Forget It

So... I woke up coughing. Thinking that if I propped up I would be better, I moved to the couch. The cat heard me and yowled,causing the dog to growl. The furnace came on, and the growls became barks. All the commotion woke Papa who came to the living room to talk, get the paper, make coffee, and turn on the light and gas fire.

Yowls, growls, prowls. Forget sleep.

Sense of Place

I believe most of us have some understanding of our place in the world, how we rank in relation to all others with regard to beauty, talent, strength, intellect, etcetera. Of course some of us have an inflated sense of self, and others see themselves as less than they are. Me? At seventy, I thought I had a pretty good idea of how I measure up.

Then I attended the British Society of Eighteenth Century Studies with Daughter. I have already mentioned how smart those people were. What I realize, now, is that listening to Daughter and other presenters has required an adjustment in my self-evaluation. I will just say that I haven't moved up.

I suppose I will get used to it.

Good News

The good news is that Papa bought a new battery for the scale. I know that does't sound good, but it is because by the time the scale was in workinig order I weighed in at my pre-trip weight. Very good news.

The bad news is I don't feel quite normal yet. I am still a bit too sleepy when I am supposed to be awake. Tonight Papa poured wine that pretty much finished me off for the evening. Too groggy to work. And I have stuff to do. Lots and lots.

But the other good news is that I had successful laser surgery on my right eye this morning, had a great lunch at Big Sky with Papa (Grilled romaine with tomatoes, goat cheese, apples,pecans, with grilled chicken) went to the SLOMA to see my painting on the wall, met my friend for a pedicure, and went to the new show at Art Center Morro Bay. All this time, my handyman was working on chores at the house. Love it.

Home

Home is soooo good. I loved everything about my trip except the sleepless nights and sleepy days. But home is wonderful, too, and I am very happy to be back.

Daughter worked very hard to find the best places to stay, eat, and see. And we ate so well that I was reluctant to step on the scale. When I finally mustered the courage, I discovered that the battery had died.

Yay.

Encaustic

I have to also say that I saw numerous encaustic portraits at the British Museum! What a lucky day!

I do believe that I may be a spoiled brat.

Seventy!!!!! Really????

How is it possible? I have no clue, but I do know I am milking it for all it is worth.
I have moaned and whined and have probably garnered all the attention I can from the event, now.

I have told you the wonders of Oxford, but let me tell you, London is certainly no let down.

We ate breakfast at our B and B, then walked to the Bristish Museum to spend the entire day! Yes we did! I could spend three more I am sure.

From the museum, Daughter led me to an adorable pub right in our neighbor hood. First we had beer and stout(me - love it)with the best olives I have ever eaten, and a nut and seed mixture. I ordered a fennel fresh mozzarella appetizer, home made bread, and carrot/parsnip soup. Everything was beyound good. The we ordered tawny port and chocolate truffles. Swoon. So good.

I am full, sleepy, ready to see family, but will miss the time Daughter and are spending together.

It has been a fantastic birthday!

Thunder Bolt

So yesterday I was walking from St. Hugh's College, Oxford, to our hotel, The Old Parsonage. Even though I was barely awake, a sudden feeling of wonder grabbed at me. What in the heck am I doing walking down Banbury Road in Oxford, England? I felt overwhelmed with the idea of it all. Daughter had just presented a well-received paper at the best university in the world. And we had toured the oldest library. And I had heard some of the brightest young scholars talk about their work. What????? Me???? How did all this come about?

After a blissful night of sleep, we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, packed and checked out of The Parsonage. They held onto our bags while we visited shops and the beautiful Ashmolean Museum.

A cab took us to the train station so we could make the one hour ride to Paddington Station, then change to the tube for a quick trip to our charming hotel in a beautiful old London Neighborhood.

Daughter and I had a bit of a wet trek from the train station, but that was actually a fun adventure, too. Daughter stays here every time she makes her way to Wales, so I will be able to imagine her here during future trips. For dinner, she suggested a small Italian joint just around the corner. Yum. Good pasta, surprisingly good wine and dessert. So spoiled.

Jet Lag

Oh my, where to begin.

I think I will have to summarize:

Grand food!!! Thanks to daughter's blog friend,we knew where to dine. One recommendation was our hotel. It was so good Monday night, we did a redo on Wednesday night. To die for.

And Tuesday night's dinner was just as good. Swoon.

Wednesday was spent mostly at the conference. Today I went to daughter's amazing presentation, a keynote address and lunch. I was awake for the first, barely for the latter two. So back to the hotel to get a few winks. I had slept maybe two hours Wednesday night. My days and nights are still upside-down.

Now I feel better and will join daughter st the college for dinner and festivities. The chilly walk will be good for me.

Overall impression of the conference is that all these people are crazy smart and know vastly more than I do. I am hoping to absorb a little.

Tomorrow, after a morning session, we will go by train to London.

All's Well That Ends Well

Last night candlelight transformed our hotel dining room into the perfect setting for my marvelous beet salad, mushroom risotto, and divine "chocolate nemesis" - the best flour less chocolate cake I have ever had. Viogner and port paired well. Heaven.

We staggered to our room, enjoyed glorious hot showers, and turned in about 8:30. Burning foot pain jolted me awake a couple of hours later. I massaged the cramped foot and tried not to move more than absolutely necessary with the hope of going right back to sleep. Eventually I discovered Daughter was awake, too. We gave up on sleep and read, then finally drifted off again at four or five and, thank heavens, slept until after ten. Oh joy!!!!!!!

We skipped breakfast and rushed to make our 11:30 tour of the Bodelian Library. After that we ate lunch in an organic restaurant housed in a centuries old gathering room. With little time to spare, we met our walking tour guide about 2:00. Both tours were very informative and wonderful. We learned about the university and enjoyed seeing the city.

My coat kept me warm, but my fingers and toes are just now thawing. Oh my! Very cold. Dinner soon.

Oxford is a beautiful old city and I am thrilled to be here. Of course there is more to do than we can possibly manage, but we are looking forward to the British Society of Eighteenth Century Studies conference, concerts, museums, and....... Who knows? Stay tuned.

Oxford!

So here I am in Oxford, England, sitting by the fire in our cozy hotel. Daughter and I are both busy on our iPads, trying to stay awake. No napping allowed! We want to stay up until a reasonable, though early, bedtime.

The outside temperature is hovering around 30, and we saw little spits of snow when we caught our cab from the train station to the hotel. Our hotel, The Old Parsonage, is, indeed, old. But it seems clean and comfy.

i am glad I don't have to go back out tonight......brrr. We have 6:00 dinner reservations here. Then after that I make no promises about when I will crash.

Our first flight left about an hour late, but daughter had made sure to plan a long layover in LA. So no worries. Both flights were bumpy, especially the first small one. Otherwise the trip has been uneventful. Oh, except that daughter almost lost her coat. She left it in a LA restroom. We ate lunch, then she remembered and rushed out to look for it. She arrived at the restroom entrance just as the cleaning woman was exiting with her coat. Whew! We figured that her good luck was a sign that the trip would go well.

So far it has. We took the Heathrow Express train to Paddinton, then, with just a title searching, bought tickets and boarded our train for Oxford. So here were are.

More tomorrow.