Home Sweet Castle

It seems that most any large home with an especially large garden could be classified as a castle. I suppose most homes in the Hamptons and almost all homes in Bel Air could be called castles. But they are not. Only homes on tiny green islands sitting to the right of the Atlantic Ocean seem to earn this honor. Those castles on the "continent" as they call Europe here don't count for this discussion.
Well, tonight I went to a working castle. Sure there are loads of derelict stone castles dotting the coast of Ireland and of course there are the castles that were once private homes but are now open for the common folk to stomp through on their way to the gift shop. In County Down (the county just south of the city of Belfast) there is a picturesque town/village called Hillsborough. This fine town/village is home to Hillsborough Castle, which serves as a royal residence for whenever any of the Royals should need to spend time in Northern Ireland. This fine house is also used as a back drop for U.S. Pres visits, Prime Minister of where ever visits and as a venue for lil' shindigs to raise money and such. The last reason is what got me in the door of Hillsborough Castle this evening.
I went with Margaret, PeterA and his wife Tracy (Peter was my former line manager and is my current friend - you pick a title). It was a really lovely time. I've included a photo of Margaret and me in front of the castle. This shows you the building. I'm sure Margaret would love to know her photo is now posted on the world wide web so I'm just adding the faraway shot.
You'll be happy to know that the visitor's log was open to reveal that Princess Anne had spent last night at Hillsborough Castle. Pity she missed meeting me by one day.