Pub: Somers Town Coffee House. And Oxford.

Wow, how busy am I these days. And I thought I was before!

So, the exam went great yesterday, and afterwards we arranged to have farewell drinks in Somers Town Coffee House, a short distance from the training centre. Would have been shorter still, had we found the shortcut that wasn't marked on Google Maps. Anyhoo, we made our way there in due course. With a wooden-framed glass frontage, it has the look of an 18th century coach house, which is probably where it gets its name.

Inside, it wasn't that busy yet - but we were early; it was only about 4 o' clock. However, every table in the place was marked as reserved from a certain time. We finally picked one that wouldn't be required until after 6, and sat down for a convivial drink or two. I have to say, the service was excellent, and unfailingly friendly, and they have a good list, not only of wines, but also of hot chocolates! Recommended - but make sure to reserve on a Friday night.

I was tired after a week of earlier-than-usual starts, but managed to drag myself out of it today to catch a train to Oxford, where I was to meet Helen for a day out. Trains go from Paddington, and I can get a direct Tube there in 15 minutes. So, naturally, I was rushing as usual. Fortunately, I just made my Tube, and had enough time in Paddington to collect my prebooked ticket (always try to prebook online - tickets are sometimes cheaper and there is never half the queue at the ticket collection machines that there is at the ticket buying outlets), find my platform, dash for the train, find a non-reserved seat and get my coat off and get settled, before the train departed.

Finding a non-reserved seat wasn't easy, mind - certainly in the front three coaches, almost every seat was reserved from London. Weekends can be like that, and more particularly, there was a light festival in Oxford today, which brought everyone out. During the hour-long trip, there was something of an altercation in the row in front of me, where the four-seat sections with the fixed tables were. A family seemed to be spread over both sections - on my side, a young couple with a toddler: on the other, a teenage girl opposite two younger girls. Looked like her younger sister and the sister's pal. Anyway, at Reading, I think it was, an elderly man got on - 50s or 60s - came up to the girls, scowled at the teenager and said, "You're in my seat." She tried to explain that she was there because there was, I think, a large bag in her seat - packed with the toddler's things, I guess. He repeated, "You're in my seat". The father of the toddler moved the bag and offered him that seat. He barked - still glaring at the teenager - "I will sit in MY seat, and if you do not move, I shall call the guard". She bolted over to the other seat, and he took his window seat without a word.

Now, that was really horrid. There wasn't a single insolent thing about the teenager's response, and she was really upset by his reaction. Fair enough, he'd booked that seat and he was entitled to it. Maybe he particularly wanted the window seat. But there was no need to take that tone. Some people, eh? Ironically, he proceeded to leave his large bag on the seat beside him - which was also reserved. I idly wondered what would happen if someone appeared and asked for that seat, which they had reserved.. but maybe this guy reserved it for his bag, just so he wouldn't have to sit next to anyone.

Something like two thirds of the train disembarked in Oxford, to persistent rain. Yuck. It was supposed to clear later. Helen's train hadn't arrived yet, and I made for the toilet, which had a long queue - I had just got to the cubicle when she texted to say she'd arrived. Tip: there are two hand dryers in the ladies' toilet in Oxford station - one automatic, one which you have to push a button to start. The automatic one is stronger.

Shortly afterwards, we were making our way into town - about half a mile. The rain wasn't too bad during daylight hours - photos here. Straight away, the lovely, warm sandstone of which most of the older buildings in Oxford are constructed becomes apparent. We had a bit of time before lunch - which we'd booked, conscious that Oxford would be busy today. Mind you, I left all the organisation to Helen, who has a real talent for it - I was run off my feet this week, and happy just to tag along today and take photos.

We started in the Ashmolean Museum, which is huge - so we just concentrated on the section on Ancient Egypt. Several fascinating exhibits, but none more so than the physical representation - on sheets of glass - of a 3D scan of the mummy of a two-year-old boy (see photos).

It was with some reluctance that we left for lunch - but I, at least, was starving. It wasn't a long walk to the Red Lion, which had been rated highly on Tripadvisor - once we'd crossed the road with its never-ending line of cars and buses, all going nowhere fast. After a long walk around the building, we found the door - conveniently indicated by the smoker standing outside. We waited to be seated, and were shown to a table for two in the raised area of the ground floor. Service was unfailingly friendly - and brisk, at first. And we admired the décor - a mixture of old and new, with inventive stair rails apparently made from heavy iron chains!

There's a fixed-price menu, but only on weekdays. I was starving, as mentioned, so was determined to go for three courses. I started with the soup, which was honey and parsnip, and was served in an intimidatingly large bowl! It was very viscous, and I doubted I'd be able to finish it - but I did manage, in the end, and the bread served with it was very tasty (despite not coming with butter, as advertised). I made sure to eat some at regular intervals, to counteract the peppery flavour of the soup. For main course, I had the "sticky chicken" with fries - Helen started with brie, and had the pork with scallops for main. My meal was very tasty, and I did it justice - the sauce wasn't as nice as some, but was good. Helen was defeated by hers, and couldn't quite finish it.

So I was on my own in ordering dessert. In the meantime, a large party had joined us on the upper level, occupying a large table to the side, and a number of tables pushed together. We were so besieged, in the midst of what appeared to be a family reunion, that the person that seemed to be the maitre d' asked us whether we'd rather move somewhere else, but we were ok - particularly once the large party finally took their seats and our conversation was no longer drowned out by theirs. However, the waiting staff were obviously run off their feet tending to this group; matters weren't helped when the hapless maitre d', carrying a tray with two extremely tall glasses of some drink or other, spilled the contents of nearly half of one all over one of the young ladies in the party. Frankly, he could hardly have done worse, except by hitting her with the glass as well!

