Grandma P's Ramblings Through Life: Autumn cleaning and Penrhyn castle

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Autumn cleaning and Penrhyn castle

I had a good night's sleep - 9 hours of it.

I needed it! Last evening I had one of those times when tiredness makes me feel ill.

It has been lovely weather today - enough to stir one into action.

There was action today in the bedroom!

It needed dusting and cleaning badly - now that makes it seem like it is a room of squalor and mess, such as one might see in the TV programme "How Clean is Your House?"

I assure you it is nothing like that.

You do have to look specially to see the dust - but oh dear, when you do look, the dust seems rather thick!

Some people have asked how we keep everything dusted - we do have shelves full of all sorts of interesting things. The answer to the question is that we don't dust very often and when we do it feels very satisfying.

Perhaps I'll photograph some of the shelves in the next few days.

I also had a jumper drawer to sort out - and to discard items that I didn't think I would choose to wear very much again. Perhaps I did it too rapidly - a few that I actually like are already in the charity shop.

Never mind the drawer is full of new clothing.

This afternoon after taking lots to the charity shop we popped into Asda. Hooray! The expensive cat food that we get for Frieda to feed to George and Harry was on special offer. So we have enough food now for most of October.

Finally I sorted out the last of my Welsh photos. Bill keeps asking for them so that he can think about printing.

And I have some more for the blog.

I have split Penrhyn Castle into 2 sections - some today and some tomorrow.

Today we have pictures taken outside.

Penrhyn Castle can look dark and forbidding - we have seen it many times for it is almost in Bangor. It looks Norman or Medieval but is less than 200 years old. It was the family home of the Pennants.

Queen Victoria visited - and refused to use the large slate bed they had made specially for her.

Inside it is spacious of course, but also intimate, as homes should be.

The grounds are extensive and in the stable block are some special exhibitions - steam locomotives, dolls, slavery, photography etc.

This is a post card. Not at all dark and gloomy in late afternoon sunshine.

This is a view from the castle grounds towards the mountains.

Looking along the north wales coast to Llandudno (Clan did no - sort of)

The main doorway.

Do you see the carvings round the door - lots of funny little men. These heads are everywhere - inside and out. I loved to see them and notice how each one was different.