Mike And Su At Tonbridge Castle

The gate house was the weakest point of any fortification so had to be the strongest- which is why so many survive intact at otherwise ruined castles and monasteries. This is the gatehouse at Tonbridge Castle- I've known it most of my life and rather take it for granted and forget just how massive it is.

The people in the foreground are Mike and Su, my son and daughter-in-law. They've just bought their first car- and we took it for a little run out to Tonbridge because I wanted to see how it went. It went very well. There was a festival in progress in the castle grounds- and it would have cost us £30 each to go through the gates- so we didn't. Not that there's much to see inside; everything that's striking about the castle can be viewed from the perimeter.

Drinking Cava In The Cold

I'm sitting at the table wearing a body-warmer and a scarf- as I have been doing for several days now. A couple of days back we had a brief hail storm. It's not helping today that we have Baw and Sith fixing us some internal doors and the back door is open to let them pass in and out.

I'm drinking Cava. Mike and Su brought it with them yesterday to celebrate the purchase of their new car. Some of it got drunk yesterday at lunch- but not very much. And now I have to consume the rest of the bottle before it goes flat. First world problems, eh? Cava is essentially Ch*mp*gn* but is not allowed to say so.