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30 settembre Chateau de Bourscheid in Luxembourg A beautiful view of a town and a magnificently preserved and restored castle exist in a very small country which is situated within the borders of Belgium. Luxembourg offers two distinct geographical regions by the marked difference in climate. The north country, Oesling is predominately cold and harsh but it attracts many visitors and the southern portion, Gutland, mild weather prevails and is mostly farmland.
The Sure Valley stretches from Hockfels to Erpeldange with the Sure River winding around sharply into the Oesling Uplands and enclosing Esch-sur-Sure's pretty and small village of slate-roofed houses. From the castle which sits 150 meters high on a forested headland you can look out over this breathtakingly beautiful village surrounded by the Sure River. The castle, however, is only accessible from the northwest. Ettelbruck is the closest town which is south.
Bourscheid is a 10th century castle and replaced an earlier wooden defensive structure, of course. The square keep, chapel and palace which contains a great hall were enclosed by a concentric wall with four towers. Work on the outer wall which has eight towers began circa 1350 and was completed by 1384 along with the Stolzemburger residential building. The gateway went up after 1477 before which only a ditch and four towers protected the upper and lower castle. Stone slab palisades encircle the outermost portion which protected the exterior gate.
The Lord of Bourscheid died in 1512 and the castle started to dilapidate after that time but heirs to the castle made three separate dwellings for themselves on the castle grounds. The Metternich family took possession of the old palace and keep, the Zant von Merls the lower part of the lower castle and the Ahr family made their home in Stolzemburger House. After 1650 only bailiffs lived in the castle and they, of course, enlarged the chapel. The most recent restoration in 1785 included totally rebuilding the Stolzemburger House after which the old palace and chapel fell into bad ruin. When French revolutionary troops invaded Luxembourg by 1794/5 the castle was most likely abandoned since this primarily medieval structure would have been considered to be a part of a feudal state.
In 1936 the ruins of Bourscheid were declared an historical monument and the state of Luxembourg took it over by 1972 and opened it up to the public. Restoration has continued since then and the Stolzemburger House is used for local cultural events. The gatekeeper's house was converted to a small museum which helps visitors trace the history of the castle and the Lords of Bourscheid.
Tres cool site web interactif. Bouger ta souris sur le chateau !
 Qui aimant vous avec beaucoup de passion ? Le Chateau Demoiselle !
28 settembre A Second Look at Derbyshire When I wrote about Derbyshire's castles and manor homes back in June 2007 it seems I missed a few and I also found new information. These four additions have received recent attention with Haddon Hall leading the way with more recent history. Or is that history in-the-making ?
- The Castle Lady
 Haddon Hall has been in the Manners family for more than 450 years and its present Lord, Edward, is the second son to John Manners who was the 10th Duke of Rutland. John's first son, Edward's elder brother David, inherited the title of Duke ( the title of which was appointed from Earldom in 1703 by Queen Anne) and most of the family's extensive estates with Belvoir Castle being the current seat. ( See October 2007 entry.) It has a history of being the seat for the second sons but is also considered the most romantic crenellated stone manor house in England with some portions remaining from the 1100s ! It is also the best-preserved medieval manor house in England. For 400 years the property belonged to the Vernons, those who were closely associated with Henry VIII and Sir George Vernon, who was considered the "King of the Peak (District)" had a daughter, Dorothy, who fell in love with John and apparently eloped with him in 1563 against Sir George's wishes.
When the smoke cleared and peace was made between the Vernon and Manners family, a 110 foot long gallery, known today as Long Gallery was built to celebrate the union of the two families. Today you can see the two emblems of the families carved in the elaborate oak paneling. One sporting the boar's head for the Vernons and the Manners peacock right beside. Since 1567 it has been the seat of the Mannerses abounding in 3,750 acres of ground for pheasant hunting and a river for fly-fishing- right next door to palatial Chatsworth House!
