A day out today - on the Cairn Valley Community bus. Our destination - Muncaster Castle, near Ravenglass in Cumbria, a place I'd not visited for 25 years. The castle itself (haunted, apparently) was full of fascinating old stuff and amazing stories, too many to relate in a blip. There is also an Owl Centre, and at 4pm, herons fly to the Castle from miles around to be fed.

I also went into the local church, St Michael and all Angels. This bell was cast in 1470 and replaced by a new one for the Queen's Golden Jubilee in 2002, which was the last time it had been rung. On the wall behind the old bell is a list of some of the historic events for which it was probably rung, including the Armada, the Battle if Trafalgar and the first Moon Landing....