Hear the Sigh of the Trees, Those Who Enter Here Never Leave

Hey there! So does anyone want to explain to me how Christmas is only four days away? I almost completely forgot about the holiday, and I don't know how that's possible since there's actual snow everywhere and fairy lights twinkling between pretty much every building in Oxford.

Anyway, I haven't really been up to much since I've returned from the Lake District. Like I told myself, I got plenty of R and R and eventually banished my cold into the dark oblivion where colds go to die (insert appropriate YES! gesture here). Hopefully, that cold fulfilled my once-a-year-cold quota. So by the time Friday rolled around, I was pretty ready to tackle more adventures. On second thought, "tackle" is probably the wrong word. "Slipping" and "sliding" is probably more accurate. Anyway, that Friday, I (along with a couple other friends from Blackfriars) slipped and slid to the house where my friend's Christmas BBQ was held. Now if you're from SoCal, a Christmas BBQ probably doesn't sound all that crazy, but a Christmas BBQ in Oxford, UK is definitely a little on the insane side. Especially when there's snow on the ground and the barbecue's propane tank is threatening to blow at any minute (it probably wasn't that life threatening, but it was fun to think that it was for a few minutes). Well, as crazy as it may have been, I had a good time...I think. I can say with certainty that I spent some of the evening talking about Harvest Moon and Pikmin with the guy with the gags (by the way, his name's Ralph since I'm tired of typing out "rock'n'roll guy with the gags" over and over) and his friends. And I can again say with certainty that these people are definitely some of the coolest people I've ever met. =)

On Saturday morning I somehow managed to catch a 10:30 train to Cheltenham with Ralph, and I'm sorry to say that since everything was covered in a thick layer of snow, the scenery during this train ride ("Look at Didcot Parkway, pretending to be a nice town!") was prettier than the scenery on the train ride to the Lake District. Anyway, I met up with Jonny, who I was visiting, in Cheltenham, and we spent the day trudging through snow (I love my eyelashes except when they catch gigantic snowflakes and keep me from being able to see), eating delicious pasta in a church converted into a restaurant (it was gorgeous), and throwing snow balls at each other. I also bought an extremely warm snow/water proof jacket with hot pink lining, since my poor SoCal jacket wasn't holding up too well in the snow. Unfortunately, we had been having so much fun that we failed to notice that the roads had become icy, which caused the buses to stop running. After a panicked phone call to Jonny's dad and a stressful, bad joke filled car ride, we made it to Jonny's hometown of Tewkesbury. For those who don't know, Tewkesbury is where the famous Battle of Tewkesbury during the War of Roses took place, and I think it's a gorgeous town. ^_^ Anyway, once we made it to the house, we ate dinner and watched one of Bill Bailey's comedy shows. And I don't know why Jonny was so worried about me meeting his family, because they are wonderful, fantastic, lovely, super-special-awesome people. I really felt like Harry Potter every time he visits the Weasley family, and I've never felt more welcome and at home than, well, with my family at home. I don't think I'll ever be able to thank them enough.


Window at Zizzi's Restaurant

On Sunday, Jonny took me on a quick tour of Tewkesbury before we had to catch a bus to Cheltenham to catch our train. Like I said before, it was a beautiful town. The snow covering everything made it look like something on a Christmas card. We made snow angels in a field Jonny said was called The Ham and walked around Tewkesbury Abbey. After the quick tour and some waiting at the bus stop, we discovered that the buses weren't running again and that trains were getting cancelled left and right. So to Jonny's horror and my delight, I spent another night in his house with his family and had another lovely evening, watching Harry Potter and chatting about all sorts of British-y things.


A Street in Tewkesbury


Tewkesbury Abbey


Running through the Ham


Snow Angel

On Monday, Jonny's parents were kind enough to drive me into Cheltenham to catch a train back to Oxford. And now here I am amongst a hideously messy room, procrastinating on packing for home and wondering how I forgot about Christmas. Hopefully, the snow won't cause any disruptions on my flight out (or back in!), so I'll be able to see everyone for a little.

Until then, Happy Holidays and Cheers!
<3 Nutmeg