Cambridge Arrival

New Years Eve 2011

We had our greens and black eyed peas before we left Columbia.

And, now we are in Cambridge in a temporary flat, Block B where we have stayed before. We will move into Morrison Flat on Tuesday. Right now the nice porter Barry is staying there with his wife over the holiday.

The flight over arrived in Gatwick one hour early; however, we were the last to leave immigration and passport control—so many bags and we only had one pound and could only pay for one buggy. So that gave Alan Collinson enough time to arrive at the airport and be waiting for us! We loaded up his nice car; Kevin sat in front talking with Alan; I napped in back.

We checked into Wolfson and napped a few hours but then were up for the New Years Eve luncheon at the new Principal’s home. He is Richard Evans; his wife is Christine; she recently completed a PhD in English from the University of Kent. We met some interesting people and had a good lunch. Then we walked into the City Centre and picked up some staples in nearby Newnham Village on the way home.

We went over to the club room to read newspapers and look at email and we saw Bill Lubenow, an old Wolfson friend--nice to see a familiar face.

I cooked a cozy supper—ready-made tomato and basil soup, brown crusty bread, and salted mackerel-- and we went to bed early.

New Year’s Day, 2012

We woke late this am after a good night’s sleep. We ate breakfast and spent some time reading newspapers in the clubroom. Then, we walked to the City Centre through a winter garden. The English plant these lovely shrubs which lose leaves but keep color on the branches which reflect the sun's light.

We noticed changes in the city. Laura Ashley has become Jigsaw; a favorite cheap bookstore is gone; St John’s theology school is still in a state of restoration as it has been for several years now. We are not sure what it will be when it is done.

Here Kevin checks out his alma mater St. Johns College.

We had a delicious lunch at the Mitre Pub. Kevin had pork and lamb meatballs with gravy on mash. I had nut roast with Yorkshire pudding, gravy, and salad.

We bought food at Sainsbury and walked home through the green pasture where the cows usually are but they are gone now, but we did see swans and ducks.

We saw boats on the Cam.

It was pretty much a grey day with short intervals of sun peeking through the clouds. We walked home in a drizzle and by the time we got home, it was dark but only four o’clock.

Good supper and tv tonight( a Rosemary and Thyme mystery, the new Sherlock Holmes series).

2 January 2012

Up late and after breakfast we walked into the city. We planned to go to Fitzwilliam Museum to see the Vermeer show and have lunch there. But everyone else had the same idea. The Vermeer show is fascinating—Dutch paintings of private spaces with an idealized view of women and domesticity. However, it was crowded—Kevin said he had never seen so many people in an art gallery. We left the Vermeer show and had a look around this huge museum, especially enjoying the 19^th century work— a few Blakes, Pre-Raphaelites, and Impressionists.

We went downstairs to eat but again too many people, including a group of women with lovely red hats, not sure what they were supporting. Most had on purple suits, dresses, or scarves.

We went down the street and had a delicious lunch at Wagamama (I was last at this restaurant in Boston with Ellie Lee). I had #72, delicious sweet potato and aubergine with curry gravy while Kevin had #43, udon noodles with prawns, calamari, vegetables, black sesame seeds, and more.

Then we went on a long search to change sim cards and update phones which we finally accomplished getting our Nokia working.