It is my turn at Vision & Verb today, I am reflecting on my adventures of 2013.
10 Comments CherryPie on Dec 26th 2013
16 Comments CherryPie on Dec 25th 2013
Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
4 Comments CherryPie on Dec 24th 2013
… and it is not yet Christmas Eve
Or maybe they have gone AWOL…
16 Comments CherryPie on Dec 23rd 2013
Filed under Holidays, Newcastle & Crookham 2013, Science & Nature
Cherie’s Place – Thought for the Week
The true knowledge of music is nothing other than this: to know the ordering of all separate things and how the Divine Reason has distributed them; for this ordering of all separate things into one, achieved by skillful reason, makes the sweetest and truest harmony with the Divine Song.
Hermes Trismegitus
8 Comments CherryPie on Dec 22nd 2013
I took time out of my busy schedule to enjoy a relaxing drive through the Shropshire and Welsh countryside in order to visit Powis Castle. The lower state rooms are decked out in the style of an Edwardian Christmas:
Powis has been home to the Herbert family for almost 800 years and various Christmas traditions have been passed down throughout the generations.
George Herbert, 4th Earl (1891-1952) and his wife Violet were the last owners to live at Powis before it was bequeathed to the National Trust in 1952. Although they had other homes, they always celebrated Christmas at Powis.
As well as enjoying the festive season themselves, they treated their servants and estate workers to their own Christmas parties and in doing so created a number of new traditions.*
In addition to seeing the lower rooms decked out in Christmas style, the cellars that are not open in during the main season were open for viewing. The cellars hold many fascinating artifacts. One of their most fascinating features was situated in the wine cellar… It is an escape tunnel to Welshpool!!
Also a doorway from the cellars led outside to spectacular views of the countryside (which is currently flooded) and the possibility of a glimpse through an archway to see what once were the Earl’s apartments.
I then visited the Clive Museum which also has many interesting artifacts. One of the room guides provided us with fascinating information to some of the pieces displayed there.
On my way out of the museum another guide pointed out the large traps that were hanging on the wall in the hallway. He informed me that they were man traps and that they were laid hidden in the estate grounds. They were designed to trap and kill (they were armed with large spikes) poachers on the estate.
After that horrific (though interesting) bit of information a brief walk on the upper garden terraces was needed. I was treated to some spectacular views across the countryside. The winter light added to the atmosphere, it also lit up the stone of the castle in a spectacular way.
It was a lovely relaxing visit…
Then we had to drive back to reality and the business of the season 
*National Trust information.
8 Comments CherryPie on Dec 21st 2013
