Oxonmoot 2006

Reports about Oxonmoot 2006

Oxonmoot 2006 took place between Friday 15th - Sunday 17th September, 2006 at Somerville College, Oxford. There were 210 people attending.

There is a report on TORN.

Oxonmoot 2006 - report by Catherine Thorn

My first Oxonmoot was back in 1983 when I was a nineteen year old student and still had my maiden surname of Hooley -I've lost count how many I've attended since then, but I think that this year's was the fifteenth. Joining me for this one were my son Alex aged eleven who was also an Oxonmoot veteran, having attended in 2003 and 2004, and my son Thomas aged eight for whom this would be the first Oxonmoot. (Their father, my husband Stephen, likes Tolkien's work well enough, but not to the extent that he wanted to join us. He was looking forward to a quiet weekend for once.)

We were fortunate enough to have the blessing of both of the boys' schools allowing a day away during term time (the request did of course stress the educational benefits of Oxonmoot) which meant that we could set out from home in Yorkshire first thing on Friday morning. The weather was fine and the motorways clear, so we had an easy drive down, reaching central Oxford at about 3pm - in good time to pick up a 48 hour ticket for the Gloucester Street car park. (I am very grateful for the excellent guidance as to parking in this year's Progress report, by the way, which was particularly important as Somerville was not allowing parking in its grounds - unlike most of the colleges used in recent years.)

As we trundled with our luggage up past the Eagle & Child we bumped into Andrew Wells, who became the first of many to be introduced to Thomas as "Mum's old friend...", and Oxonmoot proper had begun for us.

Friday evening

After a certain amount of trial and error, due to slightly eccentric numbering within the "Darbyshire" block, we managed to locate our rooms. In order that we might be together we had opted for three of the "basic" rooms (rather than the more luxurious ones which came only in sets of two) but boy were they basic! In fact it was almost like going back in time - the furnishings were essentially unchanged from Dorothy L. Sayers' day. In fact if we had had the original china basins and jugs which would have once topped the aged washstands that would have been helpful, as no room had even a hand basin and we had only one large combined bath and shower room with a loo stationed throne-like against one wall for the whole of our corridor (although there were a few more loos/showers on an adjacent corridor). One of our rooms was a bit apart from the other two and was felt by all of us to have a distinctly spooky atmosphere, so we abandoned it. (There was a photograph of a young woman from the 1940's on the wall with a biography which seemed to indicate that she had been an illustrious former inhabitant - perhaps her spirit lingered on.) The boys bunked up together in the room next to mine.

Having unpacked, we set off in search of registration. We met Laura Marples who was anxiously amending the "Tolkein" which featured in several signs around the College. We found the Marquee and there various techies setting up equipment. The boys were keen to help and were soon enlisted by Mike Percival.

You may well have read of this year's Welcome Dinner - and yes indeed, we too were there at the Night of the Missing Lamb. The bards of the T.S. will be busy with this tale for many years of men to come. To cut a long story short, the caterers had muddled the figures and had produced far too many vegetarian pastas and far too few lambs. Fortunately we had at least secured one helping of lamb which was given to Thomas as he dislikes cheese. Alex and I settled unwillingly for the pasta; it was good fresh pasta, such as it was, but not what we had chosen or were expecting, and it didn't hit the spot in the way that the lamb would have done - particularly with roast potatoes and broccoli. Still, the College did its best to compensate with free bottles of wine and I understand that financial reparation is to be made.

Thomas found the dining hall rather spooky; it was darkly panelled and lined with portraits of assorted elderly maiden academics, one of whom had a pair of gloves wispily dangling at her side like a wraith-like hand. Still, in the true spirit of Oxonmmoot it was a lively and friendly evening. One of the first timers I got talking to turned out to be from Yorkshire so I introduced him to various other attenders from our illustrious county - it's wonderful the fellow feeling one gets for other northerners when venturing south of Watford Gap! Alex and Thomas were keen to take part in the Quiz at 9am next morning so we had a relatively early night, but not before we'd been out to the Marquee again where the boys helped Mike Percival to set up the lights and I set out the chairs - excellent exercise!

Saturday

The next day started off well. I was up at 7am and therefore able to secure the one and only bathroom for a shower. It was good not to feel hung-over at breakfast. The Quiz was fun, but it is an understatement to say that we did not exactly distinguish ourselves. (The "Anulorum Domini" were the worthy victors.) We then paid a visit to the Sales Room in the Margaret Thatcher Centre. The boys went into Pester Power overdrive at the sight of real swords, but thankfully were persuaded to settle for posters and badges.

The boys then discovered the Games Room which was to keep them amused for much of the rest of the day. In the meantime I managed to attend most of Jean Chausse's excellent theological talk "The Healing of Théoden: a glimpse of the Final Victory."

The three of us escaped from the College for lunch together with Julian Bradfield to meet up with our old Cambridge Tolkien Society friend Peter Gilliver and his partner Robin. We enjoyed a great lunch (including the best food of the weekend) at Pierre Victoire's just outside the College, although the boys were soon agitating to get back to the Games Room.