So we can attribute to this group the fact that once our mains had been served, we were forgotten about. We finally grabbed the arm of one of the waitresses, and asked her for a dessert menu. She looked at us blankly. We finally got through to her, and she gave us a couple of the menus she was holding. And we duly ordered - from the maitre d' - an Americano for Helen, a chocolate pot for me. Well, it was always going to be something chocolatey!

And then we waited. And waited. And waited, as they finally brought starters for the large group, who'd been there for hours at this stage. And then the girl who'd given us menus asked whether we'd ordered, and we said yes, and told her what we'd ordered. And waited. And waited. Eventually, as I recall, we had to give our order a third time. And.. we waited. After the third attempt, at least they brought dessert spoons. And then we.. waited some more. Finally.. drum roll! She brought.. the coffee. No sign of my dessert yet.

(sigh) So I said, if Helen had finished her coffee and my dessert still hadn't arrived, we'd leave. She started to drink. And.. I waited. The maitre d' arrived while she was drinking. With.. another coffee. Oops! She duly finished her coffee. We'd been there for hours now. We wanted to get sightseeing. She said she'd run to the loo, and if it hadn't come by the time she came back, we'd go. Guess what? After another short wait, it arrived while she was in the toilet. I must say, it was worth the wait - a delectably dense chocolate dessert, literally in a tiny pot - a teeny saucepan on the plate, filled with a rich chocolate dessert, topped with cream and candied lemon. The plate also held three biscuits, which were nice and warm from the warmed plate. And there was a strawberry, which I donated to Helen (when she returned), who pronounced it good.

So, the food was good. Very good, even. But don't order dessert if you want to do anything else that day! Hey, at least they forgot to charge us for it! ;-)

We meandered around the streets of Oxford for the rest of the afternoon, taking lots of photos of a very photogenic town. Our first stop was Blackwell's, the famous bookshop. This, the main branch, covers several floors, and we moseyed up to the second floor and the history section. I didn't buy anything, but it's a fascinating place to browse. A book-lover's Mecca, you can pretty much find anything here. I had particular fun in the translations section, where you can find versions of Harry Potter in both Latin and Ancient Greek..!

We passed outside many historic colleges, but they all seem to have an entry fee. It's only £2, but we weren't that pushed, and carried on. As the day darkened - and it darkened considerably, with an ominous cloud hanging overhead - the lanterns around the college buildings came on, lending even more atmosphere. It really is a gorgeous place. We passed a theatre where a classical concert seemed to be going on all afternoon. And then.. the heavens opened. Soaked, we made our way to the covered market.

After some time among the shops there, the basic plan was to go on a ghost walk. Unless the weather continued to be that bad! With time to kill, we asked in a local store, and were told that a good place to while away some time with a cuppa was Turl Street Kitchen, just around the corner. They have a spectacular list of teas - I had a hot chocolate though. It's an old building, with seating at the bar on the ground floor, at tables downstairs, and on sofas upstairs. Studenty vibe. However, seating was not to be had.. they'd closed off one section for dinner, and the rest was crowded. People on laptops mainly - but nowhere was there free seating for two. We begged and pleaded, and the reservations were checked, and they let us sit at a table in the restaurant area for a limited time.

The only toilets visible were marked as for staff, but nobody seemed to care, and we used them and then made our way to the walk. Or, well, tried to. Oxford isn't that big, but until you're used to it, the various alleyways are mystifying. By the time we found the entrance to the castle - where the walk convenes - he'd already started. But we hadn't missed much, and as there's a second starting place on the main road, we had an opportunity to pay. (Nuts!) In Victorian costume (and carrying a bell), he led us through the streets, telling tales as he went, and mixing the odd ghost story with magic tricks! And a great deal of humour. Of course, the great thing about these walks - whatever their theme - is the chance to see the city by night, and also to see back streets you normally wouldn't. A very entertaining time was had.

As we passed along, we came across many people dressed in what you might describe as a unusual manner. But maybe it's an Oxford tradition to dress in mediaeval clothing! I guess the young men scooting along in tuxedos were going to a different function.. Whatever, after a long day, we were relieved to get back to the station and take a seat while waiting for our respective trains. Which were much emptier, at this time of night.. and when I got back to Paddington, I rounded off the night by finally locating the statue of Paddington bear, recently erected!

Right then. Tomorrow, I need to use my second Sweet Sundays voucher. Valid only on Sundays, and only for Cineworld tickets, this'll be my last chance to use it before it expires! Top of the list at the moment is The Imitation Game, which has shot up in IMDB ratings. It stars the omnipresent Benedict Cumberbatch as Alan Turing, the brilliant British mathematician who cracked the German Enigma code during the Second World War, but was later arrested for homosexuality. Keira Knightly plays the woman to whom he was briefly engaged. Also stars Matthew Goode, Charles Dance, and Mark Strong. And it's on in my local Cineworld, so I can walk.

Another thing I can walk to tomorrow is Earl's Court Exhibition Centre, where the Ideal Home Christmas show is running.. and I just popped into the shop last Wednesday and the shopkeeper gave me a free ticket. How Christmassy! :-) Sadly, it'll probably be the last time it's staged here - they're planning to close down this exhibition centre at the end of the year and turn it into flats.