It is nearly a year since the first lockdown and we have all formed our own strategies in life and in business in order to make our way through and survive. Throughout the past year there have been some very funny “out- takes”, short videos and memes which have been such welcome light relief and my sisters and I have forwarded them on to each other with great amusement.
Early on last year, you may well have watched the one made by the comedian Michael Mcintyre. Taking on both roles, he visits a fortune teller. The customer asks what lies ahead and the richly garbed fortune teller gazes into his crystal ball and announces to the customer’s patent disbelief that he will soon change jobs, become a teacher and not a TV star, would not be able to go on holiday although he would be drinking wine on Wednesday morning at 10am or was it Tuesday. All his emails would change and he would sign off as stay safe or stay well and so on. The catchphrase for the year would be “you are on mute, unmute the mute button”. It is very clever and far funnier than my mere words.
That skit seems an age ago but the world and life still seems to be rather topsy turvy. The normal compass and structure of each day and each week is both strangely fluid and yet identical to the last so that it is hard to keep track and remember what day it is. It is perhaps just as well that none of us had a real crystal ball, or knew how long we would remain living in this strange way.
There is obviously nothing in diary but things are going on and I get tripped up and am mildly unprepared for a zoom call, at least certainly in terms of appearance. On both sides of the call, gone is the previous formality of dress and makeup and even when the top half of the caller looks smart, there is always the sneaking question of whether they are still wearing their pyjamas on the bottom half. An old fashioned phone call is a more prudent option and the apparatus which was so new to the Countess of Grantham in Downton Abbey is increasingly rather reassuring today and often the “safer” option.
This new world always rather reminds me of Alice in Wonderland. A normal little girl one minute, she slips into a fantastical world where everything is rather surreal. Things appear quite mundane and normal one minute but then career off at oblique and even upside down directions. She has to learn that neither events, nor her own role in them, can be predicted, that much of it was irrational and inverted, with shifting boundaries and confusion.
Moreover, not everyone is very kind and those in power are almost entirely arbitrary. “It’s really dreadful,” she (Alice) muttered to herself, “the way all the creatures argue. It’s enough to drive one crazy!” At one point she can no longer continue her attempt to follow the rules and dismisses the whole proceedings as ridiculous, announcing that the whole court was nothing but “a pack of cards.”
We have not been a film set for Alice in Wonderland but we have for the Secret Garden which is an altogether more gentle and reassuring story which examines the healing power of nature and the redemptive powers of cheerfulness and optimism.
We have our own secret garden here at Highclere, hidden behind the old Monks’ Garden. The gardeners have been working hard there over the last month, hoeing, mulching, splitting large clumps of flowers for better effect and hacking back the bamboo. It is now immaculate and all the new shoots of spring are peeking through. The spring bulbs will arrive first and most of the remaining staff here now plan their daily walks through it in order not to miss out on the spectacle.
This is an altogether more cheerful experience, following the encouragement of nature and echoing the promising brilliant work of the wise scientists creating a vaccine. Hopefully it will begin to counterbalance the topsy turvy life which has been our reality. It seems at last it seems we can look forward to being the right way up again and look forward to a dose of “normality” but I doubt everything will be quite the same as it was.
“It’s no use going back to yesterday because I was a different person then.. “ C S Lewis.
Instagram
Lady Carnarvon, In these times, which are getting better, we can always reply on Nature, Spring and Easter to give us happiness and peace. Never to fail us, they will be here. With Kind Regards, Cheryl.
Agreed
Lady Carnarvon Topsy Turvy is very good pictures
Great post! So very true on many accounts..time, especially..blending into one. Being uncertain of days, unprepared for Zoom, attire, brushing off any resemblance of news for the silly & sheer folly of many fools. Gardening becomes a joyous escape as does many hobbies. Photography, writing, cooking, even adult coloring. Love the Alice in Wonderland analogy, perfect. What ever or whom ever defined normal even before the year of lockdowns? Perhaps it’s all just an illusion anyway. Enjoy the fruits & veggies & stay well. Namaste.
