Once you've started, you're halfway there

Recently there have been a lot of small breakthroughs in my life. Do not think about big changes; I still have not found a job, just little things as is usual in life. I must learn my proverb for life from the Morse book I am reading at the moment: Initium est dimidium fasti /Once you've started, you're halfway there. Common sense tells us this everyday, but I am a very good procastrinator, so I will 'tattoo this on my mind' anytime I have a desire to push my responsibilities into the far future.

So some good news: I got a portrait of Johann David Ruland from SOTE Archives in Budapest (Thank you again!); Ruland's pharmacy is my little obsession. Since I have not got a job yet, Nora gave me some good advice to start at a charity. So if everything goes well (that is, my referees don't send me up the river without a paddle), I start on Monday in an Oxfam bookshop1 I have already got the Health and Safety Training and Risk Assessment, which were familiar to me owing to my business studies. Today I also received my National Insurance Number which will help my work eligibility. Full steam ahead!

Since I owe to a lot to Morse, I should write a bit about him. I never heard much about him before coming to Oxford, I only saw a few minutes from the TV series which I could not really put into the usual crime stories. As far as I know there was no Hungarian translation of the Morse novels (of which there are 12 or so), but I did a bit of research and found this website, which gives hope that the works of Colin Dexter will be available in Hungarian soon. Colin Dexter is a local celebrity, he often gives speeches in pubs or community houses around Oxford. His hero, E. Morse - whose Christian name has been never revealed during the series - is a middle aged Chief Inspector in Kidlington. It is obvious from the beginning that Morse is not an everyday policeman with his vast knowledge in the humanities. Now I think that the consumption of beer at lunchtime is not so rare...

I have to make little description about the beer he drinks. It is ale always and never lager. Ale is a kind of patriotic beer more common in England, Ireland, Belgium than in any other part of Europe. Ale is sweeter and fermented faster than the lager - which we can buy in Hungary. The other beer type which I had to learn here - and of course tried as well - is cider. It is a fermented apple juice and not as sweet as I thought.

So it turns out that Morse studied at Oxford, but because of a love story he dropped out. This connection explains his knowledge, intelligence, and comfort around the colleges. And his pickiness concerning punctuation. (He is the one who used the so called 'Oxford comma' after intelligence.) All of Morse's cases take place in and around Oxford, so I can imagine all the historical buildings as possible crime scenes.

Finally, I made a 'spy photo' about the caretaker's dog, who was waiting for him in his car. (There is a leak in the washing machine so they came to fix it.) A faithful friend, isn't she?

A festive night

Yesterday we made a short visit to the city of Abingdon which is appr. 8 miles south by bus, so it was an experience travelling through the countryside. The bus driver was kind of adventurous, heading into puddles, balancing on kerbs. So the journey was long and we had to get back home because we had an invitation for the evening.

Abingdon Abbey is the main attraction in Abingdon, because it had monopolised power and wealth in the city for more than 500 years. The Abbey was founded in 650 with 12 monks, and by 1086 he was the biggest landowner in Oxfordshire and Berkshire. Henry I and Henry II gave it the rights to create a lucrative market place, which was created in Abingdon, as opposed to nearby Oxford. The control was in the hand of the Abbey, and it kept all the revenues generated by the flourishing market; no wealth was distributed to the peasantry. In 1327 local townsmen boiled into riot. With the support of students from Oxford, the people of Abingdon attacked the Abbey. The riot was supressed but revolts were against the abbey in 1381 and in 1431. In 1535 the Abbey was investigated by Thomas Cromwell and in 1538 the property and the estates of the abbey were taken over by the crown. Most of the abbey buildings , including the Abbey church and cloisters were destroyed after the Dissolution.

The Dissolution of the Monasteries was a legal and administrative process between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII appropriated the income of the English, Welsh, Irish monasteries, nunneries and friaries. In the case of Abingdon Abbey it meant that literally nearly every stone except the archway was taken away by the crown.

