November 2019

Back in Oxford then off to Australia

Starting the month in England, Paulie and Stephen stayed with James and Keno and visited friends and sights in the South. Paulie enjoyed her birthday which included the interesting experience of dinner with Fellows of St John's College. Back in France for a bit over a fortnight they packed up shop and wound up some chores before heading back to Oxford before flying back to Australia to spend some time with family. The clan in Australia were busy with work and social engagements. Olivia balanced work at Redcliffe Hospital with both family and friend adventures. Nick continued teaching English in Italy to diverse students (including at a miltary base).

Nov 2 - The month starts in Oxford. Host James & Paulie do their yoga	Nice to catch some of the Rugby World Cup final in Japan. The pub was full and rain didn't stop the outside audience.	Meanwhile, watching at his club in Valencia Neil (who we stayed with a month earlier) watches S.Africa beat England....
... alone!	Nov 3 - remote visit to the clan at the Brisbane party for Nephew Toni's 50th (AthoTurnbull Productions did a video for him - see "movies" section on home page)	Mother and child
Daughter and great neices	And Paulie conferences in and joins in with some remote dancing from 16,500km away in Oxford	Sister Jan and daughter Olivia - laughing with Paulie. Not at!
Then it's into town with James who multitasks - webinar in headphones	Some filming (we thoughtfor "The Crown" ) shut down one of the streets	Then a walk in the University Parks
.	.	It's Guy Fawkes night. Paulie and Stephen walk to South Park to watch. Australia no longer celebrates the day (bush fires risk? NZ does)
Nov 4th - the guys head for Guildford to see Phil and Jude. Some gaming	Followed by knitting with granny blankets keeping all warm (the heating is being serviced)	5th - en route to Brighton
The room has a lovely view despite scaffolding around the building	The sun sets...	... and the guys tasted the best of British cuisine
Worse fish & chips they've ever had. Needed a wine to wash down the reheated frozen fish and soggy chips.	.	The wonderous beach
.	What TV drama was it where they sat here?	.
The next day a walk to the Royal Pavillion. Beginning in 1787, it was built in three stages as a seaside retreat for George, Prince of Wales (later George IV). Despgned by architect John Nash	.	We had visited Virginia Woolf's "Monk's House" (see July photos) , so now it was time to visit "Charleston" - home to the Bloomsbury group which included some of the twentieth century’s most pioneering artists, writers and thinkers (including Virginia's sister)
Nov 6th - Then an inspection of one of the larger vineyards- Rathfinny Estate. It's meant to be OK sparkling, but at 30 quid a bottle? We didn't get to taste.	Meanwhile at the coast Olivia and pals take over a house for the weekend	Home in time for Paulie's birthday.
And that evening a treat. Guest of St John's College Research Fellow Dr Keno. The treat?	A College dinner.	After some champagne in the Fellow's Common Room (a whole wing), its' the 4 course dinner in teh dining hall.
.	Then it was "second dessert" in another room for the 20 Fellows and guests. Snuff anybody?	Then out into the real world again.
Nov 8th - a visit to the prehistoric Rollright Stones	.	And home to make dinner. James and Keno had half-Bro Daniel over (now a PhD candidate at Oxford)
followed by a quick games	Back in Australia Olivia and Michelle have a beach picnic...	Saying goodbye to Paulie
Nov 16 - Olivia heads up to Doonan to see Jan and Jim	Where she is treated like a queen	.
Jan has started to cycle. Cautiously	Back home Olivia and Rosie batttle the heat	Meanwhile in James and Keno take Daniel on a trip to Paris. James catches up with an old school chum
Nov 20th - cooling down in the village	.	But still very outdoor-ish in Brisbane
Time to farewell farm friends at Yolande's farm.	.	Nov 26th - to Oxford the next day
Nov 28th - Into London and heading past St Pauls to the Tate Modern	.	.
Paulie loves the Silver Birch	.	.
.	.	28th - and home to a lovely drop. Again, care of the St John's staff wine cellar
We thought it OK when having our tasting.	A final walk given the sun was out and there was a long haul flight coming up. Back to University Park ...	...where we found the Swift sculpture and apartment block. Paulie and Stephen took care of Sally Swift so have a soft spot for the species (see August photos)
.	A quick lunch break at Morton's. A favourite haunt of the Atho lads when they lived in Oxford in the eary 1990'2	Nov 30 - on the long haul London to Perth flight en route to Brisbane.

