Bookish History in Oxford

 

Everywhere you turn there is bookish history, buildings, bookshops. Colleges house libraries. The Bodleian Library is several locations. The history of the Oxford University Press spans from Broad Street out to their huge building up in Jericho north of town. That's where this day led us. 

Everyday begins with breakfast in the dining hall. It's a true Oxford experience. A great way to get the day started with a plate of fried eggs, tomato, baked beans, hash brown, bacon, a cup of Earl Grey, and some fruit. Like a typical day in college, people are buzzing to and fro getting set for a day with some schedule ahead. 

The journey up to Jericho had a nice long pit stop at Gail's Bakery for coffee. The essential of everyday is time in a coffee shop. I fill pages in my journal as I do every morning. It's something I do every day normally, so it's the most natural thing to me. Have you tried journaling each morning? It's a wonderful way to get thoughts out, process through thoughts and ideas, write out prayers, and sometimes come to answers and conclusions by way of exploring them. 

Wanders by foot are always the best. Along the way there's so much to see. Shops, buildings, post boxes, architecture, trees and blooms, all on the way to the eventual lunch at a favourite Rickety Press for a burger. Good fuel before our tour of the Oxford University Press. I had taken this tour many years ago, and it was fun to re-visit the huge site to visit the museum, library, hang out in the employee lounge area, and make friends with an employee who led us out via the usually restricted main quadrangle and the main gate - I felt so official and I love getting to see the insides of places you don't normally get to access. 

The Oxford University Press location employs about 3,000 people and has a library they can all use, a gym, coffee bar, big cafe, lounge, and very cool modernized interior spaces within these old buildings. The OUP is a department of the University of Oxford and began its printing in the 15th century. The current location has been there since 1830. Before that, it was located on Broad street first in the Sheldonian Theatre from 1669 - 1713 and then the Clarendon Building from 1713 - 1830. 

In 1675 the King James Version of the Bible is printed at Oxford for the first time. The Oxford English Dictionary began in 1884 and was completed in 1928. J.R.R. Tolkien worked for the OED and it's so fun to see his handwritten entries for the "W's" as he worked on the etymology of words in 1919.

Ask me something I love about Oxford? It's all the bookish history everywhere. With so many things to explore and discover, I am always eager to learn more and feel more inspired by it all.

Oxford Sparkles in the Rain

 

Celebrating the rainy, cosy, warmth amidst the winds, and all things English weather.

Oxford Sparkles

If you ask me, Oxford is more beautiful in the rain
The stone buildings glisten and shine,
Bookshop and cafe windows glow with warmth,
As the umbrellas pass by, I duck inside
to scope out a spot by a window and watch.
With a sense of glee the city doesn't halt.
Students on bicycles glide by along with
jacket-donned people splashing through puddles
(better if they had wellingtons, but none do).
If you ask me, Oxford sparkles in the rain
Before, during, after. It doesn't matter.
The delight is all the same in me.
The dreaming spires reach up into the low slung clouds
Sparkling stones of ancient buildings reflect street lamp light
And the pitter patter of water droplets
Dance on your umbrella as you step across
Broad street seeking a dry atmosphere and perch.
A wet journey to a place makes a place
all the better, all the cosier.
Duck into Blackwell's and browse awhile.
The rain will stop by the time you leave.
Tuck yourself into a table at Vaults & Garden,
with a tray, cup & saucer, and pot of tea.
You're all set for moments of sheer reverie. 

Greeting Oxford

 

Oxford, England

April

It's a long journey across that open ocean - over 4,000 miles. It might as well be 10,000 miles, for the land of England is so very different from my usual tropical location much closer to the equator. The journey takes place by way of car, airplane, bus, and foot. An overnight journey with no sleep leaves me feeling tortured by the want of sleep. Sitting is the worst possible thing, so as soon as I step off the bus and my feet hit the ground on High Street, in Oxford, my luggage pulled along next to me, backpack on, those feet are trotting along saying hello to all the Oxford places so familiar, I feel at home immediately. Exhaustion is forgotten. I am all smiley. Ask my mum. She will tell you.

I say hello to all the places - hello Queen's College, hello Bridge of Sighs, hello Bodleian Library, hello Rad Cam, oh hello Weston Library, Blackwell's, Sheldonian,.... I stay awake by saying hello. Greeting my beloved city of Oxford.

Spring is well underway, in fact, we have missed the Magnolia season, those trees hold to some final blooms and are bursting in fresh green leaves. In consolation, we enter Cherry Blossom season. Such trees are radiantly bloomed and gorgeous. Early Lilacs spill over the wall along Queen's Lane. Tulips are planted in every pot and container and are glorious to see. The horse chestnut tree is wearing its full green leafy look over the Jesus College wall. Daffodils are very much dancing in the gusty winds along all the parks. There's so much to see and appreciate. 

