04 November 2012

88 lbs!  Woo Hoo!  Now if I could just get some propane delivered life would be good...  On 26 October, I checked the propane tanks for my place and the neighbor's; I was at ~25% and they had a bit more.  So I sent the landlady an e-mail--and heard nothing.  On 29 October, I started checking to see if the propane had been delivered.  No joy.  So on 1 November, I forwarded the first e-mail and asked what was up and started calling.  I finally contacted the landlady late; they had been out of town and hadn't been checking e-mail (Really?!) but she said she'd left a message on the propane company's answer phone.  Still no joy although I now have a small space heater.  It's OK in my bedroom--but perishingly cold every where else.

On Halloween, after work I drove down to Bolsover Castle for a ghost walk.  It was a cold, wet night but it was still a lot of fun.  The walk was from 8-9:30, so it was quite dark when I arrived; I didn't really get a look at the castle.  All I can say for sure is that it's big.  Bolsover Castle is supposed to be one of the Midlands; I didn't see any ghosts but it was still fun.  The guys doing the walk had lots of stories.  There has been something on the site since the 12th century--and not everything that has happened there has been happy.  There is a woman in Victorian dress whose been seen in one of the rooms, a young servant girl who got pregnant out-of-wedlock and had the baby--which may or may not have been still-born--and then threw the body in the oven and a young boy who only appears to children in the garden.  Lots of good stories and not too cheesy.

Then on Saturday, we headed off to see Peveril Castle in the Peak District National Park.  The pictures are from there.  Just outside the visitor's center is a scale model of how the castle would have looked in the 12th or 13th century.

The next 3 shots are from the castle ridge, overlooking the village of Castleton.  It was a great day for pictures!

 

 The remains of the gatehouse.

 

The keep, with an anachronistic jet just above it :-)

Another couple of views from the heights, the first one looking towards the carpark.

The remains of the medieval walls.

 

 

Inside the keep.

The main entry.

 

 Another view of the main entry.  You can see how the walls were constructed, with the good, 'dressed' stone on the outside and a rubble 'core'.

Medieval garderobe (latrine).

The keep.

Cool pub sign.

The place where we had lunch.

The 'executioner' at the Bolsover Castle Guy Fawkes celebration.  Once again, it was too dark to get a look at the castle.

Roving 'mischief makers'.  I never did get a shot at their faces!

The only one of my fireworks shots that turned out :-)

English Heritage did a great job with the fireworks!