Slavery

 Someone made a comment on the Harewood Hall video, on my channel. 

Beautiful, it was used in many productions and films, Queen Victory, Pemberlay, etc. Unhappily all that wealth, is linked to slave trade and abuse.

This irks me somewhat. This is my reply.

Wealth will always be linked to slavery, in the past and all the way through to modern day. One should not dwell too much on what has already happened, it is history, it can't be changed. Tearing down statues is ridiculous. We should be concentrating on the slavery that is going on right now in front of our eyes. There is a lot to be learnt about the past. We should be using that knowledge to ensure it doesn't happen again.

I will expand on that.

We are all slaves in one way or another. There will always be people who think they know better, and it is usually those who hold the purse strings. Those with power are those who hold all the money, that's how it's always been.

So who are the masters and who are the serfs in the grand scheme of things today? Those who give out orders are those who have access to a lot of money. They tell, or should I say order, those lower down the ladder, how they they should live their lives. A lot of people are happy to go along with that. Understandable if the powers that be supply all their needs.

I often hear the terms bandied about, 'It's for your own good', or, 'It's for the good of everyone'. These two conflicting statements are confusing a lot of people. Should I really go along with that? Always question everything.

Examples of where we are heading right now.

Central Bank Digital Currency. The banks call the shots, it will be programmable.

Blocking off roads to make it more difficult to travel.

Killing off the NHS and handing it over to private companies.

Pushing out even more drugs. An addict will always beg for more.

Pricing the lower paid out of the housing market.

Concreting over farm and rural land to build more little boxes with no gardens.

Shutting down smaller businesses, pushing people towards internet shopping.

Net zero here, when other parts of world are building more coal fired power stations.

Sacked workers are to be replaced by Artificial Intelligence.

There are many more examples of how we are being manipulated, being coerced into taking up our positions as slaves, as serfs. There is a way to turn the tide, but it will take a humungous effort for people to delve into every aspect of their lives, and question their own motives about how they do things. I have often used the term, 'I can't be bothered', but for the sake of humanity, I can be bothered. The tables need to be turned. The ratio of serfs to masters needs to be reversed. We need to stand our ground.

It's a sunny morning and I have much to do. A video and photo's coming later on my day out yesterday. Keeping my life as normal as I can. Toodle pip. ilona

Beautiful gardens at Harewood Hall.

I am a bit late posting this tonight. I have been out all day. That's another story for tomorrow. The last few pics from my Sunday visit to Harewood Hall. I loved this. It reminded me of The Lost Gardens of Heligan, in Cornwall. 

The waterfall is the overflow from the lake.  

It is also home to the Harewood Stupa, a Buddhist monument built in 2004 by monks from the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan. The Stupa is the only one of its kind in the UK.

Here is a bit more information about this garden. 

With paths through a gorge and a bridge across the beck, this is somewhere for all garden-lovers to visit, with primulas, orchids, cobra lilies, blue poppies and more than 50 kinds of rhododendron.

From May until July, the Himalayan Garden is at it’s peak. With bright rhododendrons in bloom and stunning pink primulas towering above unfolding ferns, the gardens are a wonderful place to immerse yourself in and explore.

I am tired now. Plenty of sea air today. Goodnight.  ilona

A tour of inside Harewood House.

Let's have a look inside Harewood House. They do not allow video filming so I took lots of photo's. Put your device on full screen and click on a picture to start the slide show. There are volunteer guides in every room who can answer any questions, and are happy to chat. I don't normally go too deeply into history. I just think places like this are like entering another world. They are beautiful to look at. There are thousands of books here covering every subject.  

Extravagant and artistic wall paper. 

This is set up as an artists studio. The subject would sit for hours while being painted. 

I had a boyfriend once who had a four poster. Oooops, giving my secrets away. 😄

This room has lots of photo's on display of the Royal Family. And more books. 

Can you see me mother 😎

Dining for twelve. 

Can anyone play the piano. Where are you Terry Miles. 😁 Can you imagine boogiewoogie filling this room. 

Below stairs was open for viewing. I suppose if they are preparing for a banquet they would need all these pots and pans. 

Back upstairs and exit through the coffee shop. Nicely laid out and inviting. 

So that was a brief look at the treasures inside the house. Next I will put some photo's up of the Himalayan Garden. That was a haven of calm. 

Glad you could join me on this tour. Enjoy your day. Toodle pip.   ilona

I went to Harewood House

When I left Leeds on Sunday morning I had intended to park at a village and go for a walk. I found a church with a car park, but was chased off that by an angry woman who said they had an event on later and would need all the parking spaces for their guests. I had a drive round to find somewhere else. There was a road closed because they had a half marathon taking place. I had a scout round another village but didn't fancy leaving my car in an isolated lane. I gave up with that idea and went to Harewood House, half way between Leeds and Harrogate. 

