Childe Rowland

"...after you have entered the Land of Faery, bite no bit, sup no drop; for if in  Elfland you sup one drop or bite one bit, never again will you see
Middle Earth."
English Fairy Tale

I wouldn't last long.

Something of a "magical" day out today, meeting friends D and B at Gliffaes Hotel in the Usk valley.  Access is along a narrow country lane overhung with trees and lined with ancient stone walls.  Occasional glimpses of the Usk in the valley floor below are fleeting, this is a real pathway to the gateway to the Underworld, the land of Faery.

It's a glorious setting, basking in the mid-day sunshine on the terrace overlooking the river valley.  The towers reminded me of the campanile in Florence and Tuscany, this is a real gem of a place in the heart of beautiful countryside; like stepping back in time.  D and B are such excellent company, we're soon laughing uproariously and guests are finding quieter places to settle.  With the increasing cloud after lunch we retire to the conservatory; there's a small group of guests seated there, but within ten minutes they'd moved outside?  Something we said?  We're not really that bad.