Trip to Oxford.Picture heavy post

 So.

We went to Oxford for a couple of days. Stayed in a cheap and cheerful Travelodge with a saggy bed but it was ok.

Our main reason was to visit 'Art in Action' the very last one. 

We've been a few times before and had always said we'd go again, and as it was the last it was now or never.

Its a feast of every kind of art. Painting , print, sculpture, textiles, ceramics and so on. It was wonderful. 

Here are a few photos.

I took this one for my son's friend who does drawings on the underground. (I'll credit this photo when I find the catalogue!)

It was delightful to sit under lovely trees and listen to the music.

 The Gardens at Waterperry nearly made me cry. 

I wish wish wish I could grow things like this.

 I have one delphinium which hasn't yet flowered!

Please enjoy these garden pictures. Sigh....

The sculpture area 

In the Textile Tent I saw Carol Naylor, who once gave a workshop to our textile group and stayed with us.

I also met Este McCloud whose paintings I have long admired.

I can't begin to convey the loveliness of Art in Action. 

So sad it's over.

 In the evenings of our trip we dined in lovely places found by my husband who was tasked with finding said beautiful places.

The Perch, Binsey was one such.

 Lovely place, delicious food.

You could walk through fairy-lit arches to the river.

 Not mad on this picture 

but it shows the fairy lights.

 Oxford is a place I have often driven past and never explored. It's truly beautiful with so much history (obviously.) 

I popped into a church where Cardinal Newman had preached and Gerard Manley Hopkins had been curate. 

Just there..just passed by and there it was..amazing.

I liked this alternative to a brass plaque on a door, such a beautiful stone carving to announce yourself.

 We met my cousin's daughter  and her daughter in The Barefoot Bakery Jericho,where we ate lovely toasted banana bread and I bought a super blouse in a charity shop. Very very lovely stuff in Oxford Charity shops! Noa-Noa, Toast, White Stuff, Gudrun Sjodern.

Here are Freya and Fiona in the cafe.

The cakes were delish.

 I was envious of the vegetation which springs out of every crevice voluntarily. 

Imagine the trouble I'd have trying to grow hollyhocks in my garden?

 And my cousin had an 'accidental artichoke' in her garden!!!I don't think I could grow one deliberately.

 Then we set off for the Ashmolean Museum.

I'd wanted to visit since I did a research project on The Minoans when I was at College, and it wasn't disappointing. Many of the objects are reconstructions but it didn't matter. There was so much to see.

After the Archeology we looked at the paintings and found a concertina-playing sailor in this Holman Hunt painting.

After lunch in the (sadly over-rated) rooftop restaurant we tootled along the road to the Pitt-Rivers museum

The first part is spectacular enough, the natural history section.

My husband was a bit worn out by then so became a specimen himself for a few minutes.

Many many bones.

A beautiful building.

Then we went through to the actual Pitt-Rivers bit. I was blown away. It has hundreds of glass cases each holding many artefacts from all over the world. I wish I could remember all the different categories. A lot of photos follow to give an idea of what we saw.

A case of combs

Masks

Votive tokens

A garment which looked like silk but was made from seal intestines..aleuit.

Bark cloths

Bells rattles and xylophones.

Lamellaphones are a kind of Jews harp mouth instrument.

Lutes

Harps

Spindles

Don't know what this is, but it's so cute.

As is this!

Masks..again..different ones!

Eel and rat traps and one was a hedgehog trap

Sieves...sieves!

Axe heads. I took this because we found a similar one on the beach at Cley in Norfolk years ago.

an of course a  hat made from a fish!

Skates and snowshoes!

Carved spoons

More combs

General view showing the totem pole.

A case full of things made from recycled materials. Guitar!

Mind boggling and I'll never feel as if my house is cluttered again. I have my own little Pitt rivers type collection here you know! Butter paddles, rolling pins, scissors.....

I could spend days and days in the Pitt Rivers and more days in the Ashmolean. Both are free, the staff are fabulous in both and children are welcomed in both.

On the third days after visiting my cousin at home, we went into town and saw many sights and sounds and really too many people. 

I was glad to get out. 

Here's a young man doing a show on top of a telephone box, as 

you do.

So Oxford was wonderful and we enjoyed every minute but its always nice to be home isn't it?

And breathe....