Greetings from Lord Baxter. Had oh such a lovely lunch onboard the Royal Yacht Britannia. Lovely view over the Firth of Forth (or the Fourth of Firth but definately not the Turd of Third). I saw the Queen's bed (just a tiny single bed, not even a queen bed for a queen, Philip got the room attached and his own tiny bed). It's very basic modern 1950's furniture, nothing fancy. Just what Lizzy wanted...to be normal. Got my lovely jumper from the Yacht, word has it some 200 lbs was dropped in that gift shop.

After our return to Alnwick we spent the next day at Bamburgh Castle. Armstrong dude fixed it all up, he was super wealthy cuz he invented tons and tons of stuff to do with cranes (not the bird kind) and all sorts of various gadgets to do with shipping and stuff. Now there are so many lords and sirs and dukes that I can't remember whose who. I know the Duke of Northumberland is a Lord (so I guess you can be both, I don't know), then I think Armstrong was a Lord (but not a Duke) but perhaps also a Sir. Oh yeah...his castle he fixed up in the late 1800's and he made this super fancy hall, I really liked his hall. He had a little aviation museum with bits of shot down German planes. Stuff washes up like old engines and propellers and stuff. Anyway it's a big castle but really different than Alnwick.

Ok so then we were castled out and yesterday drove to Beamish (outdoor historic park on 300 acres). We went inside a coal mine (that was nifty, and cramped, and cold, and dark, and wet). We talked to lots of Geordie's, one even was a coal miner nearby and he knew tons of stuff. Do you know the miners crawled in and only were in a space 18 inches high? If they took their shovel in the wrong way around they had to back all the way out just to flip it right side round. I asked where they pooped (cuz that's my job). Anyway they pooped in the carts that they filled with coal, cept they didn't get paid for their poop (not even if it was heavy and black like coal). Oh yeah, Bamburgh Castle had a poop chute and if it got stuck they put boys up there to clean out the stuck poop (think I'd rather be a miner).

Okay so that's your poop history lesson.

Beamish had other stuff, kind of like how department stores started and candy shop and trolley and mason hall and old bank and a dentist's surgery. Did you know that people could kill people with arsenic and that you could get arsenic from scraping it off the old wallpaper with your fingernail (cool!).

Today to Chillingham Castle, most haunted in U.K. A little odd, he's a Sir but not a Lord or Duke. He's 74 and just fixed it up and it's super haunted. His emblem is a bat, there's bats everywhere. It is a super strange place and he lives there but he had to sell his Irish Castle to buy it. He's sold the great paintings to have money to restore it. You can go on night ghost tours or stay overnight but I wouldn't. I'd be too scared, just of the bugs he's collected (their huge). I'm sure they are crawling around. Then there's the wild cows that are more rare than the giant panda, there's 78 in the world and they live nearby. They've been at Chillingham for 700 years. We didn't see them cuz you have to walk a ways and it was looking like scary rain.

Tonight it's time for chocolate hedgehogs (not the dead squished one from the road). We got them at the Chocolate Spa near the Alnwick Market.

Trip almost done, lots I didn't see but need lotto money to come back and finish up all the sights.

So many castles, kind of blurred together in my wee head. Alnwick my favorite, Banburgh very impressive with larger rooms, Chillingham is strange in a chilly sort of way.

Favorite bit...um...Alnwick I think and my favorite meal was at Cafe Rouge in Durham. Oh and the elephant safari, I loved my London elephant safari, and walking up to the top of St. Paul's Cathedral...and the chocolate.

Ta..ta..for now,

Lord Baxter

Harry Potter World

Hello Muggles! Our wee house (all right it's pretty bloody big with 3 bedrooms, a lounge, a large kitchen, 2 full bath's and a garden out back. Just a 1/2 block away is Alnwick Castle where the 12th Duke of Northumberland, Lord Percy, lives. He is living in London so while he's away the tourists are allowed in him home (even the living room and dining room they use daily). The rooms are breathtaking and I can't afford even one painting, one small Canneletto or is it Caneletto or Canelletto (famous Italian painter dude) has his little art projects hanging everywhere. I liked his version of Alnwick Castle but they wouldn't let me take it home with me. You'll see a famous painting next to a fuzeball (fuzzball) game. Then a stuffed dog next to a painting by Turner. An HD TV surrounded by books thousands of years old. I love it!

We had a private tour of the castle (cuz we got there super early) and learned all about the current Duchess who has built the most amazing garden ever! We saw the place where Harry Potter took his lessons in Quiddich (that flying broom thing). Someone has hidden little white owls and green dragons (keychaing size but soft and fuzzy) around the house...okay castle. They are hidden by statues and by marble fireplaces intricately carved with more statues or just sitting on a velvet couch of red (but the dragon is red so he blends).

The castle faces due north so you can see those nasty Scots coming, mostly though you see sheep...lots and lots of sheep. Oh and a river that was more bubbly with rocks but got flattened out so it would have a pretty reflection.

Then to the world's largest treehouse where we had spiced sweet potato soup and a roll. Then across the swingy bridge where we filmed an entire school group crossing in absolute terror. We are going to YouTube it for the school.

