Wrexham County Borough 58 - Chirk Castle - the boys Christmas where they join the christmas crib at the castle and attend the Mad Hatters Tea Party

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It is probably a mistake to tell a sheep that he is going to meet his best friend . I always find it is better to keep quiet and leave telling him to the last possible moment otherwise we get the - are we there yet? or How long will it be before I meet my best friend . It can go on for days and nights as he finds different ways to ask the same question . I made the mistake of letting him overhear a conversation about where to go to meet up with Jo and Woolly Mammoth . He had been listening and once he knew that we were meeting up all he wanted to know was what day we were going . What time we were meeting them and how long it was before we left to meet up with them .



Well it was going to Monday 13th -the first opportunity Jo and I could manage and we just needed somewhere to go ." Well you know what happens when our carers get together and try to sort ou t a meeting place . Been there worn the T shirt and still they cannot find anywhere to go . Where would they come up with this time ?" I think Sion was worried we would go round and round in circles , find nowhere to go because everywhere was closed . Well we knew we might struggle. It is that time of the year when things close and do not re-open until the Spring .



Jo came up with two options . One was to go back to the Iron Centre at Oswestry . " That's going to be cold and what are we going to do as it is all outside " Sion of course does not do cold. He prefers warmth so made some very negative noises about being outside . I dont really know why he was moaning because he would have spent all morning in my bag insisting on being carried . And the moaning - well Jo and I would not have heard the last of it . So I offered him the alternative . Chirk CAstle - some of it inside and a cafe where he could sit and talk to his best friend Woolly Mammoth in peace . "Chirk Castle - I googled it and saw that there were Christmas trees there . The rooms were going to be themed with the Christmas trees . Now that sounded good to me . All I need to do is persuade Jen that we go to Chirk "

To be honest he did not have to go into full persuasive mood as Chirk did indeed seem reasonably handy for Jo and and I to meet. Plenty of car parking . Hopefully it would be fairly quiet on a Monday . There was a cafe for coffee and mince pies and then some dinner and the boys would be pretty much entertained . What could go wrong ?

Well actually for once nothing really . Sion drove me mad counting down the days, the hours and minutes . He wrote his Christmas card for Woolly but not for Alfie Dog . I don't know what Alfie Dog has done to him . He found a present for Woolly in the shops and wrapped it up . Mind you the wrapping left a lot to be desired. He hunted out what he thought was seasonal . Who would think that covid masks were seasonal !!!!????? " Of course its seasonal . I found a box of paper face masks the humans had bought two years ago when they thought we would have to wear masks forever . Time to use some of them and wrap Woollies present up." I was not sure what Woolly would make of it but it was the thought that counted I suppose .



The morning of the reunion of the boys arrived . I went swimming and all I could hear was Sion shouting and asking where I was going as surely it was time to leave . It wasnt but he bleated on for the hour and a half I was away. I heard him complaining as I opened the door returning from my swim . Ok Sion you can get ready now . He had hunted out a Christmas hankerchief . Red and Christmassy and covered with red nosed reindeers. It certainly looked good as he started to fold it into some kind of shape that would go round his neck . "Would have been easier if they had bought me the Christmas T shirt I wanted . Still it worked I think and I looked OK and should keep my neck warm " Is it time to go yet ?"

Yes it was . The rain was holding off and the day looked as if it was going to be fine . Despite knowing the road to the castle I set the sat nag and set off . "What time will we get there ?" In plenty of time to meet your best friend . It seemed closer than I thought and we would be there in no time at all . Sally informed us she was taking us down towards Overton and then Ruabon . In my minds eye I could see what she was doing but Sion was convinced she was taking us the wrong way .

All the way he talked . He told me about Offas Dyke being constructed near to the castle in or around 795 . Yes Sion thankyou for that snipped of information . Then he moved on to the Battle of Crogen which I had never heard of but was fought in the Ceiriog Valley in 1165 between Henry II and the forces of the Welsh princes . He was getting into the swing of things and by the time we reached the A483 towards Chirk he had regalled me with stories of the lands around Chirk being gifted to the Mortimer family by Edward I and the castle being built between 1295 and 1310. "Yes and I told Jen that Roger Mortimer was locked up in the Tower of London and dying there in 1322 . He did not get to enjoy his castle much did he? After that the castle passed from Arundels to Stanleys and then to Robert Dudley." I wondered how he knew all this stuff about the castle . Mr Google no doubt had obliged with loads of random facts about the area, the castle , its history and its owners over the years .

