I’ve tried to hit the Crown and Thistle for a lunch beer occasionally as it is 4 miles from the lab and mostly uphill to get to (thus a mostly downhill return, so just about the perfect size and shape lunch run), but during the work week it opens late in the afternoon.  However, having [...]

I’m at a loss…no smarmy comments, no funny stories, just a very copacetic pint at a fine example of a pre-war pub.  The Ampleforth Arms is a fantastic house and it is all down to the people.  Okay, I’m judging just by the landlady but as it was just the two of us in there [...]

It was pissing down rain all of a sudden but had been doing so off-and-on since the night before and it was blind optimism that a run might be completed during a break in the weather.  The Royal Standard seemed a good choice for a hideout to me, as it did to about a dozen [...]

The run to the Crown and Thistle was fine except the Crown and Thistle doesn’t open till 3 Monday thru Thursday.  My options were to go over Shotover Hill (in which case I would need to catch the bus back to work) or to explore the neighbourhoods a bit and hope for the best.  I [...]

A lot of folks are away on holiday and many of the others think it is too hot to be outside (which is to say, it is 28C/82F, sunny, about 40% humidity…essentially a mild spring day).  With the streets likely to be abandoned, the running opportunity was irresistible and a trot up to Headington and [...]

Rested yesterday to recover from the Marlborough-to-Swindon run on Sunday and felt pretty good this morning as a result.  An early start to work and then lunch while placing some equipment orders at 9:30 am left my usual lunchtime free for a run and I headed out across the meadow that borders University Parks then [...]

In the past couple of weeks running has once again become easy enough to be considered a joy.  I look forward to hills and I can look at a map and pick out several places, memorise their locations relative to one another and then head out until I find one (or, if overshooting them all, [...]

Had some evening work to do so got my run in during lunch…long hill repeats at Headington, a misery.  A quick change to a dry shirt and I was ready to eat lunch so popped into the White Horse ( a Hungry Horse pub with a cheap burger and beer special).  It took fucking ages [...]

The Hash was running out of the Mason’s Arms last Wednesday, but I am swamped at work and could only take a short break around 6 pm.  I ran the Headington hill and found my way into the neighbourhood built on the site of an old quarry where the pub lives and promptly ordered a [...]

I knew about this before but this was the first time I’ve run past it (last week around lunchtime).  Impressive in its stupidity, no?