It's April Fools' don't you know?

April Fools' takes place on the first of April. While its origins are uncertain, some see it as an opportunity to celebrate the changing of seasons. Others simply see it as a day of jest. As we have not noted any physical evidence that we are entering a new season (the weather here in the UK has been pretty abysmal as of late!), perhaps we should just forget the season reason and focus on the more humorous aspects the day.

Adding to the humorous feel good factor of April Fools', most businesses allow their employees to take the day off as it is also a bank holiday. Among some of the other European countries that have a public holiday today is France, Belgium, Ireland and Italy.

As many of you will already know, April Fools’ Day is about making other people look stupid with practical jokes. Rather than list some of the fabricated stories and pranks people play on each other, we thought it would be more interesting to read about ridiculous stories that are actually true.  Click on the image below to read more.

Go Oxford!

This Sunday will see the annual Boat Race take place along the River Thames.  This year will be the 159th Boat Race.  The Boat Race is between the top rowers from Oxford and Cambridge Universities.   The 4.2 mile race takes place on a section of the River Thames from Putney to Mortlake, and usually takes between 15 and 20 minutes to complete.

The first race ever held was in 1829, after two school friends - one went to Oxford, the other Cambridge - decided to set up a challenge.  The event has been held annually since 1856 - except during World War I and World War II. The loser of the race traditionally challenges the winner to a rematch every year.  It is one of the oldest sporting events in the world.

Both Cambridge and Oxford are called the Blue Boats, as they both chose shades of blue as their team colour - Oxford is dark blue, Cambridge is light. Cambridge has won the race 81 times, with Oxford winning 76 times - with one dead heat in 1877.

This year, Oxford will have the heavier crew.  The Oxford crew weighed in at 757.6kg (excluding the cox) on Monday, at an average of 94.7kg, with Cambridge at 92.05kg for a total of 736.4kg.  Oxford will be attempting to reverse the defeat by Cambridge in last year's disrupted Boat Race on the River Thames.  Last years men's race was interrupted when a man swam into the boats' path.  When the race restarted, Oxford suffered a broken oar in a clash and Cambridge went on to win by over four lengths.  Race organisers have promised additional safety measures for this year's race in an attempt to avoid any disruption.

If you're not in London this Sunday, specifically between Putney and Mortlake, you can watch the event live on BBC One and online from 3:15pm.

OISE Oxford wishes the Oxford team all the very best!

Top Boat Race Facts

• Every member of the Boat Race crews trains for approximately two hours for every stroke in the race. It takes about 600 strokes to complete the course - so that works out at 1,200 hours over six months, training seven days a week.
• It is traditional for the winning team to throw their Cox - the team member who sits facing the rowers and coordinates their movements - into the river to celebrate their victory.
• It is an unique sporting event, watched by millions worldwide on TV.

Sources:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rowing/21658242
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/boat-race-2013-10-fascinating-1789458
http://theboatrace.org/

The Queen visits Oxford

Today, the Queen and Prince Philip have attended the Royal Maundy Service at Christ Church Cathedral.  Her Majesty wore a vibrant cobalt blue outfit.  Crowds had gathered with Union Jacks to welcome the royals who travelled to Oxford by royal helicopter then chauffeured to the historic centre by royal limousine.

Her Majesty distributed Maundy money to 87 men and 87 women from Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire to mark the Queen's 87 years of age.  The recipients are all pensioners and recommended by clergy and ministers, in recognition of service to the church and to the Oxford community.

The royal service is the first at the cathedral in St Aldate's since Charles I's reign in the 17th century.  Every year the Queen visits a cathedral to make the presentation on Maundy Thursday in a ceremony that dates back to the 13th century.  The Queen decided at the beginning of her reign that the service should take place at a different venue every year.  The Queen has distributed Maundy on all but four occasions since her coronation in 1952, but this is the first time she has done so in Oxford.

Following the service the royal party attended a reception at the Deanery and had lunch at Oriel College. They left Oxford by helicopter just before 3pm.  

