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Folk girl Jackie Oates Waking up to lullabies

10:44am Thursday 18th April 2013

Tim Hughes speaks to Jackie Oates ahead of her Oxford Folk Weekend gig

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Theatre

Oh F%$* - it's a rollercoaster ride of shared mishaps

4:47pm Thursday 16th May 2013

The Oh F**k Moment was always going to be a brave idea, not just because of its title, but because it involves audience participation, and as we Brits are rather backward about coming forward, let alone spilling the beans, it seems an occupation more suited to our cousins over the pond.

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Music

Wood: Festival goes out on a limb

6:12pm Thursday 16th May 2013

Tim Hughes talks to Robin Bennett ahead of this weekend’s Wood festival

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Food

Micro flights: a little bit of what you fancy

4:32pm Wednesday 15th May 2013

Have you ever been sitting at dinner, craving a juicy steak, when your partner orders the fish of the day? What wine do you get then? Do you order wine by the glass accepting the limited choice? Or do you get a bottle knowing that it won’t quite match one of the meals?

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Outdoors

Wish-list wonders

10:06am Wednesday 1st May 2013

T his spring has been a cool affair and I have needed distractions. One of the best has been a new book, The Gardens of Marrakesh by Angelica Gray, published by Frances Lincoln (see below). Gardens in this dusty city, where the sun always seem to shine, provide escape from the heat and bustle. In the old city, or Medina, every riad has a private courtyard with tiled fountains and shady trees and only the heart of the garden is exposed to searing heat. In the modern city there are stylish gardens often inspired by the French who made a great impact on the city. The chic Majorelle Garden, once owned by Yves Saint Laurent, is a place of pilgrimage with its palms, cacti and blue and yellow paintwork. It should be on everybody’s wish-list. However when I was in Marrakesh I preferred the pleasure gardens on the outskirts of the city, with their huge pools of flat water piped in from the snow-capped Atlas Mountains which seemed tantalisingly close. There city dwellers of every age picnicked under the trees, or danced and sang often in the cool of the evening. Of these The Agdal (pictured by me and the first garden to be featured in Angela Gray’s book) was the most uplifting. You strolled out of the city along dusty lanes as straight as any Roman road, past the Royal Palace before reaching cool greenery and fresh water alive with jumping fish. The day I went there was a national holiday and a troupe of Berber drummers and dancers held a big crowd. You could here the thump echoing all round the ground, like a vivacious heartbeat. The Agdal and its prettier sister garden the Menara, are still owned by the King and free to all. City dwellers trundle up on scooters to eat their lunch, or walk with purpose. These two ancient gardens were founded by Sultan Abd el Moumen circa 1156/ 1157 who had recently captured the city. At 900 years of age they have a run-down charm which suits the relaxed air of a pleasure garden. A cool pavilion provides stunning vistas of the city and its mountainous setting. Angela Gray tells us that in order to demonstrate his power and secure a good water supply and food he planted up 500 hectares with fruit and perfumed flowers. It’s hard to describe the effervescent effect of this huge oasis unless you experience the arid city of Marrakesh day in day out. The earth walls and fortifications, although practical, add structure and the chequerboard arrangement of irrigated plots include oranges, lemons, walnuts, pomegranates, figs and olives. Fragrant myrtle, honeysuckle and jasmine clothe the trellises. The Agdal was rightly listed as a UNESCO world heritage site in 1985.
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Art & Exhibitions

Artweeks' eclectic mix of art is worth travelling for

4:37pm Thursday 16th May 2013

The phenomenal three weeks that comprise Oxfordshire’s Artweeks finishes with a final triumphant flourish of creativity in North Oxfordshire and the Cotswolds. Here as everywhere else in the county there is a huge range of work on show, all created by committed artists: some professional, some talented amateurs, and others, college or school students and community groups who are showing what they can do.

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Books

When Wantage had a railway link

11:53am Wednesday 15th May 2013

Wantage Road railway station was once a busy stop on the mainline from London to the West Country.

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Columns

Micro flights: a little bit of what you fancy

4:32pm Wednesday 15th May 2013

Have you ever been sitting at dinner, craving a juicy steak, when your partner orders the fish of the day? What wine do you get then? Do you order wine by the glass accepting the limited choice? Or do you get a bottle knowing that it won’t quite match one of the meals?

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Today's events

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10:30: Sunday opening at Oxford Bus & Morris Motors Museums Long Hanborough; Bus and Morris Motors Museums Long Hanborough; Open day Long Hanborough; Artweeks at WOA Bampton; Free Vintage Bus Rides Long Hanborough

11:00: The Wedding Show (may 19) Thame; Tower open Faringdon; ARTWEEKS EXHIBITION Woodstock; In Disguise | Lindsey Bull Clanfield; Businesses in Bampton from the middle of the 19th Century Bampton; Story Time! Summertown; Nigel Fletcher Art Exhibition Banbury; Loddon Lily Open Days Goring on Thames

11:05: Cholsey & Wallingford Railway Wallingford; Cholsey & Wallingford Railway Wallingford