Lily Rose
Beautiful articulation of current events. Thank you for all you do.
Thank you.
Yes, I was a different person. I was 10 lbs lighter!
♥️ Thank you! So enjoyed!
Brilliant!
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
Looking forward to a wonderful spring and enjoying lots of time outside in the garden. Isolation has been especially challenging, but thanks to modern medicine and brilliant scientists, our future is bright. Although there is no going back to yesterday, we can all look forward to the future with great hope and anticipation. As Lady Cora Grantham advised Lady Edith, “Being tested only makes you stronger.” With all best wishes, Sandra
Thank you – yes I agree
Who knew it would be a year, and now obviously longer, that the world would be where it is now?Floral signs of Spring bringing hope, as perfectly expressed in this blog post and photos, are comforting and encouraging. Thank you from frigid New Jersey, where we still have too much snow covering our gardens, for a delightful way to start a Monday morning.
I love snow but it becomes hard work!!!
I love snow too, but like some things, it is best enjoyed in moderation. Enough is enough. Time for Spring blooms!
So encouraging!!
Thank you!!
Good morning,
No truer words were spoken by C S Lewis.
Thank you for reminding me and putting it all into perspective.
Take care and love to watch your video’s.
Janet
I do so hope that the “new future reality” doesn’t render beautifully tailored clothing into obscurity.
I’ve noticed that more and more people seem to be wearing a version of pajamas in public!
( Writing this whilst sitting in my fuzzy slippers and favorite sweatshirt…haha)
I know – I have only bought more yoga pants!!!
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
Thanku for your beautiful photos & wise words of hope & encouragement, you made me feel much better! I have been self-isolating for very nearly a year now, only going out once a week to buy food – & yes, it feels very strange to actually get out of my pyjamas & get dressed!
I wish you & everyone at Highclere a safe & happy Spring & hopefully a “normal” Summer (whatever normal is these days!)
Lots of love & thank you again,
Caroline x
Thank you Caroline
When I look back to June 22nd of 2019 when my husband and I visited the castle and attended the Downtown Abby concert it was such a beautiful time that I will never forget. It was almost like an Alice in Wonderland experience. This pandemic has changed people in many ways, but I feel that the beauty around us will keep us going. Thank You for your beautiful stories.
Beautiful pictures thank you.
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
The world will come out of the topsy-turvy challenges of this past year, and nature reminds us of the reassuring cycles. I just had a “battle” with auto correct over “turvy” which corrected to “turbo and turbulence”, which the past year has been! Numbers are dropping, science is getting ahead of the virus and hope springs eternal. May the crystal ball show good things in the future and, even in pajama bottoms, may we return to a new normal.
Thank you, and may you and your loved ones stay well.
Best regards,
Charlotte Merriam Cole
Lady Carnarvon l like the topsy turvy and Alice in wonderland story
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
We are approaching the first anniversary of the day when my husband learned he would be working from home indefinitely and the governor of Illinois closed schools for an initial period of three weeks. School did resume as remote learning.
It has been topsy-turvy and it seems that we will have a limited return to normal throughout the coming months.
It is a pleasure to be out of February when one is already tired of winter and moving into the brighter (and warmer) days of spring.
When I saw the picture of Maggie Smith as the dowager countess, I was reminded of her quote “What is a weekend?” Another aspect of this lockdown is the tendency to have one day much the same as another.
Thank you for the beautiful images you capture each week!
Spring is around the corner!
C S Lewis is the perfect ending for your very upbeat blog today. We are not the same for better or for worse….probably better and perfectly able to enjoy a beautiful spring. Thank you for sharing yours.
Thank you Nancy
Thank you very much Lady Carnarvon for this blog so optimistic! I watch your videos every day because it allows me to work my English daily and your images are so beautiful. I also love your cooking classes with Chef Paul.
So thank you for taking your time to convey to us with smile and humour the little joys of life.