Returning to the College in suitably mellow mood, I went to meet Jock (William Jones) with his now customary champagne and strawberries on the lawn together with my fellow former Trollettes Lyn Wilshire and Angie Gardner. Alex Lewis, Ruth Lacon and Ted Nasmith also joined us, together with John Ellison who told us in the most decorous manner a rather naughty joke about Thor. We all enjoyed a very giggly time which gave rise to lots of good material for Pat Reynolds and her scandal sheets. However despite the mirth we were all rather concerned about the fate of Malcx (Malcolm Lindley) the indefatigable Sales Officer who had had to be rushed into hospital with a sudden violent reaction to a scratch on his arm. (Thankfully he was discharged later on, having been tested exhaustively and pumped full of antibiotics.)

I had volunteered to help as a Steward and at 4pm my assigned duty came up, which involved me sitting in on the International Tolkien Fellowship. I'd not attended one of these before, but it was an excellent experience with representatives from all over Europe and indeed the wider world. There was much concern over copyright which has recently become a very contentious issue with new legislation affecting the EU. The friendly and informative discussion went on for two hours - twice the allotted time. I emerged to find that my boys had finally prized themselves away from the Games Room to join in with Merry and Pippin's Dance Workshop taking place on the lawn, which they very much enjoyed.

That evening Alex volunteered to do the stage lights for the party (and enjoyed it so much that he wants to do it again next year) whilst Thomas bravely took part in the Masquerade as a hobbit and was delighted to earn a certificate "for the best use of props in character" - a large paper bag of fresh field mushrooms. The Masquerade entrants were all stunning but Richard Crawshaw in his drunken Corsair outfit was the brilliant winner. The Party was up to its usual standard with excellent entertainments of all kinds. The Marquee itself was one of the few redeeming features of Somerville as a venue, being far more spacious and airy than an inside room, although we were lucky to have warm and dry weather.

We went to bed soon after the Party ended - and the boys' feet had been thoroughly sluiced down. The soles were black - no wonder hobbits are so keen on baths!

Sunday

Next morning all three of us attended a rather special event held in the Marquee after breakfast - an ecumenical Christian service. It turned out that more than one of us had felt that something like this was needed in the hour or so between breakfast and Enyalië. About twenty attended and I have to say that it was one of the most moving and appropriate events I have ever experienced at Oxonmoot.

Enyalië itself was as poignant as always - and Thomas was honoured to be asked to lay the Society's wreath.

We set off for home immediately after returning from the cemetery - but Oxonmoot had not quite ended. For as we were leaving the Leicester Forest Services restaurant we bumped into Jock and then further on in the shop we found yet another Oxonmoot attendee.

Although we fervently wish that it won't be at Somerville again, we are all already looking forward to going back to Oxonmoot next year. Thomas found it "Fun, exciting and educational" and agreeing with this Alex adds that he particularly relished being able to run around in bare feet like a hobbit until midnight.

 

Report by Helen Armstrong

When not moving Ents gear around, I took the opportunity to follow the excellent lecture streams, including David Doughan on “Women, Oxford and Tolkien”, and Maggie Burns of Birmingham City Library on Tolkien's early life and education in Birmingham. Lectures were taking place in the marquee, with a low stage and half-moon seating, and the Flora Anderson room with a projector and screen for slides. Both seemed to work well.

I took the opportunity to do some shopping at TS Trading. Poor Malcx wasn't there, having been shipped off to A&E by our H&S guy after showing symptoms of a potentially dangerous elbow infection. (No jest. The H&S guy had had something similar in the past. The hospital said they did the right thing to get our Sales maestro to treatment right away.) Malcx returned, full of antibiotics and otherwise none the worse, later in the afternoon.

Against my expectations the tent provided a great atmosphere for the evening, with good acoustics – no echo (except from the audience, of course), and plenty of space for the masquerade procession. Some heating was provided, and more was available, though “thank heavens it's not cold or wet” was heard quite a bit. This has been one of the mildest autumns in the UK for many years, although we often have good weather for Oxonmoot. It was certainly colder last year.

There were more meals than usual available on site this year. This was pronounced a bit of a mixed blessing depending on which meals the commentator had. On Friday night, apparently, everyone got their supper, but not necessarily the supper they had hoped for ... the College is kindly sorting this out following representations by the Oxonmoot Chair and one of the more managerially savvy subcommittee members. I had supper on Saturday – a set menu of couscous and something with summer fruits in it – which was fine.

Once again thanks to everybody who contributed on Saturday night, particularly Ted's friend Maddy, who added a new dimension to the singing and put up with a flying soundcheck to make sure she could be heard by everyone. Our poetry reader Carole Brownlow had to put up with a power outage (someone trod on a cable somewhere out on the field) in the middle of her reading and rallied everyone with fresh verve as the light and sound came back on again. Well, it proved that the emergency lighting was working well.

As ever with Oxonmoot: oh dear, it's over for this year. Never mind: here's to next year!