We have been in Oxford for ten days and I have been a tour guide for three visitors in this time. Last week our niece Chloe and her young man came to Oxford. I saw on facebook that she was in London and found out she was coming to Oxford the next day. We arranged to meet.

It was a flying visit. They did Stonehenge, Windsor Castle and Oxford in one day! Just thinking about it makes me exhausted – but they are young and filled with energy.

Tim and Chloe arrived at 4pm and had exactly one hour. I ran into meet them, setting a new record and met them on Broad Street. It is amazing what you can see when you put your mind to it but they really just got a taste. The sun shone and Oxford glistened. I had to show them Christ Church – the cottage gardens are glorious and the grass is a brilliant green. We did the circuit at a jog, but I got them back to their bus on time – a family had been left at Windsor. They are doing the flying Europe tour mid-semester and are making the most of their time – they are so interested in everything they see.

This week we had another visitor from Australia, this time for the night. We did the walk around the centre of town in the drizzling rain and it was decidedly cold. I walked fast just to keep warm. I feel I am becoming a bit of an expert at showing others the highlights in one hour. But it really is not possible to do justice to Oxford in such a dash.

The night our visitor stayed was the night the Olympic torch came to Oxford. It came up Cowley Road, around the Plain and back out along St Clements Road. It passed literally twenty metres from our apartment. We stood on the street, with the crowds and waved, cheered and enjoyed the atmosphere and the excitement. What a night to choose to visit!