Not my house

I hope my words appear with my picture today Blipfoto, unlike yesterday.

I stopped on my way to the beach with Ella this morning to catch this view of Alnwick Castle, home of the Dukes of Northumberland. The history of the family is complicated, but you can google them if you are interested. We are on the twelfth duke just now. The castle is used as a film set on occasion, for example as the scene of the quidditch game in the first Harry Potter film. In school holidays they have a Harry Potter theme going with flying on broomstick lessons etc. It was also used as the set in the first Blackadder. The school I taught in during the early 1980s had classrooms on the street outside the castle. It was a struggle to keep the class engaged with Rowan Atkinson prancing about in tights outside. The present duchess has made a beautiful garden with the help of funding from the European community. I hope the Europeans like their garden - it comes at a price of course, (not many families could afford the entrance charge I doubt) and though at present registered as a "charity" the garden will revert to ducal ownership after 20 years from the start of the project. Townspeople hoped it would bring prosperity to the town, with increased tourism, but the car park, shops, restaurants, garden centre etc are all out with the town, and it seems many people get no further into town. If that's the case, it's a shame as there are art galleries, cafés and the largest second-hand bookshop in the country, Barter Books situated in the old railway station.

We had a good splash in the sea in our wellies - there was a biting east wind so we were well wrapped up. It's about 10 degrees warmer inland.

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