Typical English rains come and go daily. Always keep the brolly handy. Wear a raincoat. It's windy out there. Be sure to have a place in mind to stop for tea/coffee or book browsing. These are important things to pay attention to.

The first days are always about acclimation, getting over the exhaustion of travel, and greeting a place that feels ancient, yet is modern in so many ways. It's an intersection of the old and the new. Waking up the next day feeling refreshed is always such a joy, for there is so much time ahead to go out to all the places around the city. There is so much, I can never fit it all in. 

But - It all starts with books, after a proper English breakfast and greetings to Oxford, of course. That's the first requirement upon arrival. Then, it's the books. Oxfam provides that perfect welcoming book browse, and I come out with two new (old) books in hand. That's just to get warmed up. Oxford is a city of books, which is like a dream to me. 

We continue on Turl Street, Broad Street, Catte Street. Checking into our room but going right back out again. Venturing around saying hello to Oxford until we are too tired to continue as the travel catches up with us. We finally sit down for our first of many pizzas. Yum. It's so lovely to be back. 

Beauty in Words for Easter

 

God, on us thy mercy show,
Make on us thy blessings flow;
Thy face's beams
From heav'n upon us show'r 
In shining streams:
That all may see
The way of thee,
And know thy saving pow'r.

- From translation of Psalm 67 by Mary Sidney Herbert.

Happy Easter! We can rejoice because the Lord is risen, He is risen indeed!

During Lent I like to read some kind of regular daily reading to keep my heart in tune with the Lord in an intentional poetic way. I have been reading (as I do each year) Malcolm Guite's The Word in the Wilderness (poem a day with reflection), which is always wonderful to go through.

But this year I also discovered the amazing poetry of Mary Sidney Herbert and her brother Philip Sidney. They translated the Psalms together, (side note: I love the sibling writing project) and the Psalms are compiled in this Oxford World Classics book The Sidney Psalter I have been reading. These poems are glorious. Written over years from the late 1580s, and continued by Mary after Philip died very young from a battle wound. They were never officially published in their lifetime, but manuscripts of the newest Psalm would be passed around widely, and were very well known. People would copy out the latest translation and share with others. 

What's marvelous about these poems is that they are hugely influential on the poets I have loved and read for so long, and for good reason - John Donne, George Herbert, John Milton, Edmund Spenser and many other writers praised these poems in print and often borrowed from their style and methods in their own poetry. 

These are God's words, God's words are ever pure:
Pure, purer than the silver throughly tried,
When fire sev'n times hath spent his earthly parts.  

(from the translation of Psalm 12)

Remembering also, this is all done before the King James Version of the Bible was translated (1611) so they were using the Coverdale 1539 translation and the Geneva Bible. They also used French and Latin translations of the Bible. The Sidneys yoked all these together in a compilation that also reflects their own voices and styles. The result is a set of poems that are flowing to read, they use repetitive words beautifully, rhyming that is musical and lovely, and alternating styles from one Psalm to the next. It's an absolute treat reading these Psalms and I can't believe I did not discover them sooner. 

Their images, metaphors, and overall use of language is masterful. Any poet can learn from what they do with words. 

Then fear not we, let quake the ground,
And into seas let mountains fall,
Yea, so let seas withal,
In wat'ry hills arise,
As may the earthly hills appal,
With dread and dashing cries.

For, lo, a river streaming joy
With purling murmur safely slides,
That city washing from annoy,
In holy shrine where God resides.
God in her centre bides:
What can this city shake?
God early aids and ever guides:
Who can this city take?

(from the translation of Psalm 46)

As we reach Easter and all the joy that this Holy-Day (holiday) is, I reach for these Psalms for a fresh turn of words (ironically, very old words, which often provide the freshest perspective) on the familiar Psalms that we all have read during our lives in varied emotional states. What beauty in words these are and I relish in them. 

I mean, how stunning are these lines? Just read them out loud to appreciate the alliterative sounds and flow: 

My tongue the pen to paint his praises forth,
Shall write as swift as swiftest writer may.

(from the translation of Psalm 45)

May you have a blessed Easter!

Where I've Been Lately: Studying, Books, Coffee

 

A visit to an old browsing spot of mine, Parker's Books in downtown Sarasota.

The open, spacious, lovely Selby Public Library in downtown Sarasota. 

Trying a new (to me!) lunch spot in Sarasota, Lila. Delicious cafe with lots of vegan and gf options.

