A Little Bit of Summer: Oxford in the Sun

A week ago we had snow - just enough for youngest daughter's school to close for a snow day; now it is warmer, but wet and miserable. To remind myself that summer will be here soon(ish!) I am going to share a few sunny, summery photos from a trip to Oxford last June. I homeschooled my older daughters for several years when they were young, and was part of a lovely literature-loving support group with a mix of British and American families. Last year we held a reunion in Oxford, timed to allow us to visit the Tolkien exhibition at the Bodleian Library. People flew in from the US and Cyprus to join us and we had a wonderful weekend with much reminiscing and laughter.

I love this picture of colourful punts viewed from Magdalen Bridge. We didn't go punting this time, though I hired one with a friend and her daughter the previous year. Standing on a small platform at the end of a boat pushing it around with a pole is definitely challenging, particularly for someone like me with appalling balance. I was quite proud that I managed to manoeuvre us around the river for an hour without causing any accidents or falling in.

A slightly wonky picture of the Radcliffe Camera, which is one of the reading rooms of the Bodleian Library. 

We spent much of the morning at the Oxford Botanic Gardens. The friends I was with are both gardeners, whereas I have black thumbs and have yet to find a plant I can't kill. I could appreciate the beauty of the gardens, even if the finer points of the plants and how to grow them went right over my head!

The tower of Magdelen College chapel seen from the gardens.

And finally a view across to Christchurch - I think! I know Oxford pretty well, but can still be confused by a different angle. 

These pictures were all from our last day, which was when the sun finally came out. Oxford in the June sun has to be one of the world's most beautiful cities.