Book-end

Today is my last day in Oxford for this part of the trip. I woke up early to find an active family chat going on about the soccer. Cam and Claire are actually in San Francisco at the game and posted some good live photos. I loved sharing the experience with everyone even though we were in three different time zones. As I checked out, I was gifted with a free Oxford fridge magnet from the hotel guy who sorted the early check in. Despite the basic rooms, the service at the hotel has been brilliant - very friendly and helpful. 

The programme directors chose to end the week with a technical, data heavy session covering financial management and board responsibility. It was dense but excellent. About a quarter of the room is sick - coughing, sneezing and blowing their noses. Coincidentally (or perhaps not), they are all seated on one side of the room. Those of us on the other side are staying well clear. I’ve clocked who is sitting over there and am avoiding them, even in the breaks. 

The last day of a course always feels sad. Packing, saying goodbye, wrapping up the week. We finished off today with a feedback session and a certificate presentation. Waaay too slow and boring when we knew there was a tasty lunch upstairs and trains to catch. Unfortunately the trains were very easy to catch, as they were cancelled and/or late. Standing on the platform in a crowd in the sun made me rethink a few life choices. Apparently the roads are congested too, so maybe a Uber wouldn’t have been much better. I arrived in London to find it even hotter than Oxford. The cabbie’s car thermometer showed 37 degrees. I’m staying for a few days at the University Women’s Club in Mayfair. It’s a heritage building (1876) and lovely, however to my horror, I’ve discovered there is no air conditioning. I know this is typical in England, and I specifically booked a hotel in Oxford with aircon, but somehow this detail escaped me for my London stay. I’m absolutely melting. 

This part of London is packed with familiar references from decades of reading. All the regency novel streets are here - Grosvenor square, South Audley Street, and the club building was actually used as a setting in a book by Dorothy Sayers, one of my favourite authors. In my wanders, I found a little pocket park, an oasis of green, beautifully cool compared to the streets, with people relaxing on the grass and reading on benches. I considered sitting a while but the temperatures drove me back to the club, where I discovered that, coincidentally, there was an Oxford Alumni event in the club library that evening. What are the odds that I leave Oxford and land in London at an Oxford event. Disappointingly it was a pretentious and boring crowd, and the wine was awful but it was nice to do something social and I met an interesting girl who invited me to dinner later in the week. Hoping for cooler weather tomorrow!