Layers

My final Master’s class featured a thought provoking one man rendition of Henry 5th - part script, part story, with side discussions about leadership resilience throughout. I didn’t really know the history or the play, but it was a compelling session and a good soft landing for our last day. The after class activities included a scavenger hunt (21,000 steps!), a dinner, and many, many hugs. I’m not a hugger so this was challenging, but it was sad to say goodbye as we won’t see each other in person till July next year. A few last Oxford pictures- Balliol seen from my hotel window, Christchurch seen from my College. 

One of our cohort gifted a beautifully embroidered piece of fabric to some of the women. I had wanted to wear it as a wrap at the formal dinner on Thursday night but was worried about showing up in homewares. Fortunately one of the ladies wore it to class on Saturday, helping me determine the appropriate use - #NOTatablerunner. The colours are lovely and it’s very warm and goes perfectly with the clothing I brought. Picture below. 

I’m spending time in York and Edinburgh before leaving the UK. This is my second trip to York having visited once before while I was living in Leeds for work. I chose to stay at same hotel as last trip, a beautiful building which was originally the railway company’s headquarters - loads of history and charm. Think sweeping staircases, high ceilings and beautiful old details everywhere you look. It’s lux and cosy and relaxing. Last time I stayed, the restaurant was booked out (see the 2021 blog for the dramatic tale) and I made sure to book in advance for this visit. It’s a big call, but the lasagne was the best I’ve had in my whole life. The description on the menu is “ fifty layers of pasta, rich bolognaise sauce, aged cheddar bechamel, grated parmesan and pecorino, smoked tomato sauce and basil oil”. Nothing here sounds unique, but wow. Just wow. Somehow I have a photo of the carrot and apple soup, not the lasagne. I was probably too busy eating it. 

A walking tour of York (I love these things) proved insight into the history of the place, with evidence all round of the five invasions, from the Romans to the Tourists. It’s a beautiful city, and the weather was uncharacteristically sunny. There are so many places that are familiar from historical books and shows, for example the house where Henry VIII stayed with Catherine Howard while on the King’s Progress, apparently the place where she started secret assignations which eventually culminated in her beheading. York Minster is spectacular from the outside although I am yet to make it inside. A lovely tea stop at Betty’s,complete with Wedgewood and silver plate, capped off the York experience. 

I’m thinking a lot about layers — of time, of place, of self. Life, like history, isn’t one clean story — it’s a collection of layers, stitched together over time. Some are hidden, some fray at the edges, and some — like my beautifully embroidered wrap — are meant to be worn and shared, warmth and meaning intertwined.