Today Lord Edward and his bride Saskia enjoy a late-17th century pavilion retreat he restored for them as a refuge when guests are busy touring the state rooms of Haddon. Bowling Green has recently been landscaped for the Manners by Arne Maynard featuring herbaceous grasses and beautifully kept plantings along with copper beech cubes. It is intended to be colorful and minimalist. No typical English Garden there !
Edward has also turned another house on the estate into a 16-room inn, The Peacock. It includes a restaurant which received a Derbyshire award in 2005 for Restaurant of the Year. Besides doing almost constant restoration work on the 800 year old home, including a chapel also being restored, Edward runs a media and IT business so he carries a lot of responsibility and workload. The manor home remained empty and closed for 200 years retaining its original splendor throughout when other such homes received rebuilding and redecorating which has not always kept to the medieval integrity of such fortifications.
Following the end of WWI, Edward's grandfather hired craftsmen who used older techniques to restore it with this idea in mind. Being an amateur historian he most likely insisted on this approach to retain what it hadn't lost. Electricity and running water was brought in with the same sensitivity to keeping the building's original look. For years he enjoyed a friendly rivalry with the Duke of Devonshire- at Chatsworth almost to legendary proportions and apparently there are a lot of stories to be told since they enjoyed much the same leisure and sporting activities.
In an interview Edward gave to W he stated," It's amazing to have this length of history behind you and see yourself in a continuum- to be conscious of what you will leave behind and how you will make that link to the future. And in the meantime, it's about enjoying it."
Codner Castle has received some recent media attention in the U.K. by a group the BBC calls the Time Team covering castles and castle ruins with Tony Robinson as the official host for the Channel Four show. It is situated in the southern portion of Derbyshire twelve miles northeast of Derby and close to Elvaston Castle, Kedleston Hall and the remains of Duffield and motte of Horston Castle as immediate neighbors. It was started as a Norman earth and timber enclosure fortress or fortified manor house built by William Peveril. The interior remains of today were founded by a Norman knight, Henry de Grey, in the 13th century which includes remains of a first floor hall house with only fragments of lodgings built against a curtain wall and flanked by rectangular turrets.
At one time Codnor had a three-storey keep, situated on high ground which gave an expansive view to the east of the Erewash Valley and Nottinghamshire. The ruins are sparse being mostly portions of walls, foundation and a dovecote still intact. It contained a large square court with two entrances with a wide and deep moat on the east side. It had strong outer curtain walls with a ditch which were connected with battlemented round towers. The outer bailey was situated lower (showing evidence of loopholes for bowmen) and was constructed later (with a projecting garderobe turret) with high curtain walls most likely as additional fortification. At one time it was encircled with double rows of trees which were cut down some time around the year 1738. The park it is seated in presently is about 2,200 acres.
Henry de Grey, a descendant of Anchetil de Greye, owned this castle in 1211 and many of the Lords Grey came from Henry including those of Chillingham in Northumberland, Ruthyn (Ruthin in Wales), Wilton and Rotherfield, Lady Jane Grey, the Earls of Stamford and now defunct families of the Dukes of Suffolk and Kent. Henry's son Richard settled at Codnor and was made Baron by Henry VIII for his loyalty. Both he and his brother John served Henry VIII in the Holy Land with John Grey being also a part of the Scottish wars during the time of Edward III. Lord John Grey commanded the knights of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire with William D'Eincourt in case of invasion. Henry's sons, John and Richard, inherited his lands along with Henry's aunt Elizabeth who married Lord Zouch and the castle remained in the Zouch family until 1622. It then passed into several hands of the Neiles and the last person to live in the castle was Sir Keynshen Masters an heir of High Sheriff, Sir Strensham Masters, around 1712 by which time it was already ruinous.
In January of this year the Time Team uncovered, through excavations, three separate phases of construction at Codnor along with a Henry V gold noble coin in the vicinity of the moat. This coin which would have been minted sometime during his reign ( from 1413-1422 ) was verified by the London Mint, which is located at the Tower of London. To find out more about the Time Team check it out on Google.