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
thank you for the lovely post this week, spring is definitely in the air, and so is hope! I think, like Alice we have many of us taken a stoic view of life over the last 12 months. A lot has changed, and I would like to think that life will be better for it.
Jane
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
Thank you for raising the comparison of our modern day to Alice’s adventures in Wonderland. It may be madness but it must be preferable to living in a looking glass?
Then again, to quote from Mr Lewis’ works: “If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn’t. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn’t be. And what it wouldn’t be, it would. You see?”
I also must concur with his sentiment that: “Imagination is the only weapon in the war with reality.”
So, as it is now well past midnight in Sydney, I will don my cardboard cut out pyjamas (to borrow some ideas from the Goons of yesteryear)and head off to sleep, where another (Never) land of dreams with Pan, Hook and Co await.
Wishing a wonderful day and night to all.
Regards,
Jeffery Sewell
Lady Carnarvon l love the pictures of topsy turvy and the daffodils nice out the Spring and happy Mother’s Day on Sunday 14th March
Lady Carnarvon,
Good morning!
I think we are all looking forward to Spring with an inordinate amount of excitement. It’s always fantastic when Spring comes, but if it holds relief for the past year, then it’s even more welcome. I hope and pray it is a blessing for you in the UK as well as us here. I live in a state that did not lock down, we did have some mask mandates in some of the towns and cities, but overall we retained a lot of our freedoms. My grandson has been able to attend school all year which has been fantastic. Children need to be with other children. The zoom call situation can be fraught with disaster. Folks who forget what they’re wearing on the bottom half could have a Zoom and Boom call. Ha ha. It’s best to come fully clothed. I was concerned as I watched videos of your last Christmas preparations that you would not be able to have the Christmas celebrations and tours. Were you able to have the Christmas celebrations and tours? I know that you spent lots of time and lots of money on that and I was very concerned and sad to think that it may not have been as fruitful and wonderful as it deserved.
Here’s to looking forward to the topsy turvy world coming rightside up this Spring for the whole world!
Beautiful scenes of spring…always the same in good and bad times. Thank you for the reminder to my soul.
So nice to see this Monday, the beautiful flowers of Spring beginning to pop up in the gardens and grounds of Highclere! Thank you for the hopeful message of nature, and science that will soon bring an end to this topsy turvy world. And with the end of the pandemic, will we not be changed…for the good, appreciating much more the simple things in life like flowers blooming, birds singing, and kisses, hugs, family and friends gathered together…and not on zoom !
Good day Lady Carnarvon,
Thank you again for getting my Monday morning going with another lovely blog. Love seeing Highclere in bloom as the onset of spring is a favorite season. Spring does give us hope that tomorrow will come and, given the vaccines, with higher hope for better situations then we all were facing this time last year. Continue to remain well. Prayers going out for better health world-wide so Highclere can once again welcome it’s many visitors so anxious to travel there!
Your lovely blog this morning has brightened up my day, still teaching virtually and then marking exam papers, bu the sun is shing and the daffoldils are out in my garden and along came your blog!
We hope to visits Highclere soon
I look forward to you visiting soon!
Lady Carnarvon,
Your blog is so right this morning, when it will soon be 60 degrees today after a low of 25 night before last! Alice was definitely on point! Here at our retirement community we are today free from a year’s “stay in place” requirements – we can actually socialize in one another’s homes! And the most frequent question seems to be, “What day is it?”
Thanks again for a very welcome view of our world!
Martha
“Good morning honey what day is today?”
“Blursday, I think.”
Sandie Carpenter whitefish, Montana
When I was a child, Alice in Wonderland was one of my favourite books. I laughed out loud at times, and adored the moment when she steps though the looking glass to another world.
I feel in m any ways, we have also stepped thorough a sort of looking glass with Lockdown, to a world we never thought we would ever experience , and the strangeness of it all has become a way of life in many ways.
But one day, this topsy turvy existence will end, and we will step back to the other side, and what I wonder is, will that world we once knew be what we remember or will it have changed unrecognizably, but for the better, or for the worse?