It's a whopping £18 to get in, but that includes parking and entry to the house. I asked if photography was allowed inside the house, and the young lady on the cash desk said, yes it is. I have rather a lot of photo's to share here, so I will split them into three posts. I think you will agree that it is a stunning building. Click on one photo and go to full screen, and a slide show will come up. 

The terrace looks out over the lake and beyond. 

I took a walk down to the lake, and looked back towards the house. There are three different walks around the grounds, I did all of them. I wanted to see everything and get my money's worth. 

I walked to the church. It was open. 

I was amazed at the size of the clock on the tower. Never seen one that big before.

 

Next to the church is a willow maze, for children to run around. 

Mummy and daddy geese were looking after their babies. 

The ferry boat goes back and forth across the lake to give those with tired limbs a rest. 

Lovely walks on a sunny Sunday afternoon. 

There were places to eat, playgrounds for children to run about, a small animal farm, and a beautiful Himalayan tropical garden. I will post the pictures of that next time. In the meantime you might like to see this video. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

Two lives

 Good morning. I am living two lives at the moment. On the one hand I am following my own rules of living my life as best I can, doing what makes me happy, and filling my time up with having fun. That to me is a perfect recipe. No outside interference, no one watching over me. On this blog I reveal what I think is relevant to that. 

On the other hand I am aware that there is definitely outside interference, from those who deem they know better, those who wish to contain me in a box so they can keep a close watch on everything I do. I can follow rules to a certain extent when they are necessary, but now as I enter my 75th year, I think I have fine tuned my life so I know exactly which direction I am going. The only thing which will derail me is if my health fails. If I do fall ill it will be with something that is already in my body, something I have no control over. I will continue with my recipe, staying active and eating well.  

I am always hopeful that things will turn out for the best. That's how I've always been. Yes I have had a few blips here and there, times when I have thought good grief, why did I do that. But it always comes right in the end. I can pick myself up and start again. 

My thoughts sometimes are filled with sadness about what is going on in the world. I say sadness, but it starts with anger. It is a very emotional time for everyone. The world is going, in my opinion, in the completely wrong direction. As many readers will know I have been trolled by those who think differently to me. They have their own ideas and opinions, and I have mine. There are strong influences out there who are pushing their own agenda, and they are not going to let go. 

My own feelings are that things will get much worse in the next few years. My opinion is that law and order will break down. It already has. The new and upcoming generation do not think like us oldies.  They believe they can have anything they want, and if they can't afford it they will take it. Their sense of entitlement overrides any morals they might have about family values. 

But today I am celebrating, and I must push doom and gloom to one side. I want to send out the message of hope for a good future. Each and every one of us must not lose sight of turning this around. The more we are pushed into a corner, the more we have to say, no, I am not doing that. 

I think of the times when I have been in utter despair when something has gone horribly wrong in my life. But I was born with an inner strength to pull myself out of it. Some people are not so lucky. The damage that has been done, all in the pursuit of money, is going to take a long time to undo. It has to start somewhere. For those who see no way out, please hold onto hope. Follow your own path, make your own plan. 

Once again my apologies to those genuine and kind readers who come to my blog. I will leave the comments closed for now because not having to moderate makes my life easier.  

Have a good day. That is not a request, that is an order. I am meeting the walking group in an hour.  Toodle pip.   ilona

Have a look at Roundhay Park.

Hello. We are back to the old routine of Crafty Club on a Monday morning at the Village Hall. There are new people running it, not me, I have enough to do. It has a slightly different name, Crafty Chatting or something like that. Same format as before. Plenty of newcomers, it was all jolly. Looks like it will be well supported in the future. 

Here are a few pictures of Roundhay Park. After I had a good look round the Food Festival, I spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the park. It is so big, and well looked after. There were lots of families enjoying the sunny Sunday afternoon. I walked for about four hours.  

A little train for those with tired legs. 

A swan family near the edge of the lake. 

There are two lakes, a very large one and a smaller one. 

Millions of trees of all sizes and colours. 

Here is some blurb from Wikipedia.

Roundhay Park in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, is one of the biggest city parks in Europe. It covers more than 700 acres (2.8 km ) of parkland, lakes, woodland and gardens which are owned by Leeds City Council. The park is one of the most popular attractions in Leeds; nearly a million people visit each year. It is situated on the north-east edge of the city, bordered by the suburb of Roundhay to the west, Oakwood to the south and the A6120 outer ring road to the north. 

Some more information here. 

I got back to my car after 7pm, and decided to stay there for the night. No point in moving and looking for a parkup. The road was wide with no restrictions. 

Now I am going to take Billy dog for a walk. Come back tomorrow if you want to know where I went next.

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona