Kenilworth

To Kenilworth Castle. Which has a walk on part at the end of Lady G. I used to walk there from Coventry, come to think of it.
At this time of year the low sun warms the red brick and cuts precise shadows across the lush grass. The dried out mere stretches off into the distance softened by ground mist. It's very beautiful.
Robert Dudley intrigues me. Everything: dynastic politics, the urge to power, pride, greed and possibly genuine affection were all pushing him towards the one women he couldn't have. So the ruined castle stands as metaphor. He took one of the strongest castles in medieval England and compromised its military integrity by converting it into a pleasure ground to seduce Liz 1. And after he'd almost gone broke entertaining her, she said no and left. The way we change ourselves to attract someone else, the way we get left stranded neither nor. Between the Keep and the apartments.
We escaped from the friendly ticket office where the only thing they didn't try and sell us was the castle itself and headed for the stables where they sell something they describe as coffee. Fortunately, there was a free concert of medieval music. The trio, called Nonimus, were excellent. Usually I start running when I see people dressed in tights and cloaks. I have sat through some hideous "medieval music", bad musically and worse historically, but these guys were excellent. A rare combination of enthusiasm, energy and musicality combined with a delightfully awful line in puns made this visit to the castle special. Chris and I were their only audience. People kept coming to the stable doors, looking inside and turning away. The fools. Hopefully their performances later in the day were better attended.
We bought the cd. What else can you do? It was well worth it. It even has a good version of the much murdered John Barelycorn.