One of OISE Oxford's treasured tutors, Stephen Smith, had a great advantage spot of the Queen entering Oriel College.  He was interviewed by the Oxford Mail about the royal occasion.  We all hope it will make next week's paper!

Royal Maundy Service Facts

• Each recipient receives two purses, one red and one white
• The red purse will contain a £5 coin and 50 pence coin commemorating the 60th anniversary of The Queen's Coronation
• The white purse will contain uniquely minted Maundy Money. This takes the form of silver one, two, three and four penny pieces, the sum of which equals the number of years the Monarch has years of age.
• This year there will be 87 pennies-worth distributed.
• All the coins are newly minted this year.

Above the Queen in Oxford today

Sources:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-21954237

http://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/2013032811826/queen-oxford-easter-service/

Oxford plant famous for producing Mini celebrates 100 years of car-making

This week is significant in British automotive history – it marks the 100th anniversary of car manufacturing beginning in Oxford.

The first car to emerge from Oxford back in 1913 was the ‘Bullnose’ Morris Oxford, a car that helped Morris to become the UK’s biggest selling marque.  Today, Plant Oxford stands a few hundred yards from that site established by William Morris in 1913, which was previously the site of the former Oxford Military College. The production methods and technology may have changed, but the city is still synonymous with exporting globally-successful cars.

To begin with just 20 cars were built in the factory each week. Today, the plant turns out up to 900 cars every day. These days much of the manufacturing at the Cowley plant is carried out by robots.

The plant has passed through many custodians throughout the 100 years, including British Leyland, British Aerospace and today’s owners, BMW Group.  And has produced some of Britain's most popular and well-loved cars.  Significantly, the Morris Minor enjoyed a remarkable production span of 23 years from 1948 to 1971. In doing so it became the first British car to sell a million.

The Mini has a long history at the Oxford plant. The first Mini, was produced at Cowley on May 8, 1959.  The new BMW Mini first emerged from the production line in 2001.  Currently the Mini hatchback, Convertible, Clubman, Clubvan, Roadster and Coupé are all built at the factory.

At OISE Oxford we wish happy birthday to Plant Oxford and the 3,700 people who work there, happy manufacturing for the next 100 years.

Sources: 
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/motoringvideo/9954964/Oxford-plant-famous-for-producing-Mini-celebrates-100-years-of-car-making.html

http://cars.uk.msn.com/news/it%E2%80%99s-a-mini-celebration-happy-100th-birthday-to-plant-oxford

The gradual disappearance of wine from France's dinner table. Sacré bleu!

Recent figures have confirmed what has been observed for years, that the number of regular drinkers of wine in France is declining.  In 1980 more than half of adults were consuming wine on a near-daily basis. Today that figure has fallen to 17%.

“Wine has gone from being popular to elitist”

In 1965, the amount of wine consumed per head of population was a hearty 160 litres a year. In 2010 that had fallen to merely 57 litres, and will most likely dip to no more than 30 litres in the years ahead.

Changes in French drinking habits are displayed through the attitudes of successive generations.  People in their 60s and 70s grew up with wine on the table at every meal. For them, wine remains an essential part of their cultural heritage.  Whilst the middle generation - now in their 40s and 50s - see wine as a more occasional indulgence.   They like to think they drink less but better.  Members of the third generation do not even start taking an interest in wine until their mid-to-late 20s. 

What concerns people are the effects of the change on life inside France, on French civilisation.  They fear that time-honoured French values - conviviality, tradition and appreciation of the good things in life - are on the way out.  Food writer Perico Legasse argues that,

"Wine is an element in the meal. But what has happened is that it's gone from being popular to elitist. It is totally ridiculous. It should be perfectly possible to drink moderately of good quality wine on a daily basis."

Other main factors that have contributed to the decline in the French wine glugging is that fewer people work outdoors, so the fortifying qualities of wine are less in demand. Offices require people to stay awake, so lunchtimes are, by and large, sans wine.  As well as the rise of the car, changing demographics, with France's large Muslim minority, and the growing popularity of beers and mixers.