A few miles south of Codnor, Duffield Castle which was once considered to have the largest keep in England is now only five courses of sandstone ashlar bricks in height because of the destruction of the castle in 1266 by Royalist forces led by Henry III. It was founded by Henry de Ferrers, Earl of Derby in the 11th century as a motte and bailey. The tower was built by 1160-70 after which a stone fortress was erected by the Normans as a magnificent square keep with a forebuilding and a deep well. Two excavations were carried out at the site, one in 1886 and the other in 1957. Horston Castle is 3 miles southeast of Duffield, nearest to Coxbench, but most of the barest fragments have disappeared altogether. What started as an early Norman fortress by Ralph de Buron became a great castle in a class with Corfe, Kenilworth, Lancaster and Knaresborough when King John rebuilt it in stone in the 1200s, adding a keep, a chapel, a gatehouse and a barbican. It was built on a spur ( called "boss" in England ) with its rectangular great tower a prominent feature with ashlar masonry dressings. It stands against the banks of Bottle Brook with only remains of the keep with wide deep ditches on the north and east, a fragment of wall with a plinth, a ruinous angular tower and a square mural chamber.
In official accounts King John spent L 1,000 every year on its upkeep and Henry III most likely carried on with further building to maintain the latest in military technology. Nevertheless by 1264 the castle was captured and dismantled by the De Ferrers. It has also been quarried. The site can best be viewed in winter because of the dense cover of trees which enclose it and it is still accessible from a public footpath just off Sandy Lane on the A61-B6179.
The Castle Lady  27 settembre What I Wish for America... The following excerpt can be found in Pearl S. Buck's compilation, "Mrs. Stoner and the Sea". It originally appeared in Modern Maturity magazine. These words are surprisingly relevant to our current political voting dilemma and I thought I would like to share these words with you in the hope that it will illuminate you into making the right decision in November. Contemplate this with me:
...If I have a criticism to make of our country, and I am loathe to make any criticism, it is the fact that our system of government does not provide for the discovery and election of our finest minds and those most gifted in leadership. Our political system is such that, indeed, our best men too often shrink from that which they must perform before they can even be eligible for the highest posts in our government.
The traditional government of China, until its final decades, for centuries discovered its best brains by means of the Imperial Examinations. Only the finest brains of the country, the most highly educated, could pass those examinations. Birth and wealth counted for nothing. The son of the poorest farmer in a village, if he was born with extraordinary talents and ability, was educated at the cost of the other villagers so he could go up for the Imperial Examinations. If he passed, he brought honor to the entire community, for he was given an administrative post in the Imperial Government. In this way, though the Throne was hereditary until the end of a dynasty, the government was actually in the hands of the nation's finest minds and characters, based soundly on democracy.
We have no such opportunity for choice. I shudder today when I contemplate certain of our presidential possibilities. Our nation is imperiled by the fact that any bigoted, unintelligent, even uneducated man, if he can scrape together the necessary funds and make promises in certain dangerously powerful places, may become President.
Our history shows more than one such person. It is the weakness in an otherwise superbly conceived form of government. Even our carefully prepared system of checks and balances cannot atone for an inadequate leader...
For more about Pearl click this: www.pearlsbuckbirthplace.com/biograph.html
If you would like to read the entire article let me know and I'll send it
to you in an e-mail.
We have changed our environment more quickly than we know how to change ourselves.
- Walter Lippman
The Castle Lady changing the world one kiss at a time ! ! 23 settembre An Uncommon Man Living a Common Life- In Memorium Just recently I mentioned at the end of an entry the passing of a dear high school teacher of mine, Ralph Broten, and I attended and spoke at a memorial in his honor given by his brother Jim and his wife last week. Many people got up and spoke about how they enjoyed him- neighbors, co-workers, relatives- and all of them seemed to agree that he was exceptional but was a regular person, too. Since I spoke without anything written out I cannot repeat word-for-word what I said but after I finished I started thinking about some of the books I had discussed with him in later years, in correspondence, after my first poetry publication, Seasons of the Heart came out in 1988.
One book which came to mind is titled, "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten" by Robert Fulghum which we mutually admired and so I reopened my copy the other day and reread this credo contained in the forward:
Story teller's Creed
I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge.
