Engineering Feats

The front door (which is of course on the back of the flat in the same way my 'backyard' is in the front) with sandbags (taken at 2am). I know it doesn't look like much but just a few feet of water can make a mess of things outright.



These bags has since been moved to a spot along the wall close by in case I might need them again. If, however, you feel the need to own one of these, I will sign it and send it C.O.D. airmail from Europe.

Blackberry Jam

Let's be clear....and this has been going on for some time, the annual rituals that are so ingrained in the culture that pass unnoticed, unmentioned and even, unconsidered to the locals never fail to amaze me.

This morning I heard what I thought were - and most certainly sounded like - rats trying to burrow their way into my flat. (By the way, if you are keeping count, this is the third time that I have shot straight up in bed in a "what is going on!?!" manner. This, in my estimation, is getting to be a bit tired.) Upon inspection, I discovered instead scavengers of the blackberry bush outside my window.

I didn't know to prepare myself for this, particularly the mad picking I saw on my walk to work that everyone was taking part in - on cue from some cultural dogwhistle that only Brits can hear, I suppose.

Good news, however, is that Annie is quick to the rescue with:

Blackberry Jelly

- 3 1/2 cups blackberry juice (takes about 3 quart boxes berries)
- One package powdered pectin
- 4 1/2 cups sugar

To prepare juice. Sort and wash fully ripe berries; remove any stems or caps. Crush the berries and extract juice.

To make jelly. Measure juice into kettle. Add the pectin and stir well. Place on high heat and, stirring constantly, bring quickly to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down. Add the sugar, continue stirring, and heat again to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute.

Having a blackberry bush outside your window is not as bucolic as it might sound but yes, it is nice.

More news on water

Last night at 2am the Fire Brigade woke everyone one in my neighborhood up to alert them to a wall water, 2-3 feet high, coming down the Thames. we quickly went into the street to queue up for the sandbag lorry. For about two hours we carried 30lbs. bags of sand (not bags with £30 in them) and placed them around both my doors. Others in the area were evacuated.

Was very pleased not only to wake up to a dry flat but also that - after looking outside - noted a distinct dryness. Disaster averted.

Aunt Sally

For some sporting groups of guys, this past Saturday morning's rain was enough of a deterent to forgo playing cricket. I know this as I ran into this same group at about 4 in the afternoon in the local pub, The Kite.

They were playing - in the rain no less - "Aunt Sally". My curiosity got the best of me and went to investigate. Turns out, it is a game that consists of taking wooden batons - that weigh about half of a baseball bat - and throwing them at a wooden 'head' painted all white about 25 feet away. The object is to knock it off its stand cleanly (i.e. not hitting the pole it is on or bouncing it off a friend or nearby wall).

Seemed easy enough and as soon as I opened my mouth was invited to learn this new sport. As Nick handed me the batons, he announced to everyone, "We'll stay here til he gets one!" and under his breath to me he said, "I got to be home at 11". It took me about 15 batons but I finally got a clean hit.

For the truly interested: http://www.tradgames.org.uk/games/Aunt-Sally.htm

Kites, by the way, are birds of prey - raptors - with long wings and weak legs which spend a great deal of time soaring. I say this as The Kite has a big bird on its Arms and I am often misheard when mentioning this pub.

Spurious Correlations

Brian May, the guitarist for Queen, is set to get his Ph.D.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6912307.stm

Good for him!

Rain, Rain, Go Away

It seems that this past Friday (20 July 2007), Oxfordshire received two month's worth of rain in about 24 hours. This resulted in what you would expect, a flood. Look at the BBC website (http://www.bbc.co.uk/) and you will find pictures of the towns and neighborhoods right around my new flat. Fortunately, my flat is dry and the waters seem to be receding although I did sleep with one foot on the floor for about 3 nights!

Here are a few photos I took myself.

As close to pop culture as I can...

This morning I took a long walk to the north Wolvercote cemetery. In an inauspicious spot lies the author of 'The Hobbit' and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The cemetery itself is beautiful if somewhat poorly placed on the cusp of the Ring Road around Oxford. Regardless, I spent the morning taking pictures of it and finding it the easiest subject so far to shoot (see http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/m2loveless).

On the way back along the canal, I found a family of ducks and ducklings swimming around an enormous swan. The swan let it be known that it was not pleased with my presence but I was simply amazed at how big it was.

Moving tomorrow...pictures to follow.

It is unavoidable at this point. On Monday, the 16th of July, I take brief possession of a hired automobile. In order to make my new apartment feel like home, I am making a run to the nearest IKEA in Milton-Keynes. And to avoid having to wear the pots on my feet and drag a sack of wine glasses behind me on the train (or bus), I decided to rent a car for the day.

That being said, to account for the unavoidable, I am as well taking 3 monkeys to set loose in the cabin of the car in order to have a valid excuse when pulled over by the police.

My advice is to watch BBC on Tuesday and look for this car, 3 monkeys, and me.

Oh Seven, Oh Seven, Oh Seven

It occurred to me as I went out for a long walk along the canal and back through the cattle, that having seen the bicycling Britons, having seen the rabbits in the fields, having seen the little old ladies in the shops, Monty Python makes not only more sense but is also funnier in my estimation.

This is obvious cause for alarm.

Tomorrow, the project is to get up at the crack of the sun coming up (roughly 4am) and go 'round Oxford taking pictures. The results of this adventure will - with any luck - be posted here or there (http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/m2loveless) in the next few days. My idea is to take so many pictures that pure statistical happenstance would results in roughly 5 ultimately displayable pieces to catalogue my time in Oxford (as well as provide clear evidence of my photographic acumen).

This seems to be the appropriate venue for the series of (mis)adventures I constantly seem to find myself in. So, given that I find myself both in Oxford and constantly trying to update everyone, I think that I will try this as a means to communicate - not less personally - but more efficiently. That is in no means a comment on how much I enjoy communicating but rather that this new job is kicking my butt! Don't expect to find great wisdom or answers to anything but you are welcome to search for humor (of course, those may, on many occasions, be easily interchangeable).

I am following in the 'foots' of greater bloggers than myself and I make no pretense of knowing what I am doing so please, if you do have a comment, keep it to yourself. You can expect that I will make an effort to update this regularly and misspell at random. You must admit, this is better than getting a handwritten letter and having to pay for someone to decipher it for you.

Please be sure to visit my web album: http://picasaweb.google.com/m2loveless/ I, of course, will figure out soon that I can post pictures here as well and will give that a go soon enough. Settle down.