C'est la vie!

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21929287

Family size in the UK: why are we having fewer children?

The Guardian today consider in their Datablog that families are getting smaller and is this the effect of the recession?

There are 7.7m families with children in the UK - but what size are they? Are you more likely to be an only child now?

The number of families with three or more children is the subject of an Office for National Statistics release and it gives us a fascinating glimpse into how the UK has changed - and how we compare.
In 1996 - the earliest year that the data is available for - there were 7.4m families, but they tended to be bigger. The percentage of families with only one child has gone up - to 47%. Those with three or more kids is now 14%, down from 17%.  So families are getting smaller.

However, the UK still has a higher percentage of households with three or more children than three quarters of the EU - including Spain, Germany, Poland and Greece. Is there a link between economic performance and family size? It's an interesting question: the smallest families are in countries which are undergoing crisis at the moment: Greece, Spain, Portugal, for instance. Having said that, Cyprus is above the UK, as is Ireland - does religion play a part there?

The data also shows that it's the poorest places which have the highest percentage of families with three or more children: the figure in Tower Hamlets is 28%, for instance and in Birmingham it is 24%.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2013/mar/25/family-size

Oh Pooh! What to do now?!

Britain is currently being hit by heavy rain and snow, causing huge disruption across the country.  One of the victims to this current bout of unseasonal weather is sadly the World Pooh Sticks Championship.  The event which was due to take place this Sunday has had to be cancelled because the river will be too dangerous.

The World Pooh Sticks Championships, which is held at Little Wittenham each March, is organised by the Rotary Club of Oxford Spires' and is their main event.  Countryfile Magazine Awards 2012 crowned it ‘Britain’s Favourite Quirky Event’

The competition attracts around 1,300 visitors each year to Day’s Lock on the Thames.  Pooh Sticks is a sport first mentioned in The House at Pooh Corner, a Winnie-the-Pooh book by A. A. Milne. It is a simple sport which may be played on any bridge over running water; each player drops a stick on the upstream side of a bridge and the one whose stick first appears on the downstream side is the winner. The annual World Pooh Sticks Championships have been held at Day's Lock since 1984.

However, this weekend the Environment Agency has put up red warning signs meaning that boat users may not use the river, which means that organisers can no longer deploy the safety boats which Environment Agency requires for the event to be safe.

The Rotary Club of Oxford Spires, which organises the event, has said it hopes to rearrange for September.  So do get your sticks ready for then!!  For more information, do check out their website: http://www.pooh-sticks.com

Many Happy Returns Twitter!

Jack Dorsey, Twitter's co-founder, sent the first ever tweet, on March 21  2006.  Dorsey posted on, Twitter, or Twttr as it was known at the time: "just setting up my twttr".

In the seven years since that tweet, more than 200 million people have joined Twitter and the social networking website now sees 400 million tweets sent every day.  Indeed, OISE Oxford has joined that merry Twitter band and enjoys tweeting on daily basis.

According to a survey published earlier this week, the most popular topic to tweet about is television, with 40 per cent of evening tweets concerning what is on television.  The survey also found that women talk more on Twitter about personal matters, television and work, while men are more likely to tweet about sport gaming and news.  At OISE Oxford we like to tweet about the English language.  Whilst my personal account is more a diary of woes! What do you like to tweet about?

Top Twitter Tip Bits

• Each message posted on Twitter can be up to 140 characters long, including web addresses, user names and hashtags

• There are 200 million active Twitter users worldwide

• Every day 400 million tweets are sent every day

• It took three years, two months and one day for the first billion tweets to be sent

• There are 10 million users in the UK, and 80% of them access Twitter via their mobile phones

• Of Twitter's global users, 60% check the service on their phones

• Some 40% of Twitter users choose not to write any tweets themselves, but use the platform to follow news and interests

The happiest of birthday wishes to Twitter, happy tweeting!

Celebrate good times, come on!

