Iffley and the Rain

On Wednesday the students had a day to use for study since we are nearing the end of the course and they all have final papers and final exams over the next few days.  Because this is a quiet day in the College, I decided to combine a little exercise with a visit to a lovely Romanesque Church just outside Oxford in the village of Iffley.  It is a very nice walk along the river and takes less than 45 minutes to walk to the church there.  So after breakfast I set off with my camera, my ipod, and an umbrella because there was a chance of showers.  It has been a very dry summer in England so the umbrella was more of a precaution than anything else.  I had a wonderful, brisk, quiet walk to Iffley and was able to wander around this:

St. Mary's, Iffley is a rare example of a church dating to the Norman period of the 12th Century.  Very little about the church has been changed since with was consecrated in 1170 and the Chancel was added in the 13th Century. 

I spent a bit of time inside the church then headed back to Oxford.  When I walked outside the church, the sky had cleared and was a brilliant blue.  By the time I was about 2/3 of the way back down the river it had started to shower.  By the time I was at The Head of the River it was pouring and puddles had formed along the sidewalks.  It was a great walk but by the time I got back to St. John's my shoes were squeaking I was so wet!