I went to Oxford yesterday. 8+ hours in a car to see original maps of Middle Earth, handmade copies of Susan Cooper's six signs from the Dark is Rising, a Malleus Maleficarum, a first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone annotated and illustrated by JK Rowling, a handmade Alethiometer (one of the most stupidly beautiful things I have ever seen), scrolls on alchemy, medieval beastiaries, drafts of the Chronicals of Narnia and original paintings by Tolkien.

It. Was. Glorious.

We also went to the Radcliffe Camera (at my insistance, and because of the Unwritten), the Ashmolean (at my insistance, because of the Culture Show), the Divinity School (at mum's insitence, because of the ceilling), Oxfam (mutual consent, it started in Oxford and we all shop there regularly, as well as me and mum being volunteers there), Blackwells (ditto, minus the volunteering) and the Eagle and Child (my insistence again, as it was the hangout of Tolkien and Lewis and they'd sit around and talk about fantasy writing and oh my, nerdgasm).