The London Underground is celebrating its 150th anniversary with a range of events and activities throughout this year.  Today, it was the Queen's chance to celebrate.  The Queen, joined by the Duke of Edinburgh and the Duchess of Cambridge, visited Baker Street Underground station.

The royals saw a restored 1892 carriage at Baker Street, which was part of the first stretch of the network which opened in January 1863.  Today was the Queen's sixth visit to the London Underground.  The Queen's first Tube journey was in May 1939 as a 13-year-old princess, accompanied by her sister Princess Margaret and governess, Marion Crawford.

It was on 9 January 1863 that the world’s first underground train pulled out of Paddington station to make the first passenger journey - 3½-miles under the streets of London from Paddington to Farringdon and this making it into the record books.

The original Underground line was built and financed by the Metropolitan Railway.  Travelling on the new railway was a novelty that thousands of Londoners were eager to experience and on the first day of public service – long queues formed at every station. The line was a huge success with 26,000 passengers using the railway each day in the first six months.  Today, long queues are still a feature of the London Underground!

If you fancy celebrating this world famous subterranean railway line, check out the Transport for London website here.

And don't forget to 'mind the gap'!

Oxford Literary Festival 2013

The Oxford Literary Festival is back!  Having started on Saturday (16th March) it will continue until Sunday (24th March).  Over 350 writers will converge for a week of talks, debates and discussions.

There will be writers and panellists from over 20 countries.  Joining them are some of the greatest writers in English of our age, including Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney and Booker prize winners Hilary Mantel, Julian Barnes and Ben Okri.

The festival, takes places across Oxford University venues, including the magnificent surroundings of the Sheldonian Theatre, the Divinity School and the Bodleian Library. Christ Church and its Great Hall will remain the base for many festival events.

Food, and particularly Indian food, is a major theme, with appearances by Madhur Jaffrey and the Nearly Naked Chef Hardeep Singh Kohli, and a talk by chef Atul Kochhar to coincide with the first award of the £7,500 Jeremy Mogford Prize for Food and Drink Writing.  The Festival attracts many well know figures including Sue Townsend, Philip Pullman, Lord Ashdown, Jack Straw to name a few.

Festival director Sally Dunsmore said she was "delighted" to be "welcoming so many international authors".

"We look forward to inspiring debate with a truly global feel at this year's festival," she said.

Visit the Festival's website to find out more about the events taking place every day this week, get booking!  

Moving weekend for the Beeb

The Beeb, the nickname for the British Broadcasting Centre, or more commonly the BBC, has had a historic weekend.  BBC Television Centre in west London closed its doors yesterday evening after 53 years.   Mishal Husain presented the last news programme from studio N6 at 22:00 GMT, signing off nearly 45 years of bulletins.

The familiar and recognisable circular Television Centre, which has been sold for redevelopment for £200m last year, opened in 1960 and the news first went out from the site nine years later.  From Monday the entire BBC news operation will be based at Broadcasting House in central London.  Television Centre will be redeveloped into hotels, flats, a cinema and office space.  Goodbye Television Centre, fond regards!

BBC Television Centre Facts

* BBC Television Centre officially opened in 1960, some 11 years after the project was announced by then-controller Norman Collins.

* Shows recorded there include Blue Peter, Monty Python’s Flying Circus, The Generation Game, Top of the Pops, early series of Doctor Who and Strictly Come Dancing.

* It is the UK’s second-oldest operating television studio, after Granada Studios.

* There were 15 main studios and a further 10 used for news bulletins.

* Television Centre has been hit by a number of power cuts including, unfortunately, one that caused the launch night of BBC2 to be cancelled in 1964.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21818963

How to Celebrate St Patrick's Day

St Patrick's day (AKA Paddy's Day) is this Sunday and it is going to be carnage. For those of you that are not familiar with Paddy's Day, it is named after Saint Patrick (c. AD 385–461), the most commonly recognised of the patron saints of Ireland. The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for over 1,000 years. Traditional Irish families would make their way to the church in the morning and then the real celebrations begin in the afternoon.