Then time for the bamboo maze and then to the silly water park. It's super scientific so you are busy reading the explanation when suddenly the innocent looking fountain gets nasty and soaks you. Mommy got caught in a fountain and tried to escape but fell down instead...silly Mommy. That's okay other folks go soaked at various pretty scenic fountains. Even the most beautiful fountain I ever saw looked innocent and then blamo...you are soaked by a series of water cannons that you didn't notice because you were busy going oooh...aghhh over the beauty of the fountain. I think the Duchess isn't in London at all, she's likely hiding in a bush laughing at all the silly wet people.

Then there's a poison garden full of hemp and poppies and lots of super poisonous plants that will kill you dead in just a few minutes. That you have to be with a tour guide and they lock the gates behind you.

The bestest part of all was that I found a new jumper with Alnwick Castle on it. One for me, Normie and Gerry. It's navy glue with the castle on it.

I like our house a lot, we can watch everyone on the street peer in the window at us and we peer back at them so they run away. We are on a famous street with a museum across the street and of course the people that visit the castle park along by our house too.

Tomorrow we are taking the train to Edinburgh to have tea on the Royal Yacht Brittania.

I know it sucks to be us...we manage. Now that my yummy bar of mint chocolate is gone I need to see if I can find a few Cadbury buttons to wash down my Ribena with.

Later loyal followers...the name if Baxter, Lord Baxter of Victoria.

The Good Ship Trincomalee

I just wanted to upload a quick pick of the Trincomalee. Really really impressed with it. Dad had to duck under almost every beam except in the Captian's quaters.

Durham and Hartlepool

Up early in our litle B&B (nice place...bad parking). Had eggs and eggs and an English muffin and a croissant and yummy coffee. Then it was walk down the hill, under the giant trestle, up the hill, up a street that goes up another hill, and then up another hill (all cobblestone) to the tip top where somebody built a castle thingy and a big and pretty darn huge cathedral back about 1078's. I'm surprized they had a hill left after using all that stone (I haven't found the missing hill of stone yet). We heard bells and an organ and saw lots of high stone arches. They builded it for a dude called St. Cuthbert. He's in there, well his bones are I guess.

We got lots of pictures of the quadrangle there which was used for a lot of Harry Potter shots.

Next stop Hartlepool for the Historic Quay. We only had like 2.5 hours there which was about 2.5 hours less than we needed. There was so much to do and I super liked the giant warship with tons of cannons. It was way bigger than the ships we saw in Victoria during Tall Ships. I could live on it if they asked me to. This big ship apparently did sail up the Strait between Vancouver Island and Victoria and there is a museum (they think maybe in Vancouver) with it's history there. Guess I'll have to go look it up.

We got losted on the way to Hartlepool because we should of gone by Google Map not B&B dude instructions. They aren't good at printing maps here so put in villages and road and roundabouts that aren't on a map and you get lost a lot.

We then went to the Harlepool Marina to the Black Olive to meet up all Dad's relatives. They are so super friendly and nice and funny and they loved me because one of them's last name is Baxter.

It may all go quiet for awhile. Our rented house is 400 years old and they didn't have internet back then so we don't have any. I think we may have a horse and a suit of armour but no internet.

Later Canada types!

Buddy the Elephant

This is Buddy. He was painted by Emma Elizabeth Kemp. She is one of two students who were allowed to paint the elephants in the London Elephant Parade. She also painted Seymour. We had the privilege of meeting Emma in Green Park on Thursday May 20th.

It's...um..Friday and I'm not in Kansas...I mean London anymore. We were so busy yesterday with a visit to the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain at Hyde Park and then a visit to Kensington Palace for lunch in the Orangerie and then the search for more elephants. We found elephants at Harrods and Hyde Park (by the Serpentine) and Green Park and Selfridges and Carnaby Street and Trafalgar Square. Dinner was yummy, even though it was nuts and a banana and some chocolate. Up early today for the taxi to Kings Cross then the 3 hour train trip to Durham. Daddy is driving on the wrong side...course everybody does (silly English types). Visited Esh Winning to see where Grammy Kinshella was born and they had the bestest bakery in the world there. We know cuz Grammy had a sausage roll that tasted like more and Mommy had a rhubarb and strawbery crumble cake thingy.

Now back to Durham and our super B&B where they have biccies...bikkies...I don't know how to say it, lots of cookies (how's that)? Grammy napped while Mom and Dad wandered into town and there are little cobblestone pathways that lead into more pathways that lead to even more pathways and on every pathway are shops and more shops and even more shops. Then it was back to get Grammy and then to the best French Cafe in the whole wide world. It was called The Cafe Rouge (yummy). Now it's time for bed, Mommy's throat feels better, she kinda got a ear infection or something from the cold breeze on the double decker bus in London. It's better now cept Grammy has a cold I think. Dad is suffering from a giant chocolate brownie with ice-cream event at the Cafe but Mommy is eating all the chocolates in the bedroom. My family is crazy?

Mom & Grandma @ St. Pauls

Just thought I would try & upload my first picture. This is a shot I took of my mom & grandma infront of St. Paul's.