First, it’s warm and dry inside - less important today, but a boon when you’re seeking refuge from wet and blustery weather. And, secondly, the views from the top of the tower. This photo was snapped from the top floor, looking east towards the John Radcliffe Hospital in my Headington ward. A shame it was so overcast, but still a pretty impressive sight.
It’s one of the constant delights of Oxford that, as a small, densely-packed city surrounded by greenbelt, you’re only ever a few minutes away from countryside.
I should also pay tribute to my ward colleague, David Rundle, who helped me deliver one of the 14 floors. The first floor. That’s what political comradeship is all about.
We then repaired to Old Headington village, only a five minute drive from Ploughman’s Tower - but it somehow feels a lot further away.
I took the opportunity to nip into Bury Knowle Park, right in the heart of Headington - and, therefore, for such is the barking madness of the Boundary Commissioners, just outside Headington ward. The park is in post-winter splendour right now, with naked trees hinting that spring is soon to break through. And the new lamps the Council has installed are helping to combat the lingering gloom. Terrifically tranquil.
Now if I could just get rid of the ink still staining my fingers…
4 comments:
14th floor?
Those of us who are fit young people were up the hill, delivering the houses with 90% gradient drives.
It ain't called Steep Rise for nothing,
Richard H.
So who did Jack Straws and Harberton Mead then? Effort to delivery ratio is by far the worst there! But plenty of huggable...oops I mean squeezable...Tories...:)
PS - "my park" is better than "your park" but because the City Council doesn't feel it deserves friends I'm setting a group up myself.
It's Plowman. And it was three floors.
The street lights you helped install reminds me of the perils of light pollution. We lived in London for years and hardly ever saw the stars, so when we settled in the western isles we thought we'd see stars every night.
I think it was our first year - one still November evening that I suggested to Alice we should go out and see if we could see the northern lights.
So we drove out of Marybank and onto Barvas moor, parked the car on the side of the road as far from light as possible, and looked skywards.
We reckoned without island hospitaity. Every car which passed stopped to see if they could help us, assuming we'd broken down. Also the light pollution from nearby Stornoway meant we could not clearly seek the sky anyway, so after the fifth car had stopped and we'd explained what we were doing to the disbelieving driver we abandoned the exercise and went back home.
Never did see the northern lights whilst there.
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