A weekend in Oxford (Sunday)

Sunday morning started with Match of the Day, while cuddling a six year old. After all 8am is too early in the morning to be nursing a beer. Well, its my idea of multi tasking, and a sweet cuddly six-year old cushions the blow of watching Manchester City and United piling in the goals.

While mother and kids went to church, us blokes wandered through the backstreets before the tourists hit town, and then went to see the Oxford Town Hall. A surprisingly attractive Victorian building, with a rather stunningly over the top concert hall.

Then onto a bit of nostalgia for me, a wander around my old college St Johns : the gardens

The perfect Canterbury Quad

The chapel

and since my time, the addition of Garden Quad, one of the best bits of modem architecture in the city (hope you like the neat angle of the last photo below)

Then onto another piece of nostalgia for me, a visit to the Oxford Union. I spent a fair amount of time watching debates, and indeed drinking in the Union bar. On the other hand this was my first ever visit to the Union library and its pre-Raphaelite murals. The debating chamber was somehow smaller than I remembered it. I also enjoyed looking at the old photos including the officers in my time. And some of the other famous faces such as a young Boris Johnson.

We then had a quick spin around three colleges almost adjacent to each other, starting with  Jesus

Then advancing to Exeter, most remarkable for its views of the Radcliffe Camera from the Fellows Gardens, and its disproportionately grand chapel (would never get planning permission for it these days)

And finishing with All Souls, with its splendid front quad and a wonderful and expensive library, the Codrington Library (How much? - £10,000. You got more for your money in those days)

And finally, as promised, a word about the children. Now I have to say, and I think their parents would admit it, they are pretty laid back parents. Almost horizontal in fact. But whatever, it works. More contented children I could not imagine.The only serious dilemma they had to contemplate over the weekend was which Oxford College they wanted to go to! No bickering between them, no arguments with parents and no moaning at all. Just lovely affectionate cheerful kids. Who love being cuddled. And its really sweet to hear one just say at random, "I love daddy" They just couldn't be sweeter. Although they could stay stiller for photos...