I’m back from our two-week trip to England to celebrate our 50th anniversary with family. What a glorious time we had! Beautiful weather, lots of good food and laughter, a time of singing around the piano, and much more. It’s good to be home, but I wish I could transport myself back and forth π
We visited Blenheim, home of Winston Churchill, and Warwick Castle. We spent time in the dining hall at Oxford, where some of the Harry Potter movies were filmed. We saw the Womping Tree on the grounds of Blenheim. So today’s prompt is perfect for me. I’m curious to see what I’m going to come up with π

The angry, howling wind stirred the sea to fury. Spray from the crashing waves rose up and drenched the ruins of Corfe Castle, but not for the first time.
No one lived there now except the ghosts. They roamed the ruins, reconstructing the castle as they had known it From William the Conqueror to the crumbling ruins of this century, they saw banquets and battles, births and deaths, blood spilled, mopped up, spilled again.
And so it would continue until nothing but dust remained. The sorrows and joys of life above the pretty little village below stained the land.
Well written!
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Thank you π
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Very nice! Sounds like you had a great time. Congratulations on 50 years!
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Thank you! We had a wonderful time, indeed.
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It’s amazing how good a job the deceased are capable of doing. That’s such a nice wholesome scene compared to all the exciting times those people lived through
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Thank you, Larry. Yes, it was often difficult and bloody down through the history of England, Those quiet English villages hold a lot of secrets π
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Each castle has many stories. I grew up playing in the grounds of Blenheim Palace, I recall a few hair raising events, but you have out dazzled them.
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I was at Blenheim about a week ago! Beautiful grounds, lovely rooms to view and lots of history.
Thanks for the compliment, Michael. π
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The Norman castles were, of course, built to sustain conquest, control and pillage. I like it that you see its history as staining the village
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Thanks, Neil. It wasn’t always sunshine and roses!
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i’d been to corfe castle last june. i think we just missed each other. π
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We were in England July 7-19, so yes, we did miss each other. And we pretty much kept our sightseeing in and around the Oxford area.
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Wonderful story! Love the phrase “blood spilled, mopped up, spilled again.”
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Thanks π
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Great story…and many congratulations on the Golden Jubilee π
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Thank you so much. We are truly blessed.
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A dark pall cast over the picturesque little town.
I’m glad you had a fun time while you were over here π
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It was wonderful. Thank you.
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You certainly captured the essence of the castle ruins. Well done, glad you enjoyed your trip.
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Thank you. We enjoyed every minute. Trip of a lifetime!
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Glad you had a good holiday and enjoyed a bit of history π
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Thanks, Iain. It was a wonderful trip. Memories of a lifetime.
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First, envious of your trip! β€ Glad that you had an awesome time. We'll be celebrating our 24th next month and 25 next year. We hope to do something special then, like maybe see the grand canyon, or that mountain with the faces in it… and hopefully, we can make that journey by train. Enjoyed your story, too! ~Shalom, Bear
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I think you mean Mount Rushmore. It’s pretty amazing. If you do the Grand Canyon, consider viewing it from a helicopter. Really gives you a sense of the size and depth. I hope you do get to do something very special.
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Yes. I just couldn’t for the life of me place the name. Oh, I think I would be too terrified for a Copter ride. I can’t even get myself into the airport, let alone a plane. Hate flying.
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Well then, it wouldn’t be fun for you. I loved it, seeing the Canyon from that perspective was just overwhelming.
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Happy Gold Anniversary, Linda!
I liked your story. In some parts of the country you can feel that stain on the land. I’m glad you enjoyed your trip to England!
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Thank you, Penny. I loved it π
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Dear Linda,
What a glorious way to spend your Golden Anniversary. A lovely story that took the reader there.
Shalom and Happy Anniversary,
Rochelle
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Thank you, Rochelle It was a wonderful trip, never to be forgotten π
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We have a lot of bloody history in this country! (Take that as you wish.) So glad you enjoyed your visit.
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This good story is well written with great description, Linda. The old castle seems to still be an active place although most can’t sense it. π — Suzanne
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Thanks, Suzanne π
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There’s a sense of life cycles in this story. Generations coming and going. I can imagine the ancestors watching over the village.
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Thank you, Fatima. As an American, it can be hard for me to get my head around the very long history of England. My own country is just a baby in comparison π
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50 years is definitely cause to celebrate!
What a wonderful story, to boot.
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Your trip sounds amazing. You’re rekindling that wanderlust I can never seem to shake.
It’s interesting that you described the ghosts as living there. It gives an added dimension to the history that won’t die even long after its dead.
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Thanks so much–exactly what I was aiming for π The trip was simply amazing. I loved every minute of it.
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A great introduction to a wonderful story. I was pleased you had a wonderful time in England and the weather was kind.
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Thank you James. I did. Couldn’t have asked for anything better π
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Wow sounds like an amazing trip.
The ghost still linger…
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It was. Amazing π
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I like the notion of the ghosts creating their own realities in the castle. It makes me think of how many changes such old places have seen. Well told.
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Thanks, Margaret.
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Glad to hear you had such a great time in England!
Love the idea of ghosts reconstructing the castle as they knew it, and reliving events over and over “until nothing but dust remained”.
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Too bad some spirits cannot move out of their realestate even after the loss of physical body. May be they are too attached to the property that was once theirs. Time to move on, I think.
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If I actually believed in ghosts, I would agree π Those who do would probably tell us that the ghost cannot rest until whatever issues it had in life are resolved, I think.
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It reads to me as if your trip was quite inspiring!
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Indeed it was π
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Great write & congratulations! π
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Thank you!
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