I’ve therefore got a new blog, part of a project named simplykrishna, started with my good friend The KC Blogger. The new project can be seen here. The direct link to my blog is here. This new website is very much in its infant stage, so bear with us while content and new users are added (by invitation only, sorry).

This will be the final post on this blog. All new posts will be found on my simplykrishna blog. Thanks.

When I first saw Srila Prabhupada was the first time I saw reality, because this was the first real person that I ever saw, because he was the first person who knew who he was

His Grace Gokula Ranjana Prabhu describing the first time he ever saw Srila Prabhupada, narrated at the 2005 Srila Prabhupada disciples reunion in Sri Dham Mayapur.

I initially had the usual aspirations one has when leaving home for University – date lots of girls, get drunk at least 5 times a week, party hard, and do a little studying my spare time. Fortunately, that never happened.

During the first week I was in Oxford I managed to contact, and meet, the devotees who lived there. Unknown to me, from that very first moment I met the devotees, my University life would be anything but usual.

Of course over the 3 years I was swayed from time–to–time by the usual allurements of student life, finding myself constantly battling between my mind and intelligence. I can quite confidently say, however, that those devotees in Oxford, and they know who there are, saved my life on many occasions.

This past week I visited Oxford to see these old friends once again. It has been 3 years since I left Brookes, in this time a lot has changed, both for me personally and the make–up of the Oxford community of devotees. The strange part, however, is as soon as I stepped into the house where the devotees live; it was as though I had never left. It was surreal, almost like stepping back in time.

It is often said that the years one spends at University are the best. For me, this is definitely the case. My time in Oxford was wonderful, filled predominantly with happiness, and dare I say, spiritual ecstasy, in the loving company of the many devotees of Krishna who reside there.

To those kind souls who lovingly tolerated and cared for me, and continue to do so, I thank you from the core of my heart.

Homer Simpson: Weaseling out of things is important to learn. It’s what separates us from the animals … except the weasel.

(In honour of The Simpsons movie which was released on Friday)

Enjoy.

The world–famous Stongehenge. It was on the way so we stopped by. The first time I had ever seen these stones.

The Eden Project. An amazing place. Very professional and nicely done.

An wooden carving inside Eden. Not sure what it’s meant to be, but looks pretty cool.

An indoor waterfall inside Eden.

A demon? Again, inside Eden.

This is a huge structure made out of electronics, to show how many electronic products one disposes of in a lifetime. Quite frightening.

In the tent.

Even when getting back to nature, one needs certain comforts of the modern age. On the last night we watched a movie inside the tent on our portable DVD player.