That myth is more potent than history.
That dreams are more powerful than facts.
That hope always triumphs over experience.
That laughter is the only cure for grief.
And I believe that love is stronger than death.
A summation of what I learned in Mr. Broten's classroom is contained in that wonderfully concise few sentences. I hope I conveyed this to the group of teachers and neighbors assembled at the memorial although I didn't read this- I read, from my latest book, a quote from James Jones which gave tribute without gushing. I spoke about the type of hero that Mr. Broten truly was and will be remembered for by myself as well as my fellow students. He was an organic hero. That is- he was capable of helping you imagine yourself executing great deeds and yet remaining accessible and as down-to-earth as he always conducted himself. That isn't an easy task you know !
I didn't just learn how to write and create in his class. I learned how to conduct myself as a human being and live successfully while keeping to my beliefs and convictions. In class he always presented us with thought and controversy provoking topics with a single quote or a short passage from classics. He never forced his philosophies upon us but when we left his class after these sessions we knew what his stand was and respected it.
A passage from the first idea in the Robert Fulghum book made me think so strongly about the impact that Mr. Broten made on my life that I must share it. It's the basis of the book and it was the code that Mr. Broten always kept to and conveyed very well:
Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate-school mountain, but there in the sand pile at Sunday School. These are the things I learned:
Share everything.
Play fair.
Don't hit people.
Put things back where you found them.
Clean up your own mess.
Don't take things that aren't yours.
Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
Wash your hands before you eat.
Flush.
Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
Live a balanced life- learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
Take a nap every afternoon.
When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.
Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup- they all die. So do we.
And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned- the biggest word of all- LOOK.
Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and equality and sane living.
Take any one of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated adult terms and apply it to your family life or your work or your government or your world and it holds true and clear and firm. Think what a world it would be if we all- the whole world- had cookies and milk about three o'clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap. Or if all governments had as a basic policy to always put things back where they found them and to clean up their own mess.
And it's still true, no matter how old you are- when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.
With hands, hearts and arms entwined-
from The Castle Lady ! 22 settembre Love is sometimes like a good luck charm...As we all know, too much of any divine thing is destruction. - D.H. Lawrence
The violence of love is as much to be dreaded as that of hate.
- Henry David Thoreau
Love is a fire.
But whether it is going to warm your hearth
or burn down your house,
you can never tell.
- Joan Crawford
Intimacy is a four-syllable word for
"Here's my heart and soul.
Please grind them into hamburger and enjoy."
- Meredith Grey on Grey's Anatomy
19 settembre Another solution for the gas price crisis ! Back on July 25th I posted an entry on a way to go green and increase the mileage per gallon for your car. I recently stumbled on this in my local newspaper and thought there might be some of you out there who haven't seen this yet.
There is another way to go which is by installing a Hydro-Assist Fuel Cell System and a P I C C ( Pre-ignition Catalytic Converter ) in your car which is proven to increase your mileage by up to three times it's usual MPG. Can you imagine how much money you'll save by installing this combustion converter in your car ? !
The first thing necessary is to install the HAFCS. It works by drawing electricity from your battery which in turn makes the water convert to pure gas which mixes with your gasoline in the combustion chamber. This HHO gas ( water ) produces such a rich combustible ( 5X the potential energy of gasoline ) that the usage of the gasoline from the pump can be quite minimal for the same amount of power. A Covalizer (which breaks down the atomic particles of the fuel ), heat plus ionization pre-treats the car's fuel making the whole process quite clean which will improve the efficiency of the fuel burning and the engine itself. The company which is promoting this has also invented a mini-computer which teaches your pre-installed or on-board computer to operate the system. Their guarantee is that it will increase your fuel economy by a minimum of 50% with this universal kit.
The second step is to install a PICC which turns the fuel into plasma which causes the mix to burn so clean that your car will not produce pollution of any kind. Lab tests are indicating that it's possible to get over 100 miles per gallon even with large SUVs and Trucks.
To find out more: www.picctv.com/usar7
The Castle Lady !
