While planning a wedding

Impatient Companion

 

Blake and I are enjoying our days off!

Castle challenge - #8 - Dolbadarn Castle

Dolbadarn Castle is a fortification built by the Welsh prince Llywelyn the Great during the early 13th century, at the base of the Llanberis Pass, in North Wales. The castle was important both militarily and as a symbol of Llywelyn's power and authority. On the picture below you can see the view from the stairs of the Castle.

The castle features a large stone keep, which historian Richard Avent considers "the finest surviving example of a Welsh round tower". In 1284 Dolbadarn was taken by Edward I, who removed some of its timbers to build his new castle at Caernarfon.  

The castle was used as a manor house for some years, before falling into ruin. In the 18th and 19th century it was a popular destination for painters interested in Sublime and Picturesque landscapes. It is now managed as a tourist attraction.

Castle challenge - #7 - Beeston Castle

Last year on my birthday, Jared surprised me and had arranged for us to go and see Beeston Castle. It was a beautiful sunny day.

 

Beeston Castle is a former Royal castle, perched on a rocky sandstone crag (107m). It was built in the 1220s by Ranulf de Blondeville on his return from the Crusades. In 1237, Henry III took over the ownership of Beeston, and it was kept in good repair until the 16th century. It is rumored that treasure belonging to Richard II lies undiscovered in the castle grounds, but the many searches that have been carried out have failed to find any trace of it. The castle is now in ruins.

Castle challenge - #6 - Dunster Castle

Dunster Castle is a former motte and bailey castle, now a country house, in the village of Dunster, Somerset, England. The castle lies on the top of a steep hill called the Tor, and has been fortified since the late Anglo-Saxon period. 

After the Norman conquest of England in the 11th century, William de Mohun constructed a timber castle on the site as part of the pacification of Somerset. The medieval castle walls were mostly destroyed following the siege of Dunster Castle at the end of the English Civil War, when Parliament ordered the defences to be slighted to prevent their further use. In the 1860s and 1870s, the architect Anthony Salvin was employed to remodel the castle to fit Victorian tastes; this work extensively changed the appearance of Dunster to make it appear more Gothic and Picturesque.

2015 - Book #3 - Bloodstream

“Why do we always treat kids like the enemy?” “Because they so often behave like an alien species?” 

By Tess Gerritsen

After being introduced to the author Tess Gerritsen from a friend at work, I fell in love immediately. The first book I read was "The Last to Die", a series with detective Rizzoli and the medical examiner Dr. Isles. This book however, is a stand alone book, so I was curious on how it would be reading something else from the author.

Bloodstream is a book about a mum, Dr. Claire Elliott. She wants to start over new somewhere with her son, Noah after he got into trouble in the aftershock of his dad passing away. Dr. Elliott chose the little town Tranquility. 

Suddenly, one day at school one of the boys gets really angry and takes up a gun and start shooting. This is just the start of a chain of lethal outbursts amount the town’s teenagers. Dr. Elliott is convinced that this wasn't something the teenagers had turn into, but it had to be a bacteria. After discovering that this was not the first time this had happened in Tranquility, she fears that the Locust Lake might hide something that infects the teenagers. She fights against the clock when her son starts the same behavior. 

I could not put away this book. It steals your fantasy and mind from the first couple of pages. Tess Gerritsen have this way of writing, drawing you into the story and you just cannot escape!

Castle challenge - #5 - Watermouth Castle

Watermouth Castle is a building in Watermouth, near Ilfracombe, North Devon designed by George Wightwick as a residence for the Bassett family in the mid-19th century and is not a true castle but a country house built to resemble one.

It was from this castle on, Jared and I decided that we would take a picture of us two outside every castle we visited. This was downhill and windy! Haha! Glad I had my hat on!

 

Watermouth Castle was purchased from Wickenden in 1977 by Richard L. Haines of Market Deeping, Cambridgeshire and his Dutch-born wife, the daughter of a flower-bulb grower and nurseryman named Derick Van Daalen. The price paid for the Castle and 60 acres was £50,000. The Castle was turned by them into an amusement centre, which is currently run in 2012 by their two sons Jonathan and Antonie Haines.

Castle challenge - #4 - Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle

It is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. The castle is notable for its long association with the British royal family and for its architecture. The original castle was built in the 11th century after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror, and it is the longest-occupied palace in Europe. More than five hundred people live and work in Windsor Castle. Windsor Castle survived the tumultuous period of the English Civil War, when it was used as a military headquarters for Parliamentary forces and a prison for Charles I. Windsor Castle was used as a refuge for the royal family during the bombing campaigns of the Second World War and survived a fire in 1992. It is a popular tourist attraction, a venue for hosting state visits, and Elizabeth II's preferred weekend home.

Jared and I visited Windsor Castle when I came to visit him from Norway when I was studying there. It was beautiful!

Travel companion

Our great travel companion Blake. He is a bit sad that he has to be so far away, but he does like to watch out the windows and he never barks. He is a great travel companion.

This weekend we have been down south in England to decide on things for the wedding. We managed to visit our church and our venue. I just love the people in the church!

I think we might have decided on the wedding car, and I think we soon have to decide on caters! The wedding is only 7 months away!

Wedding Invitations

Preparing to a Wedding is a lot of work. At the moment we have booked a few important things and this week we have been sitting trying to finish up the wedding invites. They will hopefully go out this week and next.

Tomorrow (today?) we are headed for the south and were the wedding will be held. A lot of program for the weekend and I am glad I have 4 days off.

Next week I will be starting my new position as a Team Leader. That will be very exciting and challenging, but I am looking forward to it!