Wednesday, May 10, 2006

"Tell me Frank...was she rarrrelly beautiful?"






In New Zealand we celebrated my birthday by spending a night at Lanarch Castle in Dunedin. Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier is one of my favorite books/films and this castle reminded me of the grand house, Mandalay. Built in 1871 by a cranky, rich Scotsman, William Lanarch - Lanarch has a pretty sad history. After his first wife died, William married his dead
wife's sister (that never works) and spent most of his time in town. She was miserable rattling around the castle. The staff hated her. She started drinking and was often spotted staggering around the estate. One night William took his pistol and shot himself. It's a beautiful castle but not a happy one. It's reportedly haunted...I didn't see anything but some of the upstairs bathrooms gave me shiver. After breakfast,
Em and I walked around the grounds just as the sea mist moved in...

4 comments:

weirdbunny said...

oh those misty picures are just so spooky after reading that post. What a stunning place to spend you birthday. Really grand or what. What a wonderful husband you have taking you there.

Anonymous said...

Oh, I've been there. Your photos are great and I too loved the book rebecca, I must read it again.

Anonymous said...

Happy Belated Birthday! Looks like a fun and mysterious place to spend it in!

craftychamploo said...

Those are some of the most wonderful pictures I have ever seen!

Some Books I've Really Enjoyed

  • Apples For Jam by Tessa Kiros
  • Saturday by Ian McEwan
  • Philip Larkin: A Writer's Life by Andrew Motion
  • The Bell Jar by Syliva Plath
  • Ex Libris by Anne Fadiman
  • Stasiland by Anna Funder

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