 There are three kinds of intelligence: one kind understands things for itself, the second appreciates what others can understand, the third understands neither for itself nor through others.
This first kind is excellent, the second good, and the third kind useless.
- Machiavelli, 1513
I made my 19,000th hit tonight @ 9:40 p.m. Seattle time! Thanks for stopping by to read !
12 settembre So You Want to Know All About Castles ? Welcome to Castles 101 ! During part of September I'm going to publish a short series covering architectural nomenclature and features of the construction of European castles. Beginning with England, today, I'm including brief explanations of the reasons for their particular structure. Eventually, my plan is to cover siege engines, warfare tactics and a bit more history where it is immediately relevant to certain castles and their particular features, weaknesses, etc. I'm going to start with the basics today so if you have already done your homework you can think of this as your brush-up course or fill in your knowledge where it may be spotty. Maybe you don't know a thing about castles but find them intrinsically romantic. This is your chance to get educated. Let's start with the concentric prototype model:
1. The barbican
2. The outer ditch, moat or fosse 6. Wall of inner bailey
3. Wall of the outer bailey 7. Inner bailey
4. Outer bailey (or Ballium) 8. Keep ( possibly w/Dungeon)
The reason I refer to this model as a prototype is because it is the ideal configuration of stone built castles, which were often converted from the original motte and (wooden) baileys. These castles had a crucial purpose in the medieval and early modern period because of social, political and economic conditions. Caerphilly, an Edwardian Welsh castle was the earliest to possess all the elements of a concentric castle but Pickering Castle in North Yorkshire comes closest to the prototype in appearance. (You can view its configuration in the North Yorkshire album.) Wooden Norman motte and bailey forts were erected hurriedly all over England by William the Conqueror and the invading Norman army after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. They were the forerunner of the standard but you will find very few castles constructed in this exact manner anywhere in England or elsewhere for that matter because terrain and the architect in question was always a modifying factor. The motte was literally earth piled up or they would use a natural mound to build a tower on as a keep. This was used as a residence and outlook or watchtower. When they made a motte they naturally would make a ditch or fosse around it which they did not fill with water. The bailey was a courtyard surrounding the motte and tower which would be encased with a wooden fence called a palisade. Often they started the bailey by digging an outer ditch surrounding the bailey and motte or just the bailey. Once the outer ditch was filled with water it became a moat. The bailey stretched between the motte and tower to the wall of the second ditch. ( My stone prototype has a concentric inner bailey and an outer bailey. Also, instead of a trenched ditch, the keep is surrounded by an inner wall, level with the ground. ) All stables, storerooms and craftsmen worked in or were located in the bailey. The bailey could be accessed by a bridge built over the moat and guards protected this entrance.
Concentric moated castle with one bailey.
By late 11th and into the 12th century motte and baileys were converted to stone castles or were abandoned altogether and the stone structures were built in the vicinity. The keep was often the first rebuilt part and generally had three or four rooms, stacked vertically, along with niches built into the thickness of the walls. Unless a postern ( a backdoor, so to speak ) was built in, everything had to be carried in and out through the same entrance of the keep which was a hall in the form of a lobby or a forebuilding and the upper floor would serve as a chapel. The configuration of the stone castles were most often similar to my prototype with circular baileys, a tower built in the center level or on top of a motte. ( Keep in mind there are many exceptions. For some examples of deviations on this prototype check through my castle photo albums for diagrams and aerial photos of the various castles of North England. ) Natural hills or mountains caused modifications resulting in very different structures much like Bamburgh, and Lindisfarne in Northumberland. In the case of Harbottle and Prudhoe, the undulating hills they built on drastically changed their "standard" configuration and required the use of curtain walls ( walls hung between towers ) to be unusually low or high.
