Liebster Blog Award

Last month I was delighted to find that I had been nominated for a Liebster Blog Award by the lovey Star of the Pink Sovereign blog.  Thank you so much Star.

The Liebster Blog Award Rules

- Thank the person who nominated you and post a link to their blog on your blog

- Display the award on your blog by including it in a post and/or displaying it using a 'widget' or 'gadget'

- Answer 11 questions about yourself which will be provided by the person who nominated you

- Provide 11 random facts about yourself

- Nominate 5 - 11 blogs that you feel deserve the award, who have less than 1000 followers (You can always ask the blog owner this as not all blogs display a widget showing this information)

- Create a new list of questions for the blogger to answer

- List these rules in your post. Once written and published you then

- Inform the people/blogs that you have nominated them for the Liebster award and provide a link for them to your post so they can learn about it.

My 11 Answers

1. Seeing as this blog is Pink Sovereign - what is your favourite colour and why ?
Purple. I don't know why. It doesn't suit me to wear but I'm drawn to anything in purple bottles like cleaning products and the last couple of houses I have lived in, I have decorated at least one of the rooms in some shade of purple.

2. What is the most expensive thing you have ever bought?
Just for myself, it was a sewing machine.

3. What song(s) do you associate with your childhood?
My parents always had music blaring when I was little, usually stuff from the 60's or Motown. Though my Dad used to try and sneak on a bit of Pink Floyd which my Mum can't stand.

4. What food if any tempts you into eating it because it's appearance was so appetising?
If there is anything that I can't resist food wise which sometimes finds its way into my shopping trolley, its a nice gooey looking chocolate cake. It don't do it often and I don't get to eat much of it with there being 5 of us in the house but that's no bad thing.

5. Are you a cat or dog person?
If both myself and eldest boy weren't allergic to cats, we would have had a cat years ago so I'm a catless cat person.

6. Who is your idol?
I don't think that I have one.

7. What do you hope to have accomplished by the end of this year?
More blog posts.

8. To get from A to B, what is your preferred method of transport?
Walking. The price of using public transport here is disgusting so I would sooner use my legs.

9. What is your lucky number and why?
4. I don't know if it's lucky or not but if I have to pick numbers I always go for anything with a 4 in it.

10. What TV show, song, film or personality is guaranteed to make you laugh?
My husband and kids are guaranteed to make me laugh. Someone always comes out with something daft in this house.

11. What achievement are you proud of?
The one that I'm most proud of is too personal to share.

11 Random Facts About Myself

1. I'm not really into sweets but I can't resist a Drumstick Lolly.
2. I love analogue cameras and have a small collection of 17 ranging from old waist view cameras to the more modern toy cameras. I didn't set out to collect them and received most as presents.
3. Even though I live in trainers and boots, I have a thing for pretty and unusual high heeled shoes. I never wear them out because I don't want them ruined so I just trot about the house in them.
4. I never eat breakfast because it makes me feel queasy eating first thing in the morning.
5. Over the past few years I've got into watching Studio Ghibli films with Caleb. The last one we watched was Panda, Go, Panda which Little L thought was hilarious.
6. This is something that bugs me - when people say a percentage over 100. You can't get higher than 100 so when someone on TV comes out with 120% or 150%, it drives me nuts.
7. I'm pretty short, almost 5' 1". About 10" shorter than my husband.
8. My oldest item of clothing is almost the same age as me. It is a hooded jumper that my Mum knit for my Dad when I was a baby. I have the original pattern that she used for it as well but it would probably cost a small fortune to make one these days. It's a really snuggly jumper and still gets worn on the odd occasion.
9. I love going out and exploring new places even if they aren't far from home.
10. My favourite author is Clive Barker
11. One of my biggest hates is people ruining books by folding down corners, leaving them spread face down so that it ruins the spine, etc. In fact I tend not to open books fully when I read them because I don't want to crease the spine. I always thought I was a bit weird with my book thing but one night I was reading and my brother in law visited, he saw me and started laughing because he does the same thing.

My Nominees

Anne of A Little Fur In Paint
http://alittlefurinthepaint.blogspot.co.uk/

Kate of By the Babbling Brook
http://bythebabblingbrooke.blogspot.co.uk/

Jenny of WINNIBRIGGS HOUSE
http://winnibriggshouse.blogspot.co.uk/

Paula of Homemade Life
http://paulashomemadelife.blogspot.co.uk/

Carol of the cow jumped over the moon
http://taraegon.blogspot.co.uk/

My 11 Questions

1. What was the first record you ever bought ?
2. Where is the most beautiful place you have visited ?
3. What is the strangest food you have ever eaten ?
4. Why did you decide to start blogging ?
5. If you could have any animal as a pet, what would it be ?
6. What was your favourite book as a child ?
7. If you could live any where in the world, where would you choose ?
8. What has been the most disastrous thing you have made or baked ?
9. Do you collect anything ?
10. What is you favourite snack ?
11. If you could get rid of any modern technology, what could you happily live without ?

Phew ! I think that has been the longest post I've ever done.

Ruthin Castle

Last Friday my husband and I enjoyed an over night stay at Ruthin Castle. We have visited before but it was our first time staying there.

 We arrived too early for checking in so we set about exploring the grounds searching for the Grey Lady's grave. The Grey Lady is the castle's famous ghost. The story is that she found her husband having an affair with a local woman and in a rage killed her with an axe. She was then sentenced to death and no local clergymen would bury her on consecrated ground so she was buried outside the castle walls and is rumoured to haunt the castle and the grounds. After a fruitless search we asked a grounds woman if she could point us in the right direction and it turned out the the grave was behind a locked gate so we wouldn't have found it anyway but she had the key and kindly let us see it. The woman also told us that the mistresses head had supposedly been buried with the Grey Lady .. no wonder she's not in a great mood then.

This is what is left of the grave. It is thought that it was a built up tomb long ago. I was standing just outside the entrance when I took the photo. The grounds women then asked if we wanted to look in the dungeon while we were there. We weren't going to say no to that so she nipped off to grab us some torches. The dungeon wasn't anywhere as large as I thought it would be. I think I was expecting something like I would see on a film. We were shown some of the tunnels that would have been used for escape if the castle got attacked. There are quite a lot under the castle which have either been blocked off or collapsed. The woman then asked if we wanted to see the bats that live there. I really wanted to take a photo but I thought the flash would startle them then it would be like the beginning of a Scooby Doo cartoon with them all flying at me. I did love seeing them all tucked up, hanging there.

After all the wandering about, it was time to check in. While I was busy 'oohing' at the chandeliers one of the guests asked us if we had seen this oil painting. He told us to look at the painting

and then look at the painting's reflection in a mirror and it looks as though she has aged. I took these photos but I couldn't pick it up very well. 

The room was lovely, the bed was absolutely massive. We could do with a bed that size in our house with Little L still climbing in with us at night. There was a little gift of ear plugs on the bed along with a postcard from the peacocks that wander the ground apologising if we get woken by them in the morning during the mating season. 

We had been watching them earlier on in the day trying to catch the females eye with their displays but it didn't seem to be working.

These ones with a lot of white feathers were some of last years young. The peacocks had 18 young last year but only 6 have survived with the others falling victim to birds of prey, cats, foxes,etc.

They don't seem aggressive at all and they were walking within six inches of us. I think they must be that used to people trying to get close with their cameras, they know that they won't come to any harm.

We loved our night away and Little L has asked if we can take her to see a real live peacock so I think a quick visit is on the cards. The best part for me though was seeing the bats. Although we see them every Summer flying about, I've only seen them roosting before on TV.