Friday was my day off this week, and consisted of a long walk to the vet (to fix K's ear infection), an unexpected discovery of London Road, which is actually only a 35 minute walk away (I had just never walked in that particular direction before!) and the definitely British experience of chips (sans fish) and vinegar. I'll admit to trying chips twice (Canadians, that's fries I mean) -at the Mediterranean fish bar by my house, and at Posh Fish on London Road - and probably not for a long while now, given how ridiculously caloric they are. Plus, it seems like such a waste - they really need to invent an extra extra small size. Ordering a small is enough for me and Kiara for two days! Except that, after being in the fridge for a day, they really don't taste that great. I guess I'll have to get a small army of people to come with me next time I decide to try to go for fish and chips! Posh Fish is definitely better than Mediterranean fish bar; much more fresh! Oh, and I did try to get Kiara the fish part at Posh Fish, and I tried to ask if it had bones in it, since obviously dogs can't pick the bones out. I could NOT understand the lady's accent for the life of me...she repeated herself twice! Then, another lady said that they only had large fish that day, so I was out of luck. Oh well! If someone knows whether fish and chips has fish with bones, please comment on this post and let me know!
Here are a few pics of London Road, Oxford, in the neighbourhood of Headington. There was Old High Street and New High Street ---a whole collection of shops and banks, as well as cafes that let Kiara sit on the patio. The guy looked SO confused when I asked permission...."Of course it's okay", he responded!
In fact, as I was trying to tie Kiara to a chair at my table, a lady who worked in the store next door came out and showed me the built-in handle on the outside wall, and then told me it had been there for years, specifically to tie your dog to! Wow, I love how dog-friendly people are here :-)
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| London Road, Headington, Oxford |
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| Mmmm...cappucino! |
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| Kiara tied to the "dog handle!" |
Since it was nearly afternoon, I then took a short trip into town to check out some stores. Originally, I was planning to post a claim for Kiara's vet insurance to get money back for her ear infection appointment, but it turns out my deductible is £99, and the bill was £94. Oh well! Oh, another annoying note: I have tried SO hard to get Kiara to the perfect weight over the last three years (to avoid hip dysplasia in the future, and labs LOVE to eat). At our vet appointment at home, they said I finally did it --68 lbs and totally fit! British vets have another standard, apparently ---she needs to lose a few pounds, according to him. Huh. The people AND the dogs are skinnier here????
After checking out a few stores in the tiny city centre mall (Westgate) and then Primark (yes, it's cheap, but I really was not happy with the disorganization, and generally not that exciting selection and likely not that great quality), I wandered High Street in search of warm sweaters.
I did try Edinburgh Woolen Mill, but the sweaters I really wanted from there were much, much, too expensive (and cashmere). Jack Wills turned out to be a really great store ---Merino wool sweaters and helpful staff (that's right, helpful staff in England!) The lady even correctly guessed my British size, coordinated outfits for me, and brought them to me to try on. There was even 20% off this week. So, now I have a couple items that will keep me warm and hopefully look good. Perfect!
Other than that, this entire weekend has been full of reviewing notes from the last four weeks, getting caught up on readings, and somehow preparing for my first one-on-one meeting with my supervisor on Tuesday. Dissertation prep time now ---stay tuned for the promised English tea post, perhaps another weekend in Kent, and information on Oxford's "half blue" sporting achievement level and Varsity Kickboxing - coming soon!
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