janisj

Do you actually want to know 'sunshine'? If so, absolutely no way of knowing. Just like in your home town - how many hours of sunshine will there be on a specific day . . .

But daylight - which is what matters for most folks - 13+ hours.

kovsie

O yes, I see, thanks janis.
I am thinking in my 2nd language here - sometimes I slip up. Of course it is the 'daylight' that is important. I realize now that the site I looked at is about 'averages' - also 'average sunshine'.
13 hours of daylight means more time for going for walks in the early morning - great.
It will still be fairly cold though.

janisj

>>13 hours of daylight means more time for going for walks in the early morning - great.<<

exactly

And maybe not so cold - if you are lucky.

kovsie

flanner - thank you so much for your comprehensive and meaningful replies. When I have my full programme I will get back to you.
I will be there for 7 days from 15 March.

"having lived ... in Africa where everything grows ..."
I come from a more arid part Mathieu, but I did have a friend in northern South Africa, who complained that, when she put a stick in the ground to uphold a young tree, the stick would grow.

"... huge drifts of flowering snowdrops ... swathes of bluebells and daffodils ..."
When I read this early this morning, I just laughed out loud. How absolutely glorious that I will be able to experience this.

bilboburgler

"ain't the Thames called the "Isis" up in Oggsford country?"

It is called the Isis to distinguish it from the Cherwell which like the Isis is a canalised river but is not the canal. Meanwhile the Pitt Rivers is not a river but a museum http://www.prm.ox.ac.uk/

Hope that clears that up.

PalenQ

Do you actually want to know 'sunshine'? If so, absolutely no way of knowing. Just like in your home town - how many hours of sunshine will there be on a specific day . . .>

on the tv weather they often predict "sunnuy spells" and IME this often happens - sun pops out you warm up - back in - in more than out IME in March - layering is a good idea for British weather as is good rain gear.

kovsie

"Hope that clears that up"

Of course it does
Now we all know that something that looks like a river and acts like a river, may not be a river; and something that is called River is not.

"sun more in than out in March"
OK thanks PalenQ - planning accordingly.

Grindeldoo

It would be a bit optimistic to expect many bluebells in March, even in city gardens in Oxford, where temperatures are a degree or two warmer than the countryside. In the south of England bluebells generally start flowering in April, with the season gradually moving north to the Scottish borders and beyond in May. But you should see plenty of daffodils and narcissi, cowslips and primroses.

kovsie

"... daffodils and narcissi, cowslips and primroses ..."

O Grindeldoo, coming from Dubai where the military rows of marigolds and petunias are being carefully irrigated in the sand bordering the high ways ... this sounds just beautiful.

PalenQ

As for daffodils - at places you can see "10,000 tossing their heads in sprightly dance" - from Wordsworth's famous poem "Daffodils"

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/features/video/281

Here in nor Michigan the temps today will dip to -10 F and highs Wed about 5 F above - will do cartwheels when the first daffodils pops the soil!

Brits do not perhaps realize how great it is to have winters like that!

PalenQ

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Isis

Interesting take on the use of the word Isis for a part of the Thames around Oggsford.

flanneruk

But Wiki and Bilbo don't live here.

I do

bilboburgler

Easy tiger. If we only used info from people who lived on site the Venice section would be written about only by Caroline et al.

You call it the river, its ok with me.

PalenQ

I am not disputing flanner at all because that would be foolish - he lives near Oxford and certainly knows the current useage - I was just trying to give a historical perspective - flanner is not doubt 100% right in this matter and I did not mean to contradict him at all.

PalenQ

http://www.atm.ox.ac.uk/rowing/river.html

Well maybe locals don't call it the Isis by Oxford University researchers seem to - see link above - so now I am doubting flanner's expertise on this issue - I guess I'll take the scientists at Oxford as the ultimate experts - that said it may only be an academic term these days but the Oxford scientists say the Thames above Folly Bridge is called The Isis!

Much Ado About Nudding but fun to bat about.

stokebailey

I'll call it "the river" while attempting an Oxford accent, so no one will know I'm an Outsider.

stokebailey

flanner, my daughter wants to get out into the countryside, and I mentioned the Charlbury - Woodstock walk. She wonders whether I could send her information. Would you please either email me at [email protected] or tell me here how to go about finding the walking paths? Thanks.

bilboburgler

I checked over the weekend with 4 people in Oxford (ok one is a professor but the others are "normal" and of various ages) they all called it the Isis, but when I looked surprised they called it the Thames so I think our OP will be ok.

But be aware there is a pub called the Isis Farmhouse (when I was young enough to spend hours drinking there it was only called the Isis) which is very pleasant and down by Iffley Lock.

kovsie

'ok one is a professor but the others are "normal"'

Professors are not normal??

historytraveler

Not at Oxford.