Downton Abbey

 We really shouldn't have, but we did. We took the entire day to go on a sight-seeing excursion.

Have you watched Downton Abbey? We visited the castle where much of it is filmed. It is just outside of Newbury, a small city directly south of Oxford and less than an hour away. It is also the city where my great-grandmoher was born.

We have seen a few castles in the recent months but this one has to be my favorite so far. When we drove up, SK was heard to announce: "This is a tiny castle!" This is perhaps a sign that we have seen too many castles. Nevertheless, it IS smaller than most of the castles we have toured.

That may have had something to do with why it attracted me. The architect is the same one who designed the House of Parliament. You can see similarities. The rooms are smaller - more intimate - even cozy. They all have high ceilings and lavish furnishings, but I can imagine living there and being very comfortable. There is a magnificent grand staircase that you would recognize from the show, and a balcony of sorts all around the inside of the second story, looking down on a lovely almost chapel-like room. This space is open all the way past the third story to the roof.

The library, the drawing room, the bedrooms all had huge windows that watch over over the countryside that stretches out of sight in an endless array of shades of green. Up one hill was an old stately temple-like structure and up another two large arches that looked like they were simply an opening into the hills beyond. They were called the gates of Heaven. Another vista displayed a gently-sloping hillside where sheep - freshly shorn - happily grazed.

It sounded like the characters of the television series are based loosely on the family that have lived there for generatons.

We weren't allowed to take pictures inside, which was disappointing. We took enough outside to make up for that. We walked around for about an hour, visiting the "Secret Garden" which easily had to be the most beautiful stretch of garden I have ever seen. Everything was blooming. It was enchanting.

Inside the castle, every single room had the most elegant and perfectly beautiful silk flour arrangements. We had been through several rooms when Sister Roskelley touched one. It was real. I asked one of the many guides standing throughout if they were all fresh.

 "Yes," she said.

She told us that the gardeners - who are all geniuses apparently - dig up flowers from the extensive gardens, pot them when they are in full bloom and then display them in the castle until they begin to lose their blossoms, at which time, they are taken outside again, planted and new blooms are brought in. That alone would sell me on living there.

The castle, the grounds, the plants were all spectacular. It was a grand outing.

We drove into the nearby town - oddly enough named HighClere. We found a delightful little pub and had lunch. Fish and Chips was the order of the day. Pubs do fish and chips best, and these were right up there with the best. The dessert was none too shabby either.

Since getting back to Oxford, we have been working on a bunch of little things that have to be done. I finished up the books for the four Oxford missionaries, and responded to several calls from various people.

We'll have our district council here tomorrow, which means lunch, so I had better go make some cookies.

Cheers!