I had to go to a meeting just outside Cambridge last Wednesday. I had planned to drive there and back from Bristol in the day but H said that was silly and that I should stay overnight. It was a bit late to sort out a hotel so I stayed in a guest room at my old college on Tuesday night. That meant I had a few hours to spare before the meeting on Wednesday. That was a good day…
A quiet walk through the college Deer Park before a full English breakfast in college. A gentle walk around the centre of Cambridge. Seeing the sign “Second-hand Philosophy” on a shelf in Heffer’s bookshop (why did I find that amusing?). Walking over Garrett Hostel Bridge and along the backs. Coffee on the top floor of the Graduate Centre, with a chance to read the paper and make a couple of phone calls. The smug feeling of parking the car near the centre of Cambridge for free and having the Porter come out to work the rising bollard for me.
A good meeting, and a chance to meet old colleagues. A drive back across country to avoid motorways. A stop in Bibury, still attractive even when inundated with tourists, to stretch the legs. Half a dozen young Japanese tourists wearing surgical masks (anyone reading this in the future needs to remember about swine flu). Watching a beautiful Gray Wagtail scuttling along the stones beside the river while the tourists, quite oblivious to it, were busy taking photographs of the ducks.
We rush around too much and miss a lot. Nice to have a good day once in a while.
Tags: Bibury, Cambridge, Grey Wagtail
