The Old Library - St John's College Oxford

Yesterday I had the enormous privilege of a visit to the old library at St John's College, Oxford.

As readers of the late, great Terry Pratchett will know, books have to be chained up to keep readers safe....

...dangerous things books.

Chained books had to shelved with the spine facing away, so the shelf mark had to be written on the leaves of the book.

A rod would have been passed through the ring on the end of the chain....

...and then secured in this gap between the desk and the bookshelf.

Comments

Where to go...

It's strange...if you'd asked me a few months ago where I'd like to travel I'd have murmured a few things about various places in Europe. However, because my wanderings are primarily about catching up with people I love, it's turned into a far more of an odyssey (or Royal Progress). The plan such as it is: Christmas 2023 - visiting friends in France Jan - end of March 2023 - temp work and trips to see friends in the UK End of March 2024 - head over to North America, and try and visit: New York (with a trip out to Long Island) Chicago (with side trip to Milawaukee) St. Louis New Orleans Denver/Boulder Edmondton (CA - which may mean a stop in Seattle) Vancouver (maybe) San Francisco End of May 2024 - travel on to New Zealand (possibly via Sydney) Late May/Early June 2024 - travel on to Australia and visit: Sydney Melbourne Hobart Perth Late July/Early August 2024 - start to wend my way home via: Kuala Lumpur Bangkok Japan Mid-September 2024 - walk the Cami...

Abbaye Sainte-Marie-de-la-Pierre-qui-Vire

Deep in the woods… …you can find a magnificent… …Benedictine Abbey, which you may have heard of, as they make very good cheese. Although the place dates from the last century, there is an atmosphere of deep calm and tranquility. Deeper into the woods… …there is a hidden delight… …a little glade… …with a statue of the Virgin Mary. It is an extraordinary place.

Return to Ronda

The last few months have been a bit rough on the health front, so it’s been a delight to be on my travels again. First stop was glorious Ronda, staying in a hotel with it’s own cinema. A fantastic pizza was had… ….Christmas lights were admired… …a sunset revelled in… …but Ronda is all about the gorge (and bullfighting, Hemlingway and Orson Welles)… …and the amazing bridges. And a very poetic carpark.

Traves Tangents

Search This Blog