While some of our readers may not be so familiar with Paddy's Day, almost certainly you will have been inside an Irish* pub. There's one in just about every country in the world, and this is where the real celebrations take place, often with big green hats. 

How will you be celebrating St Patrick's Day? Most pubs in Oxford will be busy, but the most central "Irish" pub is O'Neills Irish Bar on George Street. 

*Note that Irish pubs out of Ireland are often no different from any other drinking establishment, except that they have a few pictures of Oscar Wilde and James Joyce hung on the wall and a tap that pours Guinness beer.

This post has been give a seal of approval by OISE Oxford's integral Irish member of staff

Spring Fashion sort of...

Following yesterday's post about the cold spring weather, I have found an excellent article on how to dress for these rather chilly spring weather conditions.  Is there a way to think spring and keep warm?  Well, "The Guardian" recommends the following:

1) Get some colour going!
"It doesn't really matter what the colour is, or where you wear it, so long as it's bright. In fact, the brighter the better. Neon will work better than pale. "  At OISE Oxford we recommend bright blue.

2)  Wear a spring knit
Jumpers used to be for winter, and in summer people wore "tops". But this season there are lots of summery jumpers.  Go for cotton rather than wool...and something bright!

3) Embrace the thermals
Get yourself to trendy uniqlo asap!  

4) Wear white
Its one of the season's colours.  Get it on.  Maybe with layers - thermal vest underneath, with a cotton spring knit over the top.  Fashion focussed but also warm, just the ticket!

5) Wear two pairs of tights
Go for a woollen pair for the top pair for extra warmth.  Lovely.

6) Grow your eyebrows
A la the super fashionable Cara Delevingne and you will have a warmer forehead.

7) Get down the hairdressers...
...for a new haircut it suggests a spring-clean of your image.

8) Go straight to autumn/winter 2013
Get straight to the front of next season's fashion pack and be ever so snug and warm (in a time travelling kind of way!)...

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/fashion/fashion-blog/2013/mar/12/how-dress-cold-spring-day

Don't pack away the woolly jumpers yet!

Despite the fact that all the clothes shops are full of spring/summer clothing, it really is not the time for embracing these new trends as Britain is on course for the coldest March in 17 years.  Forecasters are predicting that temperatures will struggle below average for the rest of the month.

Monday was the coldest March day in almost 30 years as temperatures dropped below -9C.
Whilst in Aberdeen almost 2inches of snow fell, where in some areas on the east coast had around an inch.

Leon Brown, meteorologist at The Weather Channel, said that as it was looking unlikely we would see above normal temperatures for the rest of the month is was “likely to be the coldest March since 2006 and perhaps 1996.

The Met Office has placed the whole of England on amber alert until midnight tonight, meaning that there is a "100 per cent probability of severe cold weather or icy conditions".

There are yellow warnings for snow in place across large parts of Scotland, the North East and the East Midlands and the east coast which last into tomorrow.

Forecaster Helen Chivers said: “Most places overnight are going to have quite a heavy frost, with temperatures between -5C and -7C. There is a risk of ice.”  Time to get the hot water bottle out!

It is too early to predict the temperatures over the Easter weekend, but the Met Office’s long term outlook looks bleak.  The cold is set to remain at least until April 10, with conditions "wetter than normal" in the South and West of the country.  Oh groan - I think personally I would prefer the cold to rain...

However, on a happy note the temperatures are likely to pick up tomorrow, but will hover around three degrees below average at 6C...so still keep that scarf and hat at hand!

Photograph: Sheep graze on a snow-covered field in Teesdale, the North Pennines

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/weather/9926437/Britain-on-course-for-coldest-March-in-17-years.html

Alert to all Nervy Oxford Cyclists!

Despite the wintry weather of this week, spring is fast approaching and therefore is a perfect time for the less-hardy and winter-shy cyclists to get their bikes out.  In recognition of this fact, Oxford City Council is partnering with Oxfordshire County Council to provide free cycle training for adults in Oxford to increase cycle confidence on the road.  

Councillor Colin Cook said the courses were "fantastic as they give people the confidence to cycle in Oxford which can be a challenging experience.   I hope people will take up these free courses and enjoy them".

