st birthday on the weekend. Watch this space.....

From Jericho to Summertown

We moved into our new flat last week which is a nice, modern and spacious 3-bedroom apartment in Summertown. After some initial teething problems with telephone, internet and plumbing, we have settled in nicely and much prefer it here. Summertown is a bit like a small version of Toorak. I have noticed that it is de rigeur, here, to wear Ugg boots. As a fashion statement. Hilarious! So two years ago for Aussie Gen Ys. There are all these middle aged women zipping about Summertown (from beauty salon, to lunch date) in designer digs and Ugg Boots (in the rain, cold and even snow!). Will someone tell these madams that Ugg Boots are to be worn inside one's house as slippers!!!!

Mark managed to lose his passport within the first 3 weeks of being in the UK so had to venture into London to attend an appointment at Australia House in order to re-apply for a new one. Was greeted outside the Australian Embassy by a bunch of dreadlocked hippies protesting against logging in Tasmania. Managed to take in a few tourist sights whilst in London such as Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden and Hyde Park. Looking forward to seeing London properly - so much to see and do!

While Melbourne wilts in the 40 degree plus heat, the mercury in Oxford is struggling to get above zero. We woke this morning to a complete 'white out' as Oxford was covered in snow. It then proceeded to snow all day and probably will for the rest of the week. It really looks spectacular. Noah loved making footprints with his 'wellies' and throwing snowballs into the canal. England has really been affected by the 'adverse weather' with many transport services and airports shut down, and many shops and businesses closed as people can't get to work. Many of the schools have also closed, leaving angry parents with nowhere to send their kids and without childcare. It's costing the country truck loads of money but it's incredible that a place as 'sophisticated' as England has no contingency and cannot cope with 24 hours of snow, much to the amusement of the media.

The boys are great. Noah starts nursery tomorrow and is excited at the prospect of learning to read. Ethan started crawling 2 weeks ago and cannot be stopped. It was much easier when he was less mobile. Ethan starts Monkey Music classes tomorrow too - so hopefully we can start to get to know other people here. We did meet a couple of the local playground mums and kids on Saturday who said Noah had a broad Aussie accent (I think just a polite way of saying that they couldn't understand a word he said!) We're sure it won't be long before he is speaking like an Oxfordshire Pom!

Mark has been at work the past two weekends so we're looking forward to having some free weekends to do some day trips (weather permitting!). Meaghan is going stir crazy and needs some respite from the kids.









Photos from Mark's intimate family birthday celebration (party hats courtesy of Noah).......