good things, the Oxford edition

We've been Oxford residents for nearly two months now. I'm not sure this makes us Oxonians per se, but it HAS given me sufficient opportunity to fall in love with this city and the things that make it special.

I ponder them sometimes on my walk home - past quirky boutiques on The High (including Britain's oldest coffee house), and up Catte St past iconic sandstone spires.

Here are a few of my favourites:

Nerds - every university town has its fair share, but here nerds flourish. Perhaps because they are living their dreams of academic greatness. Or perhaps it's because they're finally permitted to be themselves - no longer concealing their love of fleece, RPGs and fantasy lit. We live across from the university science park. it's a nerd haven. Their older counterparts - the white-haired, herringbone-jacketed, bike riding professors - are another great Oxfordism.

The Bod - Oxford's library, the Bodleian, has approximately a gajillion books. Actually, it receives a copy of every single book published after a certain date (which I cannot find at the moment). The books are stored in underground compact stacks, so if you are looking for a certain volume, you have to put in a request and wait a good chunk of time for the book to make its way to the surface.

Oxford is still an elite institution, so regular old proles like myselfare not admitted, but I like knowing that all the great literary works are beneath my feet. Fortunately I am married to a Bod Card holder, and while this doesn't admit me to the Library, it does mean I get access to all the lovely College quads around town.

Boswells - Boswells is an independent department store in the heart of town, totally unique to Ox. It is a somewhat ramshackle affair with everything crammed into three disjointed floors, but they sell EVERYTHING there. The cashier is straight of a movie with his Albert Einstein hair and specs pushes down on his nose while he fumbles with your purchases. The perfect mom'n'pop shop.

Preppy togs - For every nerd in Oxford there is a Pimms-drinking crew-rowing Abercrombie-wearing"public school" kid. They love their Jack Wills button downs, loafers, ribbon belts, side-parts etc etc etc. Though never much of a prep myself, I just can't resist it. You will currently find me in cuffed jeans and plaid shirt, sartorial guard down.

One-speeds - nothing says Oxford like a black sit-up-and-beg one-speed. While practicality dictated my choice of an 18-speed road bike, I did nearly put down more money on a nearly useless cruiser, just because it looked cool.