Note placement here of portcullis and machiolations :
Battlements are parapets with crenellations ( indentations ) and merlons ( square solid structures between ) which run along the top of walls and towers. Roofs were considered a weak point since they were made of clay, stone slates or lead and were easily broken by heavy missiles. Because of this, walls were built up above the roofs and the resulting parapet became a platform for archers and mangonels with which to fire back. Most likely crenellations were formed to deal with the complexities of protecting the base of the walls. These made an opening for wooden galleries holding archers and missiles which could be hung out from the walls on brackets! Parados were the inside retaining walls which ran along the inside of the wall-walk along the walls and towers. Machicolations, also referred to as murder holes, were basically gaps in the structure under towers or a projecting gallery on brackets on the outside of towers or walls where missiles such as stones or boiling oil or water could be dropped on attackers. ( See item D in Siege Equipment photo in the new Castles 101 photo album.)
Towers varied by shape, height and thickness of walls. In England you will see square ( pele ) towers, octagonal or round with walls generally eight feet thick or more, depending on the area of England and the year it was built. Even in medieval times current styles were taken into consideration. For my prototype every mural tower ( wall tower ) displays varied styles which is not unusual to see. Differing architectural styles and the stone or bricks that were used has helped historians identify when rebuilding or additions occurred and even identify the work of various architects. Outside of England the lack of uniformity would be rare and renovations elsewhere for European renaissance castles generally stay true to the original style with some interesting rare exceptions.
The barbican on my prototype is a turreted gatehouse which protects the entrance and precedes the drawbridge. Gatehouse barbicans existed at Kirby Muxloe in Leicestershire and Tattershall in Lincolnshire with Tattershall a more intact example but because Kirby Muxloe has not been significantly restored it will serve as a more authentic medieval example. Sometimes a barbican was an almost militaristic outer defense with no embellishments such as at Tickhill in South Yorkshire. The purpose for Tickhill's defense was crucial, obviously.
If there was a drawbridge, it most likely was raised or lowered for use but the earliest examples moved horizontally like a gangway. Either way, a drawbridge is always a movable bridge. ( See example.) A herse or portcullis would be placed at the entrance of the drawbridge which was an iron or wooden grating capable of being dropped vertically to block passage into the castle. (Wooden portcullises sometimes were made of a combination of metal and wood. See item Q in Seige Equipment photo of the new Castles 101 photo album.)
Raised portcullis of Hever Castle entrance.
Portcullises, machiolations in the entrance passages, meutrieres, arrow loops and even windows were considered refinements which were added well into the 12th century. This is an interesting exposition of the relentless technological battle which existed between siege engines and siege castles. Square towers were found to be structurally weak because the corners could be pried out by men with crowbars working under cover. They were also considered useless when cannon was fired at a much later period.
Windows in castles, especially medieval castles, garner surprise from casual visitors but as a matter of fact even decorative openings in the walls of towers, gatehouses and barbicans were necessary. These are referred to as peepholes, squints and arrow-slits to accommodate crossbows. They can be found in inside walls as well as in barbican walls. In the example below ( and the first diagram in the Castles 101 photo album ) we are shown all the different types used for lookout as well as serving as openings for firing darts, arrows and any small missiles at attackers. These are quite common for most medieval castles. Those which were placed in inside walls were for the purpose of allowing a person to see what was going on from, say, the chamber to the hall or perhaps to the chapel so that mass could be heard and seen without leaving one's own chamber ! Clever, huh ?
However, full outside windows served no military purpose and were considered a weakness as in many cases they were the first targets for siege engineers. Glass wasn't used in any castle windows until Henry III's time and medieval glass was extremely fragile and would often break simply from high winds ! Glass for windows was regarded as a luxury and at Alnwick the Earl of Northumberland had the glass removed during his absences and stored until he returned. Most windows were certainly barred. One story relates that in September of 1238 an assassin climbed into Henry III's chamber at Woodstock after which he had iron bars put on all his chamber windows and across the vent of his privy at Westminster. Some notable windows exist at Tattershall ( in the form of traceries on windows ) and the well-placed interiors at Warkworth. Highly decorative windows appear at Conisbrough and Chepstow in Gwent, Wales, Newark Castle with corbelled and arched windows and Kenilworth's mullioned windows will perhaps entertain your romantic side. This was the work of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, catering to the whims of Queen Elizabeth.
