There’s an old expression here which says

‘An Englishman’s home is his castle’.

It was actually enshrined in common lawn 1628 and basically means ‘a persons home is their refuge’. Over the years it has often been cited by the right wing as justification for the principle ‘I can do whatever I like in my own castle, that includes stuff like smacking kids, shutting down public rights of way, hunting animals, mistreating people and using whatever weapons I like to defend it’.

I’m against all those activities but the law does have its advantages. I can take on the right wing interpretation and use it to say – STUFF YOU BORIS – inside my castle your stupidity, oversized ego and corrupt government can’t touch me – I’m just going to ignore ‘YA GREAT BIG PUDDING’.

In my castle I also can get away with wearing lime green compression socks and pink shirts. It’s my right…. Nowt the law can do about it.

And the other thing about a ‘home is a castle’ is that some castles are bigger than others. Much bigger…. Some are even big enough to be used as Harry Potters school in the movies.

But there is another positive element to the castle home idea. Because of circumstances many people need those castle walls. The feeling of safety which comes from pulling up the drawbridge and being inside your own space. That certainly applies to my Hawklad with his Aspergers.

So here’s to everyone’s very own castles, whatever size and shape they may be.

49 thoughts on “Castles”

  1. They say that here too. But they don’t say the Englishman part… just a man’s home is his castle. Yep, it’s very true, that’s why some people around here can get grumpy about neigbors being noisy. We have no sound proofing here… Yes, that can be problematic at times. You and Hawklad enjoy that castle of yours and those wonderful Yorkshire views. 😊 I am so glad that you have that.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

      1. We will survive. 😀 And then we’ll thrive. That’s the next stage right? Yep yep yep… I am going to believe it. You believe it toooooooooooooo.

        Liked by 1 person

  3. We all need a refuge… a place of safety. Whether that’s a physical place like a house, or a place inside us or in the company or another person or even a pet, or a spot in Nature, a tree, a rose bush, a creek…

    May we all find our refuge and feel safe!💌

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  4. I love seeing and reading about the history of the castles and the countryside. I don’t know if you follow Alli’s blog: https://medievalwanderings.com/ But I think you would really like it. Alli is studying and is teaching me in her posts all about different battles and castles I have little (or really, no) knowledge of. Her posts are very fun to read. Alli also has a son on the spectrum. If you get a chance, check her blog out. I think it is one you and Hawklad will really enjoy!

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    2. Thank you so much for this, Robyn! I’m so glad you’re enjoying learning about medieval history so much, and it’s a pleasure to be in contact with you and to follow your blog too, and now my new friend on this blog! Thanks for putting us in touch. 🙂

      Liked by 3 people

      Reply

      1. Me too. It really saddens me, though, to learn 52 years later I was so deep into the counterculture I did not know Eric and the boys were being recorded live for TV not two miles from where I was sitting on English Bay, watching the logs on the tide roll away–while my favourite singer in all the world sang before a free television audience I would have died to be in.
        The sheer irony of it all.

        Liked by 2 people

      2. Isn’t it so. One of my favourite bands is Dire Straits. On a Friday night we would always go in one pub in Newcastle to start off. Nothing happened in that pub ever. But for whatever reason we didn’t one day. That night Dire Straits went into the pub and played a couple of songs. The same happened with Paul Rodgers (Free) he played a concert in a little hotel in the town I was living in. The same night we walked past that hotel, if only I had looked in.

        Liked by 1 person

  9. We use about the same expression here … “My home is my castle”, in Swedish: “Mitt hem är min borg” (and now you know five more Swedish words). I visited the castle that was the school used in the first (I think) Harry Potter movie, Alnwick Castle. I remembered that day. A storm was coming and I got some stunning pictures of the castle and surroundings.
    By the way … I love your pictures!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

Leave a comment