Italian trophies

22 gelatos eaten


She reckons she personally ate between 11-12 gelatos in six days, many for breakfast by the end. I think it's got to be more because it feels like the only thing we did. Anyway, she saved all the spoons for one last photo.

There was snow in Oxford last week, first time in a long while, which we thankfully missed. And so, in the tradition of Oxford, everything from the sublime to the absurd is trotted out as fashion statement or cultural costume to signal the changing seasons. Trendy European/Asian fitted sleek and chic, practical unisex American "you see drab and dowdy, we convince you it's sporty" North Face, ridiculously under dressed antique woolen English and of course as it is a college town, a bit of the nutty that is hard to categorize, such as woman wearing hat similar to that of Paddington Bear. Long trenches, spiky boots, short skirts with stilettos and bare legs, and hats that range from drooping Rastafarian hand knits to fedoras to the transparent rain hats my Nana carried in her purse that unfolded like maps. The quirkier the student or professor, the quirkier the hat, foot and outerwear. Pretty sure I saw the cast of Rocky Horror and Thoroughly Modern Millie simultaneously walking down St. Aldates St. today.

The ever present neck scarf, however, is worn cross-categorically. From the hi jab to the pashmina to the cashmere short scarf to the Isadora Duncan length bulky knits that knot under the chin and hang to the knees, to the Oxford woolen college scarves that are scratchy and uncomfortable. EVERYONE'S neck is all set.

Finally, tomorrow is a big day for the United States and we struggle with the anticipation like everyone else. It doesn't feel bad to be away, rather good to be removed from the fear and madness that I hear from friends in their emails. CNN is bad for your health. Turn it off.