One interesting exceptional example is the oriel window which I told you about in my first official Northumberland entry, published on this blog March 19th of this year. At the end of the entry when I described Prudhoe I mentioned the earliest oriel window placed in England by the Percies. I neglected to supply you with a photo but if you look in either Northumberland's album or the new Castles 101 album you'll find a nice large B & W photo of it. Such a type of window, in this case, a fortification and not a weakness.
This is certainly not the oriel window of today is it ?
Dungeons used as prisons often were occupied by royals as much as political or state prisoners and they still exist in many of England's castles but actually were rare. You'll note that I've mentioned in several of my entries, already, the castles that were eventually used as prisons or doubled as such. Almost without exceptions, those which had prison cells were royal castles such as Lancaster and Fotheringhay. Most recently I have published an entry on Chillon Castle in Switzerland which is a royal castle. The dungeon with its vaulted arched ceiling is a magnificent example for a dungeon. Pembroke Castle in Wales has an interesting dungeon tower built right next to the keep.
In my next entry I will cover other configurations of concentric castles which don't fit my standard prototype pictured above. I also will cover a few more features of castles along with the nomenclature to get you up to speed for the southern portion of England I will cover this autumn through the end of the year. If you have any questions so far please put them in the comments. Answering your questions is my mission statement.
By looking through my photo albums of the castles and paying special attention to the overhead aerial shots or diagrams you'll get a good look at how unique the actual configurations of castles can be in comparison to my prototype. Many of the best known castles in England are quite unique in their plans. Upcoming entries on this series will cover these variations on configurations with more nomenclature and explanations on the features. If you have any questions thus far or in general don't hesitate to leave it in the comments. I'd love to help out !
The Castle Lady will roll out the royal red carpet with love !
10 settembre Metallica Rises Again !Sept. 30th was the last day to bid on anything for my auction. Sorry!
Metallica are back with a new album, Death Magnetic,
and a new tour ! Coming soon to a city near you !
Remember this song? ? ?
Wherever I may Roam
And the road becomes my bride
I am stripped of all but pride
So in her I do confide
And she keeps me satisfied
Gives me all I need
and with dust in throat I crave
only knowledge will I save
to the game you stay a slave
rover . . . wanderer . . . nomad . . . vagabond
call me what you will
but I'll take my time anywhere
free to speak my mind anywhere
and I'll redefine anywhere
anywhere I roam
where I lay my head is home
And the earth becomes my throne
I adapt to the unknown
under wandering stars I've grown
by myself but not alone
I ask no one . . .
And my ties are severed clean
the less I have the more I gain
off the beaten path I reign
rover . . . wanderer . . . nomad . . .vagabond
call me what you will
but I'll take my time anywhere
and I'll never mind anywhere
anywhere I roam
where I lay my head is home
but I'll take my time anywhere
free to speak my mind
and I'll take my find anywhere
anywhere I roam
where I lay my head is home
carved upon my stone my body lies but still I roam
wherever I may roam.
( Hetfield/Ulrich ) copyright 1991
With roaming kisses... The Castle Lady ! 08 settembre Solitaire by Eve MerriamWhen you are gone
I feel as flat and dull
as plastic cards
shuffle and reshuffle
the surface slick easy to wipe off
the edges rounded harmless
then you appear
and I fling the cards
like fireworks
they fall into
a winning pattern
look - a perfect run of hearts
J'aime bien cette coeur, bisous du Chateau Demoiselle ! 02 settembre A Comparison of Eastern Poetry to Western Poetry- an Example  In-sob Zong, a Korean literature professor at Yonsei University in Seoul, Seoul National University, Chung-ang University, Tenri College, Kyoto University in Japan and the University of London made many references to comparisons of Asian and Caucasion poetry in his book, "An Introduction to Korean Literature" which is a phenomenon much more commonplace today than in the period of time in which he was writing himself and active in many folklore and literature societies both national and international. He was one of the professors who were responsible for the difficult task of writing a comprehensive explanation of the Romanization of the Korean language by means of the available systems of phonetic transcription based on the Latin alphabet. His words about the similarities between John Keats' Ode on a Grecian Urn and A Bluish China Pitcher by Za-un Gu, a modern Korean poet, were thus:
"It has the same haunting melody as does the Keats's masterpiece. Like its Western counterpart it is a description of an object, not a person. Simply but beautifully it describes not just what one sees on first glance, but what one feels after careful and deep meditation. I enjoyed it the most of any that I read. I think that its remarkable resemblance to Ode on a Grecian Urn (my favorite Western poem) may account for my feelings."
