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Beth Reid's avatar

Hi Gillian! Loved this piece, I've not been to Oxford in a long time so it was great reading about your experience. As for Scone, I have indeed been and recently wrote a piece about Scone Palace and the Stone of Destiny - I'll share this with you! :)

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Gillian Fletcher's avatar

Thank you for reading—what a fool I am! I enjoyed the pieces you shared but never made the connection it was THAT Scone since I’d never known they originated there! Well, now I feel it all full circle 🥰

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ACP's avatar

Love Scone Saturdays!

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Gillian Fletcher's avatar

It's a wonderful new tradition and a great excuse to take a few minutes to enjoy the morning.

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FranB's avatar

So glad you both had a good time. To your question about tour groups in Oxford, there were probably fewer of them when I was there and my college was off the beaten track, so relatively quiet. We also cycled everywhere, so the distances didn't feel too great. It was, however, a massive contrast to Liverpool University where I did my first degree! Hopefully, we can meet up if you come back.

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Gillian Fletcher's avatar

Excellent insider knowledge—and you get to say you went to Oxford! My brief time at University of Birmingham showed me what a vast campus is like, but I would have liked to have the experience of being in a college like they appear at Oxford. Next time, coffee’s on me!!

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VickieO's avatar

What a wonderful trip! So glad you made the trip to Oxford! It's such a beautiful "university". Love the photos and your mom looks great!

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Gillian Fletcher's avatar

I’m really glad we got to go there—I absolutely have to go back when I can spend a couple of days. There’s just so much to explore!!

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Adrian Landin's avatar

Informative, personal, and beautifully crafted. This might be one of my favorite stories of yours – one reason being, I know the value of having a parent come to the other side of the world and seeing you in your new element.

This brought back some really, powerfully nostalgic, memories for me.

Thank you for sharing your mother with us!

Hey, I’m curious why they started putting milk in the tea?

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Gillian Fletcher's avatar

It was a very special trip indeed—thank you! Glad it sparked something for you as well!

So there are a couple of reasons for the milk! Bone china was brittle and the hot tea was less likely to crack the cups with a spot of milk in it.

Our host also said that tea is less likely to leave a ring around the cup when diluted with dairy.

And here I thought it just tasted good…

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