By now we had passed the lovely white painted gates that lead to the castle and had wound our way down the lanes and into the estate . A long drive where we could see many trees had been felled by the high winds of Storm Arwen. We eventually arrived at the car park. There were about 15 cars already there so others had had the same idea of seeing something inside that had a Christmas feel . Jo and Woolly had not arrived so Sion set to carry on with the history lesson ." Just to pass the time away before my best friend arrives.". "OK so I had got to the year 1595 and the Myddletons arrive at the castle . One of them was general in the English Civil War supporting Parliament and the restoration of King Charles II. Capability Brown that gardener was too busy to do the gardens at Chirk so they had to employ someone a bit cheaper William Emes . In 1845 Pugin turns up and does a makeover of the castle . " The time was passing and just as Sion got to the bit about Lord Howard de Walden took over the lease and lived in the castle from 1911 - 1946 Jo and Woolly turned up. I was grateful to have a well earned rest from the history ear bashing I was getting . Peace and quiet reigned for a short while .

The boys as always greeted each other with a smile and set to putting the world to rights. They talked of Covid , of how were getting on with the house and how things were going in Welshpool . We sorted out paying and were offered a bus ride up to the castle which we declined . It was a short walk and pleasant enough. We had a lot to catch up on . The boys had not seen each other since about September and since then we had been away for a short trip . Jo had been for an interview for a job starting in February 2022 . So we talked about how that would work out and what the long term plans were . I dont know about the boys but we had rather a lot to catch up on which we would do over that coffee and mince pie . Jo told us about her short break in the Lake District and her plans for a trip across Russian into China in 2022. " Wow that sounds amazing . A ride on the Trans Siberian Railway , the Kremlin , St Petersburg and Bejing. CAn I sneak in the bag and come with you?" Sion had to make do with our planned trip to Turkey and Greece . A poor subsitute I think for him. Jo offered to give us some ideas about places to see as she had lived in Turkey for a long time and knew the country well . Much appreciated too .

We stopped outside the castle entrance to take photos . The boys looked small against the bulk of the castle behind us . They just wanted to get on with it and see the trees . Too much stopping and talking and taking photographs for their liking . The first of the trees was in the courtyard and was a taste of things to come . Decorated in red it looked wet but lovely . Coffee first though . Coffee and those mince pies . The small cafe had just three tables . What I had not noticed was that there was more to it than just the bit we sat in .

After coffee we ambled across the courtyard to the Adam Tower. "Lots of steep narrow steps . I was glad to be carried and not have to walk up them " First stop the dungeon - dark and gloomy . "wouldnt like to spend a night in here " Then next the guardroom where it was a lot cosier and we could read stories about Llewelyn the Last . "I liked the Muniment Room and other rooms where there were armour you could try on and lots and lots of costumes" Like Jo I have visited the castle before but things had changed since my last visit . There was the room plastered and painted white , the room where Woolly could have skateboarded and the chapel . Then there were the trees . What a lovely idea to decorate each room with a theme .

" The first room was the entrance hall with large decorated fireplace . A table had a decorations on it . And presents , lots of presents " We had to explain to the boys that the presents were not for them . They had to just content themselves with looking at them . The tree was decorated with paper decorations on which were written the old corny Christmas jokes you remember from childhood . The sort of knock knock jokes that come out of the Christmas cracker each year " "He He the man on the door said not to read them out loud . He was fed up of hearing them again and again as each new visitor came in " He did smile as he said it . After the entrance hall we entered the stairway leading upstairs . In the stairwell was another massive tree . This time the theme was Alice and the Mad Hatters Tea party . The top of the tree was covered with a large dice and a hat and all along the staircase under the watchful eye of the paintings of the owners of the house were the chess set pieces . All larger than life and decorated . So much time and effort had gone into thinking out the idea and then putting it all together . I thought what a nice place to work at this time of the year . The volunteers who had been given the job of decorating the trees were very very lucky .

Each room had a theme or a colour . The gold and silver dining room had a decorated table and a large tree in the corner . This one was decorated in silver and pink . Next door was dedicated to childrens play . All playthings Victorian were set out . A blue and white dolls house . Presents all neatly decorated and a ................."and a minature train set . The tiny train with its three carriages was going round and round and round " Yes Sion was adding one of these to his Christmas present list .

The decorated rooms just went on and on . Jo and I talked as we walked through the next room which was decorated with an immense tree covered in silver and white balls and reindeers . Even though the decorated trees were the stars there was still much to see in each room . From the ornate fireplaces to the beautifully painted ceilings . From the cabinets and wooden boxes to the carvings on the walls .The trees carried on too . The next one everything gold from balls to stars .and Father Christmas in his sleigh .

Next door was the manger . We could see it lit up at the far end . A shepherd on the roof . Mary holding the baby Jesus . Joseph looking on . The Three Kings stage right . In front there were .........." Sheep lots of them ................I need to sort them out . Woolly lined himself on the left and I took up a position on the right . Time to sort them out . We looked the part . The scene definately needed us two in it "

We did manage to drag them away before they became permanent fixtures in the scene at the stable in Bethlehem and they ran excitedly to the next tree .Big stars , blue baubles . Each tree had been very different to the last . Sadly that was the last tree and it was time to leave the house and head back to the cafe for lunch . I think we all agreed as we parted company that the day had been a good one . The boys had enjoyed joining the nativity scene and loved the trees "and I think the humans did too " Heres to the next one !!!!!

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