 Here are the two poems for your own perusal and comparison:
Ode on a Grecian Urn
Thou still unravished bride of quietness,
Thou foster child of Silence and slow Time,
Sylvan historian, who canst thus express
A flowery tale more sweetly than our rhyme:
What leaf-fring'd legend haunts about thy shape
Of deities or mortals, or of both,
In Tempe or the dales of Arcady?
What men or gods are these? What maidens loath?
What mad pursuit? What struggle to escape?
What pipes and timbrels? What wild ecstasy?
Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard
Are sweeter ; therefore, ye soft pipes, play on;
Not to the sensual ear, but more endeared,
Pipe to the spirit ditties of no tone;
Fair youth, beneath the trees, thou canst not leave
Thy song, nor ever can those trees be bare;
Bold Lover, never, never canst thou kiss,
Though winning near the goal- yet, do not grieve;
She cannot fade, though thou hast not thy bliss,
For ever wilt thou love, and she be fair !
Ah, happy, happy boughs! that cannot shed
Your leaves, nor ever bid the Spring adieu;
And, happy melodist, unwearied,
For ever piping songs for ever new;
More happy love! more happy, happy love !
For ever warm and still to be enjoy'd,
For ever panting, and for ever young;
All breathing human passion far above,
That leaves a heart high-sorrowful and cloy'd,
A burning forehead, and a parching tongue.
Who are these coming to the sacrifice?
To what green altar, O mysterious priest,
Lead'st thou that heifer lowing at the skies,
And all her silken flanks with garlands drest?
What little town by river or seashore,
Or mountain-built with peaceful citadel,
Is emptied of this folk, this pious morn?
And, little town, thy streets for evermore
Will silent be; and not a soul to tell
Why thou are desolate, can e'er return.
O Attic shape! Fair attitude! with brede
Of marble men and maidens overwrought,
With forest branches and the trodden weed;
Thou, silent form, dost tease us out of thought
As doth eternity: Cold Pastoral!
When old age shall this generation waste,
Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe
Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou say'st,
"Beauty is truth, truth beauty,"- that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.
(Born October 31, 1795, died February 23, 1821 )
A Bluish China Pitcher
Serenely expanded down
Curved jade is moulded.
As if worms crawled
Among the grasses silently,
The colour of a mother's breast
Reached at last
This pitcher dyed and fair.
Even pears
Or the floating clouds in the sky
Cannot close down this quiet place.
The whitish feature
Mingled with naïve delicacy
The tight mouth,
The surged pose quietly rolled,
Resembles the round smiling moon
Over the rolling sea.
Thin and frail is the crane in the clouds
Softly designed
And mysteriously made up !
The existence !
Oh, neighbouring death,
A sad worry is to be grasped
With its prettiness !
The existance
To-day
Whose love is so as this ?
I am here
To pickup with my hands the moon beams through the night
Because of the petals fluttering.
Oh, pitcher !
You are a burlesque
Controlling my wrist;
When the wind blows breezes
As if softly wet in rain and dew,
My longingness,
Creates jade unconsciously.
Za-un Gu
The Castle Lady covering you with veritable endearments !
A thing of beauty is a joy forever. - John Keats
This entry is also in memorium to my Creative Writing High School teacher Mr. Broten
who first introduced me to Keats and was an inspiration to all who were privileged enough
to attend his classes. RIP my friend. I will never forget you !
Ralph D. Broten, Retired DPS teacher
Born Aug. 20, 1930- Died Aug. 20, 2008
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