In which I Dream Beneath the Spires of Oxford | Anita Mathias: Dreaming Beneath the Spires

Peaceful at Pentecost

Anita Mathias — Sat, 03 Jun 2017 22:16:48 +0000

Pentecost–the coming of the Spirit to a frightened and fearful huddle. It is one of my favourite Christian feasts, so hopeful… The Spirit comes not because we are worthy, often not even because we have asked him to, but because he is good, and kind, and desires to bless. He comes in his own way, […]

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Visiting Blenheim Palace: Thoughts on Creativity, Envy and the Good Life

Anita Mathias — Fri, 11 Apr 2014 19:01:24 +0000

View from the palace, showing the island. Image credit. I’ve lived in Oxford for 14 years now (in two instalments) and try to walk around the Blenheim Gardens and grounds once a year, if not once a season. I love the lakes: they get me. And, often, when I visit the gorgeous gardens of stately homes, […]

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England: A Rhapsody

Anita Mathias — Sat, 25 Jan 2014 10:48:29 +0000

I love England. I have now lived for at least 14 years each in three continents–Asia, America and Europe. If I could live anywhere I chose, I would choose England (as I have). (And if I could choose any English town to live in, I would choose Oxford–as I have.) As I walked down the […]

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A River Walk on the Thames Path from Sandford Lock to Folly Bridge, via Iffley Lock

Anita Mathias — Thu, 30 May 2013 21:50:39 +0000

Enjoy this post by my husband Roy on one of our favourite walks by the River Thames in Oxford, incredibly beautiful and a great place to relax. Roy takes his camera, I take my jumbled thoughts. He comes back with photographs, and I come back with peace and a blog post. Roy thinks we should […]

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Otmoor Nature Reserve, Oxford (RSPB): Oxfordshire Walks

Anita Mathias — Sat, 18 May 2013 19:06:45 +0000

Otmoor Nature Reserve is one of the my favourite places to walk in Oxford. It’s usually totally deserted, so it’s a great place to walk, pray, think. A watery world of sea and sky, lagoon-like ponds reflecting the sky, punctuated by the honks of wild geese and swans, and the quacks of ducks,and the […]

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The Bluebell Woods and Peacocks of Harcourt Arboretum, Oxford: Oxfordshire Walks

Anita Mathias — Tue, 14 May 2013 15:09:30 +0000

A guest post by Roy Mathias Harcourt Arboretum lies on lands once owned by the Norman Harcourt family. We went to see the wonderful bluebell woods, and also saw the peacocks descended from those that the Harcourts introduced over 100 years ago. The bluebells grow in a grove of 300 oak trees planted in […]

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7 Quick Takes: Kew Gardens, Wisley, Leighton House, Univ. Parks, Oxford,Daughters, Progress on NY Goals,

Anita Mathias — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 01:08:35 +0000

1 We are taking a walking course in London, with Joanna Hall of The Walking Diet. With her walking technique, I am walking faster—much faster—and, more importantly, really, really enjoying it. I am walking about 4 miles a day around London, when I am there, and Oxford. 2 Leighton House Frederick, Lord Leighton was a […]

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Walking Away from the Dreaming Spires; Walking Away from Joy

Anita Mathias — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 22:26:59 +0000

When C. S. Lewis went up to Oxford for his entrance interview, he accidentally walked away from the golden, gleaming, dreaming spires towards the "mean", grimy suburb of Botley. He sees that as a metaphor for his whole life until he became a Christian--choosing the second-rate instead of the most beautiful, most noble, most golden!

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The Poet, the Albatross and the Christian

Anita Mathias — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 22:48:11 +0000

The Albatross […]

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1001 Gifts #5: Living in England

Anita Mathias — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 22:17:00 +0000

I’ve lived in Oxford for 10 and a half years now, in two instalments, and still love it. I read a email yesterday from an American friend who did some ministry in London earlier this month. “We were immersed in British culture. We loved their sense of humor. If I added these six words to […]

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