Nov 2 - The month starts in Oxford. Host James & Paulie do their yoga

Nice to catch some of the Rugby World Cup final in Japan. The pub was full and rain didn't stop the outside audience.

Meanwhile, watching at his club in Valencia Neil (who we stayed with a month earlier) watches S.Africa beat England....

... alone!

Nov 3 - remote visit to the clan at the Brisbane party for Nephew Toni's 50th (AthoTurnbull Productions did a video for him - see "movies" section on home page)

Mother and child

Daughter and great neices

And Paulie conferences in and joins in with some remote dancing from 16,500km away in Oxford

Sister Jan and daughter Olivia - laughing with Paulie. Not at!

Then it's into town with James who multitasks - webinar in headphones

Some filming (we thoughtfor "The Crown" ) shut down one of the streets

Then a walk in the University Parks

.

.

It's Guy Fawkes night. Paulie and Stephen walk to South Park to watch. Australia no longer celebrates the day (bush fires risk? NZ does)

Nov 4th - the guys head for Guildford to see Phil and Jude. Some gaming

Followed by knitting with granny blankets keeping all warm (the heating is being serviced)

5th - en route to Brighton

The room has a lovely view despite scaffolding around the building

The sun sets...

... and the guys tasted the best of British cuisine

Worse fish & chips they've ever had. Needed a wine to wash down the reheated frozen fish and soggy chips.

.

The wonderous beach

.

What TV drama was it where they sat here?

.

The next day a walk to the Royal Pavillion. Beginning in 1787, it was built in three stages as a seaside retreat for George, Prince of Wales (later George IV). Despgned by architect John Nash

.

We had visited Virginia Woolf's "Monk's House" (see July photos) , so now it was time to visit "Charleston" - home to the Bloomsbury group which included some of the twentieth century’s most pioneering artists, writers and thinkers (including Virginia's sister)

Nov 6th - Then an inspection of one of the larger vineyards- Rathfinny Estate. It's meant to be OK sparkling, but at 30 quid a bottle? We didn't get to taste.

Meanwhile at the coast Olivia and pals take over a house for the weekend

Home in time for Paulie's birthday.

And that evening a treat. Guest of St John's College Research Fellow Dr Keno. The treat?

A College dinner.

After some champagne in the Fellow's Common Room (a whole wing), its' the 4 course dinner in teh dining hall.

.

Then it was "second dessert" in another room for the 20 Fellows and guests. Snuff anybody?

Then out into the real world again.

Nov 8th - a visit to the prehistoric Rollright Stones

.

And home to make dinner. James and Keno had half-Bro Daniel over (now a PhD candidate at Oxford)

followed by a quick games

Back in Australia Olivia and Michelle have a beach picnic...

Saying goodbye to Paulie

Nov 16 - Olivia heads up to Doonan to see Jan and Jim

Where she is treated like a queen

.

Jan has started to cycle. Cautiously

Back home Olivia and Rosie batttle the heat

Meanwhile in James and Keno take Daniel on a trip to Paris. James catches up with an old school chum

Nov 20th - cooling down in the village

.

But still very outdoor-ish in Brisbane

Time to farewell farm friends at Yolande's farm.

.

Nov 26th - to Oxford the next day

Nov 28th - Into London and heading past St Pauls to the Tate Modern

.

.

Paulie loves the Silver Birch

.

.

.

.

28th - and home to a lovely drop. Again, care of the St John's staff wine cellar

We thought it OK when having our tasting.

A final walk given the sun was out and there was a long haul flight coming up. Back to University Park ...

...where we found the Swift sculpture and apartment block. Paulie and Stephen took care of Sally Swift so have a soft spot for the species (see August photos)

.

A quick lunch break at Morton's. A favourite haunt of the Atho lads when they lived in Oxford in the eary 1990'2

Nov 30 - on the long haul London to Perth flight en route to Brisbane.