Sunday was pretty rainy but we visited a church that had its main attraction on the inside - one of the most complete sets of medieval murals in England (painted in about 1330). Chalgrove Church is only five minutes' drive from our house and I didn't even realize it until that morning, which is pretty incredible.
Chalgrove Church
We arrived just as a lady was leaving and she turned on the lights for us and said she'd be back in an hour or so to lock up. The murals were very cool and we had a great time.
The chancel with its murals
Life of the Virgin Mary
Detail from the Funeral Procession of the Virgin
Resurrection of the Dead
Deposition from the Cross
Sunday Roast
While we were out we decided to try a Sunday roast at a pub called The Mole Inn, which was recommended by a friend. A sign on the door said it was Michelin recommended and it was beautiful inside, all old stone and wood beams. But unfortunately the food turned out to be nowhere near as good as our local Lamb Inn (in Little Milton). Our bread and olive appetizer was fantastic, though.
Toot Baldon
As we pulled out of the parking lot at the Mole we saw a sign for a parish church, so headed down the lane to check it out. The village has one of the best names yet - Toot Baldon. The church itself was not terribly exciting, but it was located at the end of a long, tree-lined road and had a very cozy feel about it.
Oxford
Monday we went into Oxford to run some errands and visit the Ashmolean Museum. As a bonus, it was brilliantly sunny all day.
We picked up lunch from Pret and enjoyed it perched on a bench on Cornmarket, which was much less crowded than usual. Then we headed to the Ashmolean Museum, where I was mainly hoping to check out the inscription we'd seen at Odda's Chapel in Deerhurst the other week.
Alas, it is closed on Mondays! So we went here instead:
Ben's Cookies in the Covered Market. Yum.
Black pudding in the Covered Market. Not so yum.
