Depending on who is walking, it takes from ten minutes to twenty minutes to walk from our apartment to the Radcliffe. The Magdalen Bridge crosses the Cherwill River and you come to a giant roundabout called The Plain. We are staying just up from here off the Cowley Road.

Our apartment is a bit like a doll’s house for adults. Compact and cosy. I love it. We have a loft bedroom that you reach by climbing a metal spiral staircase and there are attic windows through which you see the roof tops of our neighbours. When the sun shines, which has been rare, it is filled with glorious sun dappled light.

There is a desk which I have taken over – I figured that seeing that I couldn’t get into the Radcliffe, I could make good use of it. However, I must confess that I have managed to fill most spaces with my stuff – bits of sewing, my clutter – but no books – they are all on my ipad, so this accompanies me everywhere.

Looking for the best supermarket for shopping, I walked along Cowley Road away from the Centre and felt like I had entered a different world. There are dellies from Morocco, India, Italy, Turkey – fresh herbs, spices and an assortment of edible treasures; numerous cafes, bike shops, op shops – it is a bit like south Newtown. There is a giant Tesco’s a few blocks away where I can buy practically anything we need. I love walking to the shops with a couple of carrier bags and bringing them home filled with what we need for a few days – fresh raspberries are always on the list and I have bought some key spices for dahl – significantly cheaper than buying meat. We are staying on the edge of two completely different worlds that probably never meet.

We had a giant red balloon pass our house this morning. Keith noticed it in the reflection of the table. This afternoon, the Olympic torch is visiting this part of Oxford – it will travel along Cowley Road to the roundabout – some excitement!

I am enjoying exploring both worlds by foot.