Arriving at the Bodleian
Off to Oxford on the Cambridge-Oxford
bus, where my friend Jean has all kinds of festivities lined up for me! People don’t speak well of this bus, say it’s
a boring ride, but it’s the most direct way to go from Cambridge to Oxford;
otherwise it would be train to London, cross the city from Euston to
Paddington, then another train to Oxford. The bus takes three and a half hours, but relaxing on the coach with a good wifi connection is very comfortable and easy, and best of all I’m not driving!
Some lovely ones:
Autobiography of a Pincushion, The Widow of Kent, Victorian funeral
invitations, 11th century illuminations, altogether an eclectic and glorious
hodgepodge.
Writer friends Nancy Warren and Lizzy Edmondson entering the library
The Friends gather
The books and objects were fascinating to pore over,
but so was the crowd – they weren’t what I’d normally encounter in my daily
round: dons and Oxford officials, several “Lady This and Thats,” a Duchess, and
the great science fiction Brian Aldiss were there. He’s now about 90, so warm and charming, and
he told me he is writing a fictional autobiography. Also Michael
Pickwoad, the illustrious production designer of Dr Who (and veteran of a long
career that encompasses everything from Withnail and I to Lost In Austen) whom
I met with his wife Vanessa when they came to my talk last year.
Michael Pickwoad (right) with the Chairman of the Council of Friends of the Bodleian Library
The manuscripts on display
Brian Aldiss
Brian Aldiss examines the manuscripts
A librarian with friend Jean
Adventures of a Pincushion by Mary Ann Kilner (1783)
The Widow of Kent; or, The History of Mrs. Rowley
The breathtaking ceilings of Duke Humfrey's Library
Portrait of Queen Elizabeth
Between people-watching, examining the
exhibits, and photographing the lovely images of the Bodleian with a lavender twilight falling outside, it was a distractingly sublime time! Afterwards we met Jean’s husband Tony at the Old
Bookbinders Ale House in Jericho, family run French bistro where we scarfed
down steaks, then taxied back to Jean’s house on Cumnor Hill.
The beautiful windows, at twilight
The Friends gather for a talk
There is a Duchess in this picture, but it is too dark to see her!
Slept soundly, and Jean toasted me some lovely crumpets with delicious organic Yeo valley butter and homemade mixed
berry jam from a friend's farm (I'm bringing some home packed well in suitcase so Customs
can't nab it as they did last time). Then we took the bus into town and went to
the Ashmolean, where it was the last day of an exhibit of the Regency painter Adam
Buck. He mostly did neo-classical chocolate-boxy portraits, some of which were replicated
on china…not a great artist, but anyone interested in the period would enjoy
seeing his pretty works collected there. What I liked best were the portraits and
material on Mary Anne Clarke, a “Beauty and a Star” of her day, who lived
sumptuously, was patronized by the Duke of York, and appears in a Cruikshank
satirical cartoon. Daphne du Maurier was her great-great granddaughter and
fictionalized her life in her novel Mary Anne.
Mary Anne Clarke
After enjoying the exhibit, we
joined David, Alison and Polly, who run the Writers in Oxford group. They’d
booked a table at the lovely restaurant on the roof of the Ashmolean, and we
had a long and leisurely lunch, with lively chat about books and writing. The
view of Oxford from the roof is nice, though slightly marred by the recent fire
at the Randolph Hotel opposite, which was under scaffolding. The sun was so
strong I ended up using a napkin as a sunshade and felt very relaxed! Afterwards Jean and I headed to the Pickwoads’
for tea, so gracious of them to invite me! Such a thrill, for they are easily the most
charming, cosmopolitan, friendly couple I've met. Their
lovely sunny house is filled with art, as their parents were both artists, and
everything in it is a feast for the eyes (as the tea and exquisite lemon cake
were for the body). It was bliss.
Turner's "View of High Street, Oxford," on special exhibit at the Ashmolean Museum
The restaurant on the roof of the Ashmolean Museum
The scaffolding on the Randolph Hotel can be seen here
I'm almost too relaxed in Oxford!
Returned to Jean’s for a bit of a
rest and dinner (Tony cooked a lovely stew), and then I took a taxi to the
Oxford train station for the 9 PM train. Got there in good time, but the ticket
counter was closed and the machines wouldn't take my credit card (American
cards have no chip), so people said forget it, I should just pay the man on the
train. But there was no man on the train! And when we got to Paddington, the
barriers were open. So I had a free
ride, saving me 24 pounds (rather high for a one-way ticket – but then, I didn’t
pay it!). Then taxi from Paddington to my London hotel, and my light was out
for the night.
