I’ve been meaning to go into Oxford for a few weeks now. It’s been ages since I’ve been to the Ashmolean, and I’ve also been trying to get to Cardews of Oxford to get some different types of tea to try. Especially since my previous tea-making kit met an unfortunate end and I bought myself a Brew Tea Co teapot for one.
I’m finding that every time I increase the amount of space the tea leaves have the taste gets smoother. Those little tea ball infusers really don’t do a great job. This feels similar (in principle) to a gaiwan, but with easier straining.
Cardew’s are not open on Sundays. That’s fine, I respect their right to have a day off. But the trains to Oxford are not running at the moment, replaced by a rail replacement bus service that takes 45 minutes. I am too stubborn to drive into Oxford on a Saturday (eww), and 45 minutes on a bus is not so much fun so I’ve been putting it off.
Yesterday I cycled. It’s ~14 miles/22.5 km each way, and National Cycle Route 5 covers it which is nice. The only problem is that since I now work from home my cycling has dropped off dramatically, and I was a bit worried about the distance.
The route was generally lovely, other than Abingdon with was a pain in both directions. I stopped to make sure I was heading in the right direction a few times, but didn’t take many pictures. Meadows are kind of too subtle for me to manage to take good pictures of! A lot of it was along the river.
It was a beautiful day. I hadn’t realise the University Summer Eights (in Cambridge it would be the bumps, and I was never a rower) were in full flow, so the towpath was very busy for the last mile. With that, it took me about 1.5 hours to get in.
I happily picked up some Yunnan (which I’m enjoying whilst writing this) and Green Gunpowder teas, did a tiny bit more shopping and went to the Ashmolean to visit their Art in China exhibit. Intriguingly some of them reminded me quite strongly of a picture by Bonté Duran that my parents have, although I think that’s of Crete. I had some lunch at the museum, and came back home.
The towpath had got busier and less sober by this point, but it was ok. Just a bit slow. By about 4 miles from home my knees and shoulders weren’t so happy. But my knees, shoulders and I made it in another 1.5 hours, just before Clarkie got home from work. Today I’m a bit stiff in a couple of places but not too bad considering, and I’m quite tired.
I don’t regret the extra time over the bus. I enjoyed the whole ride much more than I would have a bus trip. And it made it feel like much more of an adventure than just getting the train. So to make it (and other rides around here) seem more feasible I’ve put a deposit down for a Swytch kit for Clara. It won’t solve the shoulder ache, but it should really take the sting out of headwinds or those last 4 miles. We’ll see. But not until September — I didn’t pay the extra £100+ for earlier delivery. That gives me the summer to continue riding around unaided, strengthening up my shoulders again.
And now for a nap!
Leave a Reply