The training is said to be "ideal for nervous cyclists".

A city council spokesman promised a "real cycling experience so that you are able to deal with traffic on short journeys such as cycling to work".

The sessions take place between 19 March and 30 April.  It is expected that they will be very popular and it is essential for people to book their places in advance.  

The 2001 Census results show that 15% of journeys made to work in Oxford were by bike. This compares with less than 3% for the rest of the England and Wales.  Oxford is an excellent and easily accessible city to explore by bike.  At OISE Oxford we encourage bike enthusiast students to hire a bike for their stay.  Its an easy way to see the city and beat the morning commute.

Happy and safe cycling to all!

Sources:
http://www.oxford.gov.uk/PageRender/decN/newsarticle.htm?newsarticle_itemid=51703
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-21744396

Delightful Daffodils

Yesterday was Mothering Sunday in the UK, where it is traditional to present mothers with a card and a bunch of flowers.  However, this year's cold winter weather meant that daffodils - a most traditional choice of  flowers for Mother's Day -  have not bloomed in time for this celebration.  The UK is the world's largest producer of daffodil cut flowers and makes £23 million per year from the daffodil industry.

Claire Taylor, who is chair of the British Daffodil Grower's Association, said florists were selling out. Daffodils are around four weeks behind compared to last year, meaning a much smaller crop available for this weekend.

"The bulbs are in the ground for two years and we had a cold winter last year and the last few months have been very cold and grey with no sun, so the daffodils are flowering late.

"I've had lots of people calling me and offering extra money for daffodils, but we just don't have enough to meet the demand," she said.

Mrs Taylor said they had picked 2,000 boxes of daffodils this year and in an average year they would have picked at least double this amount.

"Mother's Day is usually one of our busiest times of the year and normally we are racing around picking daffodils.

The lack of daffodils means the UK wholesale price for a bunch in Britain has gone up by 50 per cent in the last week.  At New Covent Garden market in London the wholesale price has now soared from 20p to 30p.  Waitrose and Sainsbury's have been selling British Daffodils for the usual price of around £1 for a bunch.

The UK produces half the world's daffodil bulbs, exporting 10,000 tons a year, worth around £7 million.

Happily Mrs Taylor hopes that if we have a few days of warm and sunny weather the daffodils should start emerging quickly and there will be a good crop for Easter.  Lets hope today's cold weather will not continue for the sake of the daffodils!

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/9909944/Daffodil-shortage-for-Mothers-Day.html

St. Piran's Day - Pasty Mania

Anyone is their right mind can not deny that Cornish pasties are simply scrumptious. For our international readership that do not know what makes Cornish pasties so unique - 'a genuine Cornish pasty has a distinctive ‘D’ shape and is crimped on one side, never on top. The texture of the filling for the pasty is chunky, made up of uncooked minced or roughly cut chunks of beef (not less than 12.5%), swede, potato and onion and a light peppery seasoning.'1

Are they easy to make? 

Well, not anyone can make a Cornish pasty, oh no. In 2011, After many years of campaigning, the Cornish people managed to gain the Cornish pasty Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status. This, in effect, prevented it from being copied by imitators. Only pasties prepared in Cornwall, following the traditional recipe can be described as Cornish. Other PGI status food and drink include, Champagne and the irresistible Italian Parma Ham. 

Today is St Piran's day, the national day of Cornwall. So why not head to the West Cornwall Pasty shop (just around the corner from OISE Oxford), to celebrate with a pasty of your choice. We dedicate this post to Samantha, OISE Oxford's in house Cornish representative, who is in Cornwall at this very moment. No doubt she will be jubilantly celebrating St Piran's day with a pasty or two! Click on the image below to read up on some traditional Cornish pasty fillings.

The Glorious Cotswolds

Oxford is a wonderful place to visit, but like most small cities, usually three or four days is more than enough to see most of the touristic hotspots. 

If you are here for more than four days, do not fret, there are also a number of places close to Oxford that are definitely worth a visit. 

