I had said that I would tell you today what Malcolm was making with the old clock that he bought last week, but that will have to wait until Friday, as we had a very special day out yesterday. We had received an invitation from The Newcastle Building Society to a presentation at Alnwick Castle. Not only would we be treated to a buffet lunch, we would also be given a guided tour of the grounds of the Castle, after a talk from the CEO of the Building Society. So of course we accepted the invitation. As the Castle is still lived in by the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland, there are no ugly car parks in the grounds of the castle - but who would object to walking from the outlying car park up to the Castle while enjoying this view!
there was a large group of children walking into the Castle in front of us
it is a magnificent building
these two tourists give you an idea of the scale
this ring is for tethering your horse
with a rather fierce beastie to look after it
after the presentation and a delicious buffet lunch, we went on the guided tour, which was conducted by a charming young man named Daniel. If you have been thinking that the Castle looks familiar, it may be because many films and tv programmes have been filmed there - the most famous being the Harry Potter movies, Robin Hood Prince of Thieves (the Kevin Costner one), and the latest Transformer movie
and an episode of Downton Abbey, which of course is shown all round the world (although I have to admit that I have never seen it)
but this is a real life hero, Sir Henry Percy, aka Harry Hotspur
this courtyard has been used in several firms, including one in which our guide Daniel had a minor part!
fortunately we knew .....
that these threatening figures on the roof are statues!
the Union Flag was flying proudly in the breeze
as we made our way back to the car, I spotted this tree ........ could this have been the model for the Whomping Willow?