The Oxford Companion to the Brontes

Advantages: A fantastic treasuretrove of information
Disadvantages: None

...The Oxford Companion to The Brontes is an extremely useful sourcebook of all things related to the Bronte family. It is, in effect, an encyclopaedia on the Bronte family, and is clearly very well researched and very well written. It is also illustrated with copies of drawings by Bramwell Bronte. It gives details of the family not found in other books on the family that I have seen. It reveals exactly how it was that Patrick Bronte came to take holy orders in the Church of England, where he trained and it even touches on Patrick Bronte's time at Christ Church, Wellington, Shropshire. A curious omission in many books on the Bronte family, as it was in Wellington that Patrick Bronte had a volume of poems published, Cottage Poems. It also carries great detail about the plays that the Bronte children would stage, known as the Glass...

Martinscholes 16.07.2006 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Oxford companion to the Brontes - Oxford University Press

Ten Ciaoers Go Mad In Oxford

Advantages: lots to do, nice shops, plenty of places to eat, pretty
Disadvantages: lots of beggars, extortionate car parking prices

...August 19th was a special day for me. I went to Oxford for the day. It wasn’t an ordinary visit though. It was a Ciao day out, where I finally got to meet some of the friends I have made through using this website! The fifteen of us there included some familiar Ciao names – I went along with my other half and two of our kids (one being my eldest, who writes as littlepenguin on Ciao), then there were Linda (Linda01865) and Noel, Louise (Wulise) and Shane (enahs1), Louise (Squiggles), Angus (angusreid) and Sherry, Karen (Wiggglypufff) and Paul, Kathryn (KathrynE), and Ophelia (offy). We were due to meet at 10am, but most of us were a bit later than that. We had our first problem trying to park. The car park near the Westgate Shopping Centre didn’t seem to be open, so we had to drive round looking for an alternative...

KarenUK 20.08.2001 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Oxford (England)

Tracy Chapman Where you Live

Advantages: Perfect story-telling songwriting, exceptional vocals, Chapman's best work
Disadvantages: If there is any it would be that the album is too short!

...Warning: This review contains some adult subject matters that some people may be sensitive to. Words have been edited but the meanings remain plain. Born in the Heartland and educated in New England Tracy Chapman grew in special soils. She has deep and capable emotions that she easily traces across your ears and sweetly affects your heart. She carries a beauty that is seen, heard and felt. Now she gives you her seventh major release on the Electra/Atlantic label, Where you Live. The Road to Where you Live. Tracy Chapman seemed to appear from a cloud in 1988 with her self-titled release. She voiced struggles and passions that we absorbed and lived along with her from this album. Fast Car was probably the most well known track from an album full of powerful and conveying music. Tracy brought innocence and a new social conscious...

Christian921 15.10.2005 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Review of Where You Live - Tracy Chapman

Oxford-Famous University City

Advantages: Beautiful colleges. Culture.Sophisticated
Disadvantages: Parking is difficult. Pricey.

...Oxford is one of England's most famous and most visited cities,largely on account of the world wide fame of the University of Oxford,which,inter-alia,numbers President Clinton, the Crown Prince of Japan, Benazir Bhutto and Tony Blair among its former students. At first glance many North Americans visit Oxford and expect to find a campus called Oxford University and are a bit surprised to find that the U is a collection of unique colleges.They very quickly discover the beautiful architecture of colleges such as Christ Church, Magdalene, Brasenose, Jesus,,University and St John's.The dreamy spires of Oxford can get very seductive. The University,important though it it is,does not dominate Oxford in quite the same way as,say,Durham and Cambridge Universities appear to dominate their host cities. Indeed Oxford is an important industrial...

ashford 04.08.2000 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Oxford (England)

Where I live

Advantages: Lots to do
Disadvantages: Nothing so far I love it

...After looking around the site I came across a section about Hereford and thought it might be a good chance to tell you something about the place I live. I have lived in the Hereford area for about twelve years and I never thought I'd settle anywhere after living in a caravan and moving around, but Hereford has captured my heart. It's a friendly place with some really good people. A lot calmer than the north where I was born and there's so much to do here that it's hard to get bored. I think when you come from another area your more prone to exploring whats around you so here we go on a tour of my Hereford. Housing --------- First of all the first thing to know about somewhere new is the facility for housing. If your going to settle somewhere then it's nice to have somewhere to live. The price range for a house in...

