Tuesday, December 29, 2009

It's Starting To Snow In Oxford

It was hard to try and get a photo of the snow that started to fall this evening, I am not much of a night photographer. I managed to get this photo of snow falling past a street night, it makes the snow look like sparks in a metal foundry. Not sure how much of this snow will be around tomorrow morning when Oxford wakes up.

Monday, December 28, 2009

Fanatical About Film Christmas Movies

A very popular activity during the Christmas Holidays is going to the movies and in Oxford there is two main movies showing in the main cinemas, Avatar and Sherlock Holmes. I went to see Sherlock Holmes this afternoon and would recommend the Guy Ritchie version of the English Classic, a very good movie. It is still a bit cool outside in Oxford at the moment.

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Fox And Hounds Abingdon Road

What's going to happen with this site at the end of the Abingdon Road? The Fox and Hounds Pub closed down well over a year ago, and about six months ago there was a fire on the site which you can see in this photo. There was talk that TESCO was applying to put a small TESCO Express on the site, but I have not heard anything about this for awhile, I read about local opposition to the site being turned over to TESCO. I am sure my friend Tony would not be to pleased to see this old pub turned into a supermarket.

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Not A Holiday For Everyone

While I was relaxing today trying to avoid the crowds who were heading into Oxford to take part in the sales, I was thinking about how quick Christmas is for many who can not get time off over this period like the sales assistants in all the stores. Then as I was walking back from having a drink with friends I spotted the silhouette of this cleaner working in the Oxford Castle complex. It was strange, she was working away with the vacuum which would have been making a bit of noise and I was standing below and could not hear a thing it was eerie. Christmas Holidays should be longer..

Friday, December 25, 2009

Merry Christmas Everyone

It is Christmas, and today I did not leave the house at all. So todays photo was taken in my lounge room this afternoon, just after Christmas Dinner, I like to have candles around the house to set the mood. Hope everyone had a nice Christmas with family and friends, Merry Christmas.

Thursday, December 24, 2009

The Calm Before The Storm

Hope you have managed to get everything that you needed for Christmas, as the stores in Oxford started to close the city started to empty of shoppers as people started to head home, get out of the cold and spend time with family and friends. While I was in Cornmarket this afternoon getting a nice bottle of Australian Red for Christmas Day, I noticed that NEXT had already closed to get ready for the post Christmas Sales...

Merry Christmas everyone, and thanks for popping into see Oxford Daily Photo every now and then, sorry for being a little irregular over the last couple of weeks..

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Very Frosty In Oxford This Morning

It was very frosty in Oxford today with the overnight temperature in Oxford falling below zero and the maximum not reaching more than 3∘C during the day, most of Oxford looked like this all day. Grey and miserable. Where are those foot prints leading to?

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Very Chilly Looking St Giles

Very cold today in Oxford, no snow like parts of the country for Oxford, just a very cold day of about -2 according to the local radio station. I had to wait awhile to get this photo with so few cars, you no its the weekend before Christmas and the city centre has gone mad......

Monday, December 14, 2009

North Oxford Rotary Christmas Appeal

Over the next few days you will see around North Oxford members from the North Oxford Rotary Club with there very large Santa Sled with Santa along with Santa's helpers collecting for Vale House in Botley. If you see these guys out and about I hope you can spare a pound or two for Vale House.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

The Swan and Castle

In January this year I posted a photo of the closed Ha Ha Bar, well this weekend Oxford newest Weatherspoon's pub, The Swan and Castle, opened in the building where it was and it was very busy tonight. The Swan and Castle is across the road from the West Gate Shopping Centre which I am sure will be very popular with the shoppers and all those visiting Oxford.

There is another pub just down the street from this new pub with a similar name, The Castle, don't get these two places mixed up with you are meeting up with friends, you might be a little surprised.

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Oxford Castle Christmas Market

This year in the grounds of the Oxford Castle there is a Christmas Market which is running till 20th of December. This is Oxford's first Christmas Market and this afternoon it was very busy, which is great to see. I had a nice sausage roll from Max at the Big Bang Restaurant who has a stand at the market selling Mulled Wine and great sausage rolls. The market has a great variety of craft and gift idea's that you don't see in the big chain store, well with a look if you are in the area. The logo for the Christmas Market was done by well know local artist Neil Baldauf-Clark which I think is very good, have a look at the website if you are interested, would make a great Christmas Card.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Christmas Lights In Oxford Area

I think it is great when people decorate there gardens and houses for Christmas, and I think that people enjoy putting all that effort in to making sure things look Christmassy. Last year this garden in Banbury Road did not have as many lights, and this year the owner has added a few more lights, well done.
Some people really go to town on Christmas Lights and decoration, which I enjoy, but when do you take them down? You really can not leave them up all year can you? I think the local newspaper should have a competition for the best house in Oxford!!

Tuesday, December 08, 2009

Borders Closing Down Sale Starts In Oxford

As I am sure alot of my readers know, the Borders book store across the nation has gone into administration. As apart of that process the store on Magdelan Street in Oxford is having a massive percentage off sale. I was always under the impression that Borders was a string business attracting alot of well known authors to the store to sign books just after there release, guess I was wrong. What is going to happen to the Starbuck and Paperchase departments??

Monday, December 07, 2009

Sunset Over Oxford

The sunset over Oxford at about 1630 this evening, the days are getting shorter now, which I like when it is sunny like this, today it there was a lot more rain about, this photo was taken on Sunday evening, unfortunately I could not post on Sunday, but did not want to waste the shot as I liked it.

Saturday, December 05, 2009

Penguin In Marlborough Road

Noticed this Penguin in Marlborough Road today, must be global warming, not sure what he was doing in Oxford.

Thursday, December 03, 2009

Will Young At The New Theatre Oxford

Not the best photo, due to not having the best seats in the house, but this photo was taken at the New Theatre in Oxford at the Will Young concert this evening. Not a real big fan however he was entertaining and know who to told the crowd who loved every minute of his show.

Wednesday, December 02, 2009

Queen Arrives In Oxford In State Bentley

The Queen visited Oxford this morning to look around the new gallery's of the Ashmolean Museum which were opened to the public early last month. As you can imagine the Queen visiting Oxford was a very popular event, and I was unable to get close enough with the crowds for a photo of her, so I had to settle on the motorcade as it drove down St Giles. The Queen come to Oxford from Windsor in her special State Bentley with her standard flying from the roof, there were only two of these Special Bentley's ever made and given to the Queen in 2002 for her Golden Jubilee.

Tuesday, December 01, 2009

Ice Sculpturs At Oxford Castle

A couple of days ago at the start of the Christmas Celebrations for Oxford there was an Ice Sculptor putting on a great demonstration within the Oxford Caste area. Once he had finished a sculpture he would put it on display and then start work on the next. Luckily for us public it was fairly chilly that night and they did not melt too fast and we could see the great skill involved in making these great objects.