A day out in Oxford

After a decent lie-in, Sophie and I set off for Oxford at 10am. My daughter wanted to pop into the café opposite where she works first, as she owed them money for her lunch yesterday. Their card machine had broken down, and she hadn't any cash, so she wanted to settle her bill. Unfortunately, it still wasn't working so she promised to go back in tomorrow.

We had a good trip to the Pear Tree Park and Ride, but a long queue awaited the bus. We joined the end and didn't think we'd get on, but we did, although we had to stand for the journey into the city centre. We were both dying for a coffee, so we went to Waterstones and enjoyed a flat white and a cake each. Afterwards, it was great to wander about and look at the books. I was tempted by a wonderful French/English version of Flaubert's Madame Bovary, and a pretty edition of Jane Austen's Persuasion. Sophie also bought two books; one of them, Love In The Time of Cholera, is a tome I've always wanted to read.

Posters advertising events - so many things to see!

From Waterstones, we went to the Christmas market, but we were a little disappointed this year. There weren't many cabins and one of my favourites, the stall selling Christmas decorations made from fruit, wasn't there.

We had lunch booked for 2pm, so we didn't want anything to eat. We wandered about for a little while but as we had over an hour to kill before our table was ready, Sophie suggested going for a drink at The Randolph Hotel, opposite The Ashmolean Museum.

I readily agreed, so we walked the short distance and went into the hotel by a side entrance. We found ourselves in Alice's restaurant with a beautiful bar area.

There were a couple of tables occupied and a staff member came over to see us. Sophie asked if we could just have a drink and he took us to the gorgeous Morse bar where a fire was burning in the grate, and it was beautifully cosy.

We sat at a table and perused the drinks menu, choosing The Secret for me, and a French Martini for Sophie. The barman made our drinks and it was wonderful to relax away from the hustle and bustle of the busy city.

I loved the ceiling!

Photos of John Thaw's Morse on the walls

Not everyone was drinking cocktails; two women opposite made themselves content with coffee, but it was lovely to sip our drinks and soak up the heavenly atmosphere for an hour. This is definitely a new favourite place to visit!

Reluctantly, we finished our drinks, paid the bill and had a quick look at the elegant drawing room where you can take afternoon tea.

Back outside, we experienced a dose of reality, with shoppers queuing for buses and people selling The Big Issue. Before going to the restaurant, we paid a quick visit to a lovely cheese shop, where Sophie bought chunks of Lincolnshire Poacher and a strong Cheddar. I bought a box of cheese biscuits and a jar of piccalilli.

We crossed the road to No.1 Ship Street and took our seats in the cosy, dimly-lit restaurant. We both chose from the set lunch menu - a celeriac velouté for Sophie and fried baby squid with aioli for me as starters, and cottage pie for our main courses. We chose a bottle of Portuguese red wine and munched on delicious bread and butter before our food arrived. 

There was a lovely atmosphere in the restaurant, and two Spanish women came to sit next to us, sharing a glass of beer!

Our starters

The wine was delicious and we lingered over the meal, enjoying our cottage pie main course (although I have to say Keith's is better!) and choosing desserts of chocolate fondant and creme brulée. As the afternoon wore on, the staff dimmed the lights even more, and it was heavenly to sit and chat.

By 4.30pm we'd finished, so we paid the bill and emerged into the dusky evening. It was still cold and people were huddled against the elements. We walked back to the bus stop, taking some photos on the way.

Hat shop

"Please do not park bicycles against these railings as they may be removed!"

I saw an electronic sign saying that the next bus for our Pear Tree Park and Ride was due in eight minutes, which was perfect. We joined the long queue and I was sure I overheard someone say the bus was delayed. In the end, we waited almost half an hour and managed to grab two seats on the very back row of the bus. An older couple were already seated by the window, and two women came and sat opposite. 

The bus journey back to the car park took almost an hour, and we were constantly held up by traffic. This gave us a chance to all have a good moan and find out where we were headed once back at our cars. Sophie and I said Northampton and a man who had just joined the throng of people now standing in the aisle said he was driving to Kettering. This started a conversation about the recent floods and how bad the weather had been. The journey passed pleasantly because of the conversation, but I felt a little sorry for the wife of the couple as her husband was entirely engrossed in his phone for the whole time we were on the bus! The standing man kept trying to butt into our conversation, saying he'd been made aware of problems on the A43, but he wasn't really part of our little group, so we ignored him...! Only joking! It was great to sit and actually talk to strangers and find out a little about them!

Back at the car, we made our way onto the busy A34, then the M40 and finally the A43. It was a dark and hectic journey, and we made it home by 7.15pm. We were still full from lunch so we didn't touch the cheese or biscuits, but we had to make the porridge and lunches... back to reality with a bump!