Castles

This weekend, I went to Ludlow Castle. Ludlow is a charming English town on the England/Wales border. It's been around for a long time - the castle has been there since the Normans ruled Britain, and the town really boomed in the Medieval era.

Although this may seem fairly insignificant due to the plethora of English market towns (seeing as this was the only way people were able to trade food in the past), Ludlow Castle has been a desirable destination for me since the age of about 4. It was the site of Mary Tudor's first independent court, along with just being a general stronghold in England's history. Unlike many similar fortifications from the Norman era, Ludlow Castle has been fairly absent as a war defense, with its primary use being as a residential property.

Of course, it is now ruined after hundreds of years of use. Ruins are beautiful in their own way; they allow the observer to create their own impression of what the castle was like to live in. There are no modern decorations pretending to be from the 1400s, no beds, no clear definition of where the rooms started and ended. One is unable to tell exactly how many floors there were, or exactly how the rabbit warren of the castle connected up. In some ways, ruins make me hope that a time machine is never invented (not that it ever will), as creating your own impression is part of the magical experience of discovering the past.

At the same time, I would love to go back in time to meet famous figures. We only have images (not even photographs, simply impressions of artists) as accounts of Kings and Queens of the past. I would love to discover the true motivations behind the seeming need to execute other humans when they spoke against you, and how one could be so brutal to someone they supposedly loved (albeit for only a short while).

Who knows if these thoughts will ever be considered in a serious manner - the ethics of time travel are incredibly absorbing.

Peace x

Friendship

9/8/2015

One of my favourite feelings in the world is reconnecting with old friends. You know those friends that you haven't spoken to in months, but then you hold a detailed conversation just as if you saw them yesterday. The type of friend that won't judge or question; yet somehow you seem to have an innate understanding of them that is rarely felt and must be held onto.


Jane Austen expresses this perfectly in her words from 'Northanger Abbey':

'Friendship is certainly the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love.'

This poignant line has been displayed on my wall since an (at the time) traumatising break up with someone I believed to be my best friend and soul mate, but it still resonates true four years on.

Knowing that you have those people there to keep you company in times of need is a comforting enough thought for me. If I'm having a hard time then I know that I can contact them and they will distract me from my woes, and equally I am around to do the same for them.

The lack of school as a catalyst for friendship is the true deal breaker - if you can remain friends whilst at opposite ends of the country, with both parties remaining interested and working hard to maintain this mutual trust, you know you have found a true friend and soul mate.

Peace out x