Sunday September 23Both John and Sofia take riding lessons at the Talland School in the Cotswolds, so on Sunday they (and we) couldn't miss the school's Open Day. Thus a pair of nearsighted American academics mixed with a set sometimes known as the Doggy, Doggy, Few, and observed more mane-plaited horses, dogs, landrovers, pearls worn with quilted jackets and wellington boots, and "end the hunting ban" stickers than we have ever seen before.
Somewhere between the "grand prix ride to music" and the "staff pony gymkhana" we trooped out to our own (more archaeological) landrover for an appropriately tony lunch provided by John, with the help of the local hypermarket: champagne; smoked salmon on baguette slices with boursin; roast beef and chicken with chorizo sandwiches; and all the crisps, dips, and snacks that one could want. Okay, so we missed the falconry display, but who cares?
Once again, we weren't terrifically hungry that evening, but we enjoyed going out with John's mother Daisy to a restaurant in the Oxford Castle, an eighteenth-century prison that has now been converted into a hotel - no really, I'm not kidding. The restaurant, Carluccio's, was part of a chain and nothing to write home about - the steak was tough and badly trimmed, the lasagne just okay - and such small portions! But we managed to wrestle down an orange panna cotta for dessert.
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