Ginaravens' VirtualTourist Home Page

I love Oxford. That much should be obvious as you read these pages. I wasn't born here, I've been here since the early nineties, but I came here because it is a place I can feel happy & at peace with.

From its 12th Century origins through its development to today, it is a heritage of which I am proud. The streets are uneven with cobbles & old flagstones still in evidence everywhere, Oxford struggles to find a way in a modern age of traffic & technology for which it was ill-equipped. Traffic (except Buses & Taxis & commercial deliveries) is now routed around the centre & through the carparks by too few & insufficient roads built for a gentler age of horses & barrows.

Here you find ancient & modern side by side, preservation orders on old buildings & aspects of them that create difficulties in contemporary use. A few years ago, the large building in Magdalen Street that houses Debenhams was gutted & rebuilt. For several months all that could be seen was the scaffolded front, several floors high, while the back made me mindful of a hollywood film set. A facade preserved while all else was rubble!

My intention in my Oxford pages is to be historical & accurate where it warrants, to show life in all its forms as well as the dusty echoes of the past. I have spent my first month choosing a single picture for each entry, & being stunted by all I cannot show, so in many cases I will show more pictures, but will label the further pictures for those who do not wish to find themselves wading through several views. For those who do, and who love to explore, my passion for Oxford is laid bare!

People are different, they are fascinating & I'm always looking for the cause behind the effect in human motivation. Its probably an enormous factor in my becoming a Psychotherapist, but its more than understanding, it is sharing insight, navigating just enough to allow people access past their obstacles to their goals. I enjoy empowering people & endowing a means of strength.

Beware though, I am a Trekkie! Not a full Trekkie - an ex once asked if I wanted a Trek computer game for Xmas, but I explained, I enjoy it, but have no desire to live it. Perhaps the self-actualised individual has little recourse to fantasy!

I enjoy cooking, I collect Porcelain Dolls, I read a lot & collect DVDs - oh & I'm a lesbian. That doesn't mean I hate men, I'm happy to talk to men at least until they unveil their one-track motivations, but they are just not my type! Sorry guys!

So thats me! I live in a quiet part of Oxford, love my work & I manage to smile a lot without being a maroon! How about that?

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My two adopted daughters

Say Hello to Laura!

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Last bit

...and to Lisa.

The girls look alike & sound alike, but they are definately not twins, are different ages, and were adopted from completely different backgrounds!