Emma arrived around lunchtime and we headed out straight away for the University owned Harcout Arboretum to soak up some autumn colour. Slightly disappointingly, there wasnât so much colour – or at least no where near as dramatic reds as have been reported amongst the beech trees of The Chilterns. We found a bench under one of the more colourful examples and ate our lunch, and then headed back to Oxford, for a whistlestop tour of Debenhams and Boswells for a birthday present for Emmaâs Grannie and some sparklers for tonight…
[insert firework photos]
…for tonight was the night for this years Novemberfest, returning to the diaries after three year hiatus. The first ever Novemberfest was held on 3 November 2001 and consisted of me and about eight friends gathering in my house for nibbles, dips and puddings â lots of puddings! For November is the month when the nights really start to draw in, its cold and crisp outside and the lanes are full of fallen leaves, and you snuggle indoors with cookies and cosiness.
This year, in a slight change to traditional form, the Novemberfest consisted of Emma and I meeting up with Ros and Nick for the Bicester fireworks â and what fireworks! They were superb; the best that I have seen down on ye Pingle Field. To a soundtrack mainly of film soundtracks (although there was a bit of Holst in there) the fireworks were actually timed to the music, and glorious.
Following the fireworks we went for a meal at Pizza Express (seen of my first date with Emma) and then returned to my house for pudding in the form of the legendary and infamous Chestnut âChocolate Brickâ Turimois. Very delicious! 🙂
