ahh....love

I think I have fallen in love

     Don't tell Jackie.  She will tell me I am nuts eventually.  She will say it's absurd, and I may have to agree with her.
     At my age...falling in love with..... a house.
     Not just a house, my friends.  A stately house.  An old house.  One that I visit in my dreams and hope one day to see.
     Highclere Castle.
     That is where Downton Abbey is filmed and as far as I am concerned, the real star of the series and movie.
     I saw the movie tonight....and seeing the castle and the grounds on the big screen is simply amazing.
     The great hall....the library....the kitchen....all of these rooms just came alive on the big screen.
     I can't imagine how much it costs to maintain a home like that.  In the series, and movie, they allude to the farms making a profit....but they have to have a lot of farms and a lot of profit to maintain a house and staff of 10 or so people.
     I plan to go to watch the Cubs next June in London.  I had hoped to visit Highclere when we were there, to sip some tea in one of the rooms and to walk the grounds.
     But it is not open to the public until sometime in July, and I don't think Jackie would be happy with me hanging around in Europe for a couple of weeks just to see a castle.  And that may be folly, except it is not just a castle, it is Highclere Castle.
     Just looking at the castle on those long distance shots makes my heart skip a beat.
     It's love, I tell you.
Peace and Love