27/09/2022
Last night was a tricky one, we think we have hit Lachlan’s limit. After squeezing as much into the Lake District and Manchester as we could, it was time for our, as Eloise calls it “normal home”. Exhausted we headed to trusty Costa’s for breakfast. After living in the UK for over a year, I am not sure if my coffee standards have hit rock bottom, or if they are actually consumable, but I will admit, I do enjoy a Costa coffee.
Straight after breakfast we were on our way, Dad was under strict instructions from the back seat, “c’,mon Dad, let’s gooooo, don’t want to be late for dance, need to get my tap shoes“. Eloise may have been in charge of the timing but Lachlan made it very clear he was in charge of the playlist. Fun toddler songs it was for the next two hours until we arrived at “Europe’s [well it was back then] ‘ugliest castle'”, Carlisle Castle for a stretch of the legs. We didn’t actual go in, but there was plenty of space out the front for all the babies to run amok.
Carlisle Castle is in Carlisle, in the English county of Cumbria, near the ruins of Hadrian’s Wall. The castle is over 900 years old and has been the scene of many historical episodes in British history. Given the proximity of Carlisle to the border between England and Scotland, it has been the centre of many wars and invasions. During the Jacobite Rising of 1745–6, Carlisle became the last English fortress to undergo a siege. The castle was listed as a Scheduled Ancient Monument on 7 August 1996… Carlisle Castle was first built during the reign of William II of England, the son of William the Conqueror. At that time, Cumberland (the original name for north and west Cumbria) was still considered a part of Scotland. William II ordered the construction of a Norman style motte and bailey castle in Carlisle on the site of the old Roman fort of Luguvalium, dated by dendrochronology to 72AD, with the castle construction beginning in 1093. The need for a castle in Carlisle was to keep the northern border of England secured against the threat of invasion from Scotland. In 1122, Henry I of England ordered a stone castle to be constructed on the site. Thus a keep and city walls were constructed. The existing Keep dates from somewhere between 1122 and 1135. The tower keep castle is one of only 104 recorded examples, most being found on the Welsh border.
We tried to keep up with Lachlan as we headed into the city to find lunch before hitting the road again.
After a week down south we thought Glasgow would be noticeably darker on our return. It was definitely cooler, but it was blue skies all the way home. Rest assured, we made it just in time for dance. We are not sure how she still had any energy. Eloise kept saying this was her “favourite holiday ever” and Lachlan ticked another city off his list.
This evening it was announced that “either Glasgow or Liverpool will host next year’s Eurovision Song Contest, after the shortlist of cities in contention was cut from seven to two… The BBC said the two remaining cities, which both have riverside arena venues, had “the strongest overall offer”. A final decision will be made “within weeks”, the broadcaster said”. For what its worth, “former Eurovision winner Lulu has said Glasgow deserves to host the 2023 song contest as it had the “audience with the biggest hearts””.
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