Entrance

A long-awaited treat today – I took advantage of ceridwen being in Oxford and we had coffee together. It was great to have the chance to chat in the real world and to put a face to a name.

I’m afraid you don’t get to do the same since we agreed not to blip each other, but we can reveal that we met at The Old Fire Station, a place that interests us both. After the fire engines moved out in 1971 it became a rather tatty theatre then an arts venue, a nightclub and a science centre. The space had a patchy history then was redeveloped and re-opened two years ago. It’s now an arts centre with a gallery, a theatre, studios and training courses for homeless people, who run the excellent café where we met. I was impressed by ceridwen’s inside knowledge of all the rules and constraints involved in running a place selling food to the public and was rather glad that all I have to do is go in, ask for a coffee, sit down and chat.

I’m afraid also that this isn’t even a picture of the Old Fire Station – just a man in the street with a Christmas tree. I really can’t pretend any more that the season of crowded streets, overspending and unnecessary plastic hasn't begun. Sigh.