Sunnysmiles 23.04.2008 (04.06.2009) · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Review of Hereford (England)

Day Tripping in Oxford

Advantages: Beautiful buildings and friendly people
Disadvantages: Not for cars

...I only spent a day in Oxford so apologies for all the things I miss but it also means that you can see a great deal and have an enjoyable time there within a period of ten or so hours. We travelled there by train from Bath. The journey took about 75 minutes , the connecting train was on time and the cost was a miserly 7.50 GBP return because we travelled after 9:30 am. If I'd travelled before the cost would have been nearer 20 GBP rising to 40 GBP for first class travel. When we arrived, the station was well served by buses and taxis to the town centre, though walking only takes about ten minutes and you get to see the magnificent architecture. The place is awash with students for some reason (joke) , and the college buildings are truly magnificent. You can walk round most of these , and I used up several rolls of film taking...

mikeydred 05.03.2001 (28.08.2001) · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Oxford (England)

England - Someone Must Be To Blame

Advantages: It all starts again, September 08
Disadvantages: We didn't Qualify

...When it comes to major international competitions it would seem that as a nation we automatically expect England to get through qualification without any major problems. It would seem regardless of which teams are drawn against us, we as a Nation expect to get through the group regardless. On the 21st November 2007 a reminder was given to everyone that no Country has a god given right to qualify for every major tournament. It seems in this Country that rather than just accept this fact, someone must be to blame and with the media here, we often find someone quite quickly. Of course this time round it is Steve McClaren who has taken the brunt of the blame and yet again the FA, who appointed McClaren can put all the blame on him. It was inevitable, following the 3 - 2 defeat against Croatia on 21st November that McClaren had no future...

Andy.mack 30.12.2007 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Review of England failed to qualify for Euro 2008: Who's to blame?

OXFORD TUBE - SIMPLY AND EASY TO USE

Advantages: stressfree, quick, easy to use
Disadvantages: may be separated if bus is full up

...We went to London on Saturday to see The Sound Of Music at the London Palladium. As accommodation is expensive in London, we decided to stay at our usual Premier Travel Inn at Didcot and drive in. However, somebody recommended the Oxford Tube, so we decided to give ourselves a stress free trip and not have to worry about parking and booked the Oxford Tube instead. What is the Oxford Tube? Well, The Oxford Tube is a bus service that at peak times runs every 15 minutes between Oxford and London. We were very happy with the Tube and will definitely be using it again. There are a number of stops in Oxford where you can get on and off, namely: Speedwell Street, St Aldgates, Gloucester Green, High Street, St Clements, Oxford Brookes University, Headington, Gladstone Road, Green Road and Sandhills. We got on at Thornhills Park...

kismet 30.05.2007 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Oxford Tube

The Oxford Companion to English Literature

Advantages: Wonderful resource
Disadvantages: none

...The Oxford Companion to English Literature is a weighty tome. But there's no fat! No, sir! Every ounce of the weight of this book is pure literary muscle! The book was first published in 1932, edited by Sir Paul Harvey, and the current edition is edited by the author Margaret Drabble. The book is an invaluable companion to anyone who has an interest in English, be it professional or amateur. The design of the book is simple to follow, with each entry in alphabetical order. The book is an eclectic collection of thousands of literary references. It covers fictional characters, authors, locations that are of significance to English literature, fictional locations, literary patrons, music, history, poetry, religion as it relates to literature, drama, theoretical concepts of literary criticism, etc., etc. As well as the main body...

Martinscholes 07.07.2006 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of The Oxford Companion to English Literature - Margaret Drabble (Editor)

Where to watch birds in Scotland

Advantages: Lots of useful information
Disadvantages: Quite large and bulky, expensive

...Where to watch birds in Scotland by Mike Madders and Julia Welstead is part of the Where to Watch Birds guides that covers 21 different titles. Each of these books have different authors but they all follow the same format which has proved so successful that they are now amongst the best selling bird books ever published. Where to watch birds in Scotland has been described as "The definitive guide to finding birds in Scotland" and first published in 1989 it is now in its fourth edition. The book spans 297 pages and is arranged by region. As the title of the book suggests it covers 142 different locations across ten different Scottish regions. Each of the regional sections includes a map showing the different sites that are covered in that section. It must be stated that this book is not an identification guide it is merely...

micksheff 12.08.2008 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Where to Watch Birds Scotland - Mike Madders