OISE Oxford would recommend that you to head to the Cotswolds. There are a great selection of beautiful small towns and villages that are only short bus ride away from the city.

One of my favorite routes is a circular 6.5 mile walk that begins in Chipping Norton, heads through Salford and Cornwell, and then back to Chipping Norton. Click on the image below to see more fantastic walking trips in the Cotswolds.

The World’s Greatest Living Explorer - Sir Ranulph Fiennes

Ranulph Fiennes is truly amazing.  He has an inspiring and fascinating career, for over 40 years he has lived through countless life-threatening experiences.  The Guinness Book of Records described him as “the world’s greatest living explorer”. This was back in 1984 since then he has broken many more world records and led many more expeditions to remote regions.  Amazing!   Achievements include:

 - being the only man alive ever to have travelled around the Earth's circumpolar surface 
(more people have been on the Moon!)

- being the oldest Briton to summit Everest.

- only 3½ months after a massive heart attack, 3 day coma and double bypass along with with Mike Stroud he achieved the first 7x7x7 (Seven marathons in seven consecutive days on all seven continents).

And much more.  Amaze!  Incidentally, he has also cut off his own fingers using a fretsaw.

However, very sadly, he has been forced to pull out of perhaps his greatest challenge yet, an unaided journey across Antarctica during winter, after getting frostbite during a training exercise.  He is suffering from the condition after having to use his bare hands – in temperatures of -30C – to fix a ski binding after falling during training.  Sir Ranulph is said to be "gutted," 

The serial adventurer was set to be among a small group (The Coldest Journey team) attempting to become the first people to trek 2,000 miles across Antarctica during winter, when it is almost permanently dark  and temperatures drop to -90C.  Until recently the Foreign Office had refused to grant permission to attempt to cross Antarctica during winter because it was deemed “far too risky”.

The rest of The Coldest Journey team are set to continue the expedition.  They are raising money for Seeing is Believing, a sight-loss charity. Good luck, team!  And all the very best to Ran.

Sources: Telegraph, Guardian, The Independent, The Official Website for Sir Ranulph Fiennes

Student Spotlight - Greg Lenne

Monday at OISE Oxford is always a very special day as this is when the new students arrive. At 7:55am they are huddled outside the entrance waiting for the doors to be opened at 8am sharp. They are then assessed on their written and spoken English and placed in their Quatorial groups (classes of 2-4 students max). Some stay for 1 week, while others stay for up to 1 year. 

When I first met Greg a week ago today it was clear that he had a very sporting physique, shoulders twice the size of mine and big arms dropping down by his side. I assumed he was a rugby player, but soon found out that his main hobby is French boxing, which he assured me was very different from any other type of boxing. I thought it would be interesting to do a mini student spotlight to hear more:

Q - Good morning Greg, thanks again for taking the time to speak with us today. Could I start by asking what is your occupation and why you need to improve your English? 

A - Well I am currently studying for a diploma at a special state school in France where we study and work. As part of my work, I do military service and I also help to teach other students. As part of the diploma, we must also reach a certain level of English, which is why I am here at OISE Oxford.

Q - I remember you told me the other day that one of your main hobbies is French boxing. When did you start?

A - Well, I started 3 years ago. It was just for a bit of fun back then, but now I am taking it more seriously and starting to compete.

Q - What is the difference between French boxing and traditional boxing?

A - There are many differences, the main difference being that the objective is not to hurt the opponent. That is to say that when we throw a punch or kick we must aim to only touch the opponent's body. If there is too much force used you get penalised.

Q - You mentioned that you can kick as well?

A - Yes, this is another difference. In this respect it is a bit like kick boxing, but again without the force. When the sport first started, no gloves were used and instead of using knuckles the fighters would use the palm of their hands, like slapping.

Q - Do you see yourself turning professional in the future?

A - If I continue to improve, yes! Last year I was injured, so let's see what happens next year.

We wish Greg the best of luck with this boxing career, and look forward to saying to our future students that a French boxing champion attended our school!