Aaron, who is a historian, lodges in a 16th century homestead north of Oxford invited us for a hare dinner. We had to got off the bus, and go further on a dirt road - withou a torch in pitch black - until the sign of St Frideswide - a local saint - where we found our destination. The 80 year old owner of the house still lives there and joined to our dinner with pleasure. It's really hard to describe the feeling of the layers of centuries in a house where actually people and cats hanging around as normally. It was an amazing night!

Not only for us because the whole city was flowing to the south part of the city to watch the fire works. On the 5th of November and it seems so that throughout the whole week the Guy Fawkes Night is celebrated with such spectaculars everywhere in England. Guy or Guido Fawkes was a member of a catholic conspiracy against the Protestant King , James I. In 1605 they planned to blow up the House of Parliament, but the Gunpowder Plot was unveiled before anything could have happened. They were sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered. On the 5th of November when the conspiracy was discovered, the people of Lonmdon were encouraged to celebrate the survival of the king. This tradition persists across to UK until today. Probably it does not mean the overall loyalty of the British people rather "circus and bread" like anywhere. It has only just occurred to me that one of Poirot's misteries happened on that night. If you have not read it, Murder in the Mews shows a typical Guy Fwakes night for the European lay people.

Source: John Wilks: Walks into History, Oxfordshire. 2001

Grandpa's Nightshirt

I happened to find this advertisment in a magazine. The picture and the price of the nightshirt is very attractive, although the nightcap is a bit disturbing. It reminds me of The Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, especially its protagonist, Scrooge. Since my memories base only on the Disney version of the story, I had to ask Leigh to give a short summary of the Victorian tale. If there are others apart from me who missed reading this piece of literature, they can follow up through the Gutenberg Project. You can enjoy the first edition of the novel from the 19 December 1843. The book was illustrated by John Leech's hand-coloured and black and white wood engravings.

Ebeneezer Scrooge was mean with money and people. On Christmas Eve he was visited by three ghosts. The first ghost was the Ghost of Christmas Past, who shows him when he was happy with his deceased wife. The second ghost was the Ghost of Christmas Present, who shows his assistant' poor family, who suffers because of the lack of his support. The third ghost was the Christmas Yet to Come, who projects him the future where everyone will celebrate his death. On Christmas Day he wakes up and he spends most of his money on Christmas presents, especially for Tiny Tim, the crippled son of his assistant. The story was adapted to stage, and film as well, so we can find an easier way the refresh our memories before Christmas.

Oxford Canal Walks

Eastern flavour on a housboat's roof

Before I go back to the city guide, I have to tell you that I have been looking for a job from the first day since I was here.I sent a couple of resumes out every day, and left my resume or filled in the applications of businesses who were looking for staff. Until now I got only one answer and an offer that still does not mean too much. I went to a coffee booth at the train station in the last two days but no one has mentioned a contract or anything yet. It would not bother me if there were not that Worker Registration Scheme what means that I have to register with a form and send my passport somewhere up north. It only bothers me because I want to spend the Christmas at home, although who knows, probably the burocracy here is the same as in Germany...

The canal through one of the hundreds of bridges

Anyway, I shouldn't worry about little things, because everything here is going perfectly otherwise. I went to the Newcomers' Club, which is for the homesitting wives of temporary Oxford scholars. I had to throw my perceptions away since every organizer were very supporting and friendly, and not at all snobby, and the other newcomers were as shocked as me. Only the mums had constant activities without being lonely, so I really have to think about this opportunity. But if I really think about it the fruit of this thought would be tangible only when we leave Oxford. I have to forget it as a way to be occupied at the Newcomers' Club.

The "ancient Celtic wayside cross"

One of the nice organizers lead a walk the day so I joined in an easy walk. Leigh and me have already strolled along the Oxford Canal in the direction of Wolvercote, a village on the northern limits of the city. It was amazing to see the houseboats, how people de facto live on the boats. There are powerpoints alongside the canal, but I cannot imagine that there is enough room and it is environmentally friendly to have a washing machine on the boat. Nearly all the housboats are personalized with names, painted decorations or plants grown on the roof. We also found a stone which is described by Leigh as a wayside cross from celtic times. The Oxford Canal was built at the end of the 18th century to give a direct connection to the Thames because of the growing industrialisation in the area (Midlands).

The lock at Wolvercote