Last post I was in Oxford. We spent two days there, mainly to see C.S. Lewis related stuff. Our first day we had a morning walking tour (which truth be told was somewhat disappointing because all our guide did really was talk and not show us a lot of stuff).
The afternoon made up for it however because we went to Magdeline College (there are two Madgelines apparently, one in Cambridge one in Oxford). The college itself was alright but the real treat was the fact that we got to walk through Addison's Walk, one of the places where Lewis claims his return to Christianity began.
The story goes he was walking down Addison's with his friends Dyson and Tolkien (of Lord of the Rings fame) when suddenly the wind blew leaves in front of their path. For whatever reason, this caused him to pause and reflect on the spiritual.
Here I am walking down Addison's (thanks to Jeff for the photo). I could see why this place had a profound impact on Lewis and would have liked to come back by myself. It's an ideal place to sit and reflect.
This me with the plaque of the poem Lewis wrote commemorating his experience on Addison's (thanks to Sarah for the photo).
The poem goes like this:What the Bird Said Early in the Year
I heard in Addison's Walk a bird sing clear:
This year the summer will come true. This year. This year.
Winds will not strip the blossom from the apple trees
This year, nor want of rain destroy the peas.
This year time's nature will no more defeat you,
Nor all the promised moments in their passing cheat you.
This time they will not lead you round and back
To autumn, one year older, by the well-worn track.
This year, this year, as all these flowers foretell,
We shall escape the circle and undo the spell.
Often deceived, yet open once again your heart,
Quick, quick, quick, quick! -- the gates are drawn apart.
The next day was our trip to the Kilns and Holy Trinity, where Lewis is buried. I had been there once before but I was glad I got to go back again.
This is Lewis, or rather Jack's grave, where is also interred with his brother Warnie. I stood over it thinking how incredible it was to be able to have twice stood at the foot of the grave of the man who inspired me to become a writer, the mentor I never met. While everyone went ahead I waited for a few moments at the grave. I whispered "Thanks for everything, Jack. I hope to see when I get up there."
We didn't get to go inside the church, which was fine because I remember visiting it with Dad years ago and got to see the Narnia window and sit in the pew where Jack and Warnie sat. Those are memories I cherish now more than ever.
We headed back to the Kilns which we actually got to go inside. People from the CS Lewis Society live there now, which I suppose would make Jack happy, to know that it's still a home and not a museum.
This is the study where Jack and Warnie would often sit or read or write or talk or whateve
Relax, I didn't actually put the pipe in my mouth, it's just a picture, although somking his pipe is something Jack would do to pass the time.
This was in the study. I assume it's Aslan. Nice touch I thought.
Now I know it's semi-lame to take a picture of a picture but this one is kind of important. It's the wardrobe Jack had in the house around the time he met Joy Gresham, his pen pal and future wife. When Joy brought her sons to the house, Douglas the younger boy (and a huge Narnia fan) walked up the wardrobe. He looked at Jack and asked if it was "the" wardrobe. Jack smiled and said "It might be."
This typewriter was Warnie's. Apparently, Jack wrote everything by hand because he hated to type, so Warnie had to type up the manuscripts for all his books.
Anyway, we returned to Cambridge later that night. We had a couple of free days which turned out to be fortunate because...
SNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!And not just a little bit of snow, try 5 freakin inches of it. Yahweh apparently saw fit to open the storehouses of heaven and shower us with the stuff because it was apparently England's heaviest snowfall it 18 years.
Not gonna lie, I pretty much reverted back into a six year old when the snow fell. I was happier than an elephant at a peanut convention. Almost everyone came out and we had a massive snowball fight which lasted...oh I don't know how long it lasted but it was fun all the same.
Jeff and I made a snowman, only the second one I've made in my life. The snow didn't pack as well as we liked so he was a midget snowman, but to paraphrase Dr. Suess a snowman's a snomwan, not matter how small.
I named him Lumpy.And yeah yeah yeah, I know the hat makes me look like a Who from Dr. Suess, but I don't care. I had snow.
We decided to head to the biggest hill in Cambridge, where we proceeded to go sledding (which apparently they call sledging over here). We didn't have any actual sleds to we used garbage bags.
Now THAT'S what I call fun.Alright, all caught up. See you next post.
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