Month: August 2014

Castell Coch 1

~ Grandpa ~ 14 Comments

Castell Coch 1

Fortress or folly?

You must weigh the evidence.

It’s still beautiful.

Castell Coch* (Red Castle) in Tongwynlais, near Cardiff, Wales, was taken over by the Marquis of Bute during the Victorian era and remodelled by William Burgess. Some have claimed it to be a folly, but the exhibition within the castle suggests that it was a Norman fortress before being remodelled into the fairy tale castle of today.

The misty look at the right hand side of the photograph is just that. If not mist, it is low cloud; it was raining quite heavily during our visit. The castle seems to attract such mistiness. As can be seen in the image, it stands on a hillside in a small forest.

* Pronunciation tips for non-Welsh speakers:

  • The ll sound is made by forming an l, and blowing over the sides of the tongue.
  • The o is sounded long as in post, in this instance.
  • The best description I can give of the ch sound is that it is like clearing the throat!

Walk With Me

~ Grandpa ~ 19 Comments

pen-y-fan-7

Take my hand.
Walk with me along life’s path,
Through fields of grazing sheep,
Toward the summit’s splendour.

Loaded down with picnic hamper;
Basket full of snacks and treats
That we can share along life’s way;
Our onward, upward hike.

Rest for lunch upon the peak;
Gaze out from the summit,
As far as eyes can see,
And look toward our future.

Wait until the crowds have gone;
The tourist walkers leave;
Then you and I shall rest, alone,
In private solitude.

Our peaceful idyll,
Under bright blue skies
With dappled shade from clouds on high,
Calms our troubled hearts.

You and I, finding peace,
Sitting, resting, talking, thinking,
Of philosophy and poetry,
Of life, and what we’ve made it.

Descend as evening starts to fall,
With shadows growing longer.
Walk with me, along life’s path,
And conquer hills together.