11:30: Sunday Brunch Special: Arts & Crafts! Summertown

12:00: Andrea Stultiens: The Kaddu Wasswa Archive Oxford; Andrea Stultiens: The Kaddu Wasswa Archive Oxford; Flo Park Photo Competition Oxford; Sunday Grand Buffet (Jun 30) Iffley; On These Magic Shores: An Exhibition of Contemporary Illustration At O3 Gallery, Oxford Castle Quarter in association with Comma Oxford; Artweeks @ Oxford Castle Quarter Oxford; Artweeks @ Oxford Castle Quarter Oxford; Sunday Roast Club Oxford; Face Painting Summertown; Exhibition of Textile Art by Helen W Kendrick Ardington; Banger racing Launton

13:00: Car boot Bicester; Artweeks Exhibition by Michele Field Kidlington; Artweeks Exhibition by Michele Field Oxfordshire; Witney Giant Afternoon Boot Sale Ducklington

14:00: Open Garden Bletchingdon; Open Garden Islip; Prophecies, Histories, Legends and Law in Drawings by Old Masters Oxford; Valotti String Quartet Didcot; Walk (fieldpaths) Oxford; Valotti String Quartet Didcot; Wytham Woods: History, ecology and research Wytham; Walk Goring on Thames; Plant and table-top Sale Tackley

15:30: Play Dough Fun! Summertown

16:00: The organist plays Abingdon; Jeep band Banbury

17:00: Jazz trio Oxford; Vagablond duo Wantage

19:30: Frost/Nixon Oxford; Charlotte Bray and friends in concert Iffley; Kung Fu Kennington

19:45: Moonstruck Chipping Norton

20:00: Traditional Folk Night Eynsham

20:30: Quiz Night Wheatley; Spandex Ballet Oxfordshire

22:00: Mummers, Maypoles & Milkmaids Photographic Exhibition Woodstock

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Cinema: Now showing

The Great Gatsby

Stockbroker Nick Carraway is drawn into the glamorous world of millionaire war hero Jay Gatsby, who throws the most lavish parties in swinging 1920s New York.
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Fast & Furious 6

Tenacious federal agent Luke Hobbs tracks down fugitives Dominic Toretto and Brian O'Conner and offers to expunge the racers' criminal records in exchange for bringing down British criminal mastermind Owen Shaw.
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Star Trek Into Darkness

Starfleet is rocked by a terrorist attack in London masterminded by the mysterious John Harrison.
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Iron Man 3

Billionaire industrialist Tony Stark is used to hogging the headlines for his showy antics but he finds himself in the spotlight when diabolical foe The Mandarin destroys personal relationships and nudges the inventor to the brink of self-annihilation.
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Epic

Seventeen-year-old Mary Katherine lives with her madcap father Professor Bomba in the forest.
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The Hangover Part III

Alan suffers a mental breakdown in the aftermath of his father's death, and Phil, Stu and Doug offer support.
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All Stars

Youngsters Ethan and Jaden, who attend a youth club called The Garage, vow to save the building from the bulldozers by organising a talent show.
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I'm So Excited! (Los Amantes Pasajeros)

A Peninsula Airlines flight to Mexico develops mechanical failure, seemingly condemning passengers and crew to a grim fate.
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My Neighbour Totoro (Tonari No Totoro)

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Mud

Teenager Ellis and his best friend Neckbone live on the river with their parents.
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Olympus Has Fallen

Terrorists storm the White House, taking US President Benjamin Asher hostage.
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The Place Beyond The Pines

Stunt show motorcyclist Luke Glanton learns that he has fathered a son by one former conquest.
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Promised Land

Steve Butler persuades cash-strapped communities to sign leases to his energy company for the right to drill for natural gas.
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The Gatekeepers

Documentary about Israel's security agency, Shin Bet, revisiting the group's triumphs and devastating failures through the eyes of its six surviving directors: Avraham Shalom, Yaakov Peri, Carmi Gillon, Ami Ayalon, Avi Dichter and Yuval Diskin.
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Theorem

A mysterious figure called The Visitor arrives at the Milanese home of Paolo and Lucia and their two children, Odetta and Pietro.
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Timmy Time

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Bonnie And Clyde

Two lovers blaze a trail across America with the authorities in hot pursuit.
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Shell

A 17-year-old called Shell and her emotionally crippled mechanic father, Pete, eke out a meagre living in a run-down petrol station.
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The Princess Bride

Spoof swashbuckler in which a lowly servant called Wesley struggles to save a beautiful maiden called Buttercup from the forces of darkness and the razor-sharp teeth of the Rats Of Unusual Size.
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The Croods

Grug Crood is a caveman, who has taught his family to be afraid of the dark and new experiences.
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Lincoln

Two months have passed since Abraham Lincoln's re-election, the American Civil War rages on for a fourth year and the president's thoughts turn to the highly contentious slavery bill.
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Eight And A Half

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Finding Nemo

When his only son Nemo is plucked from sea and rehoused in a fish tank in a dentist's waiting room, a courageous clownfish called Marlin embarks on an epic adventure to bring the youngster back home.
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Arbitrage

Multi-billionaire Robert Miller is involved in a car accident and kills his mistress Julie.
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Rockshow: Paul McCartney And Wings

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Lad: A Yorkshire Story

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Promised Land (Parent And Baby Screening)

Steve Butler persuades cash-strapped communities to sign leases to his energy company for the right to drill for natural gas.
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Epic (Autism Friendly Screening)

Seventeen-year-old Mary Katherine lives with her madcap father Professor Bomba in the forest.
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NT Live Encore Screening: This House

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Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas

Hallucinogenic road movie about a drug-fuelled odyssey across the American Midwest, inspired by Hunter S Thompson's book of the same name.
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