Study spot on the second floor of the Selby Library. I spent a good couple hours here with the best view out the window of downtown. It's a special place that invokes good memories, as this is almost the exact spot I came to research and write my final English paper in high school on Madeleine L'Engle. Love coming back here.

This is about five minutes after I passed the big exam I have been studying for. So much relief, so much to be thankful for in the ability and blessing that it is to study and pass a tough exam.

Hello, Selby Library, my old friend.

Brunch at Project Coffee in Sarasota. Perfect study spot, delicious food and coffee. It fueled me very well for a good, productive day.

Break time for an avocado toast, matcha, and good book at Black n' Brew at the Lakeland Public Library, another regular spot for me.

Made a latte with an abstract tulip? Still working on my latte art skills (eh, pretend skills)

Hallo - It's been a while! It's also been a bit of repeat for me and my life lately, let's see it looks like - study, books, coffee. You haven't missed much. There may have been a slight variety in the pattern, but the study and coffee showed up in the routine like clockwork. 

Most reading time lately has been occupied by the important studying for a big exam I very recently passed. (I did get a few pages of reading for fun squeezed in each night, don't worry.) I am so filled with thankfulness for the opportunity, and I took a great deal of time for it, and for me studying requires that time and effort. I've always been that way. Back in college the regular occurrence would be that I would sit up on my bed with my very chunky textbook and notebook studying for the next accounting exam whilst my roomie went out to a social event. When I have something important to study, I devote myself to it. I put it ahead of all other fun things I might want to do. Most people would call me "too serious". But it's just my way because I want to know the things I am studying. I also see the end date, the light at the end of the tunnel, and I push through, knowing it will pay off to accomplish a big goal.

In my long study hours, my treat has been to make myself a latte. It feels fancy and tastes delicious. I grind some fresh beans, froth some barista oat milk, and pretend I am in a coffee shop using my beautiful cup and saucer, then I would get back to my desk to study. I love studying, honestly - all the research, reading, thinking, practicing. But the big exam at the end is always the scary part I am not super fond of with all the anxious nervousness.

So I am celebrating now! My way includes hours of reading for pleasure and sleeping beyond 5:15 am occasionally. It feels like I have all this time suddenly. It feels like a gift! And it is. Everyday is truly a gift and I am blessed to get to do good work when I am at the office, and then pursue good things in my personal time. 

I had to travel to Sarasota for the exam, and it was a real treat to my pre-test anxiety to be in an old familiar place I love and have always loved since I was a kid. Being downtown was calming, visiting some of the places I've been to countless times helped take my mind off the exam, and I felt less stressed in those hours. I browsed a bookshop I've been to so many times since high school, I sat in the library with views out the window that bring back good memories, I ate delicious food. But I took study time along the way at the coffee shop and library, so I was still productive. It was an ideal situation for me. 

All that rambling catch-up to say - thank you for being here. For stopping by my little blog door and peaking in to read a post. More to come - my schedule is all clear for lots of reading excellent books that have been patiently waiting for me to pick them up!

Glimpses of January and February

 

As you can see, and I totally admit, life outside of work and studies for work involves a lot of coffee and reading. You might think me the dullest sort, but it's the books and good ideas presented to me that stretch my thoughts, and coffee that wakes up my mind in the morning. Get comfortable at the table with me, along with a good cup of coffee, and let's turn the pages of a thought-provoking book. 

A murder mystery abandoned by Dorothy L. Sayers (and finished by Jill Paton Walsh) re-visits the characters Lord Peter and Harriet, for a London based mystery that enters their circle. A murder of a new acquaintance raises so many questions, and leads them on the trail to follow the steps and timing of the murder. This felt a little bit like an unfinished work of D.L.S. (not quite as polished and brilliant as D.L.S.) but it still held some of the charm of the characters and was fun to re-visit them in a story I hadn't yet read. A good kind of escape from the real world with beloved characters.

A book about the history in Mexico in the 1930s when they outlawed the Catholic church and murdered of all the priests, here we have one priest left and he's on the run, both from the Mexican soldiers hunting him and his own past that he's ashamed of. He feels consistently unworthy and full of sorrow for the people who have been forced to renounce their faith. It reads like Dostoyevsky with complex psychological questions and moral dilemmas and stay with you later because there are no clear answers, it's muddy and messy as humanity is.

A book to encourage and inspire one to invoke an essentialist way of thinking; shifting your mindset that you can only hold so much in your life, and too often we fill it with nonessentials. We need to let go of those nonessentials, both material and time-consuming, so that we can focus on the essentials, the things that really matter and are important. This book spoke to me with profound reminders I've already been embracing but still have much room for improvement. It keeps coming back into thought, to help me grow in the best ways of embracing the essentials.