One day blends into the other — somedays are harder than others but it is important to remember to smile, to laugh and to put our best slipper or trainer bound foot forward— and keep that hope up for a better life to come– as Tomorrow will be a Good day!
Your Ladyship, you have a marvelous writing technique that can intuitively puts our way life these days into perspective! Absolutely love your blog! It is my go-to-Monday morning read!!
Candice NW Ohio, USA
Thank you Candice
Aaaah – another wonderful start to my Monday reading about our topsy-turvy world. Always enjoy all the photos too. And how is it that I’ve never heard Michael McIntyre? Just watched his Fortune teller sketch on YouTube. I’m laughing so hard the tears are coming. Thank you for introducing me to this very funny comedian!
I watched last night a special on our local PBS channel about the making of Downton Abby and announcing the then up-coming movie. It was narrated by Jim Carter and featured Julian Fellows. It made me so nostalgic for Highclere Castle. I did get to visit briefly in 2015, but it is definitely drawing me back. So glad Spring is coming there now, as we still have snow in Montana. Lovely photos, too!
Margaret
Also admired people that have the gift of writing and I certainly do enjoy yours. Thank you for your insights of spring and the feeling of normalcy it leaves in your well versed topsy turvy world. Beautiful pictures.
Lady Carnarvon, Thank you for brightening each Monday morning. Loved the colors in “The
Secret Garden” sign…..complimented by the ground colors.
Above email has me anticipating Michael McIntyre. Thank you for all you do to keep our
spirits “up and searching.
Thank you Lady Carnarvon, for yet another uplifting and inspiring letter! We are indeed, living in interesting and challenging times. But, we are encouraged! Here in this part of Canada, (Ontario)we long in great anticipation for those warmer days that seem oh so far away. Too cold yet, and so much snow on the ground to let the blossoms and spring bulbs start. Yet, there are many signs of spring all around us! The days are longer now of course, and certain bird varieties have started returning from the southern United States and have started building their spring nests. As you have beautifully pointed out, in so many ways, the worst is truly behind us all! Thank you!
Wishing you and your family all the many blessings of the season!
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
I always look forward to reading your blog. There is very little that gives structure to each week and you are my marker for Monday. Please don’t be late or I will be completely topsy turvey!
May I make a request for a blog post with a photo of the view from your tower and also some pictures of the inside too. Like many people I am fascinated by the bits of houses we aren’t shown. I know that Highclear was used during the war by evacuees and I remember a post about that but I’d dearly like to see your view. Maybe you can see into the future from up there?!
With very best wishes
I am not sure about seeing into the future !!! I have been thinking about what you suggest and have a little idea …it just take a little time to sort!
My dear Lady Carnarvon-I am so grateful for your ability and gift of the written word! Whether they are spoken during your glorious video posts or written here on your blog. You never fail to help bolster my outlook on every day and remind me to he be ever grateful for the many bleary and beauty that surrounds me. I thank you from my heart and although we’ve never met(hopefully one day we will!) I consider you a dear friend. God bless you and yours always !
How very kind – thank you for your kind words.
“Bleary” was meant to blessings!
Greetings from Fort Worth, Texas. Everything you write is so enjoyable, inspiring and educational. A little over a week ago, we suffered through -2 degree weather. I mourned the loss of plants, potted trees and flowers I had so lovingly attended. Three days after the arctic blast, we began having warmer weather. Yesterday I donned my gardening gloves, trowel, and trash bags to dispose of my rose bushes. Lo and behold, every rose bush was covered with tiny leaf buds, about to burst into glory. I believe that the other plants had been whispering to the rose bushes, “You know how she is. She believes in a do-or-die fate. Y’all better look alive because she’s coming for you.” Life can be glorious indeed.
HAPPY AND GLORIOSUS.
Thank you for your weekly blogs which I always find are so beautifully written and also lifts my spirits. I agree that when we eventually get back to some kind of normality it will never be quite as it was before. I had not come across the quote by CS Lewis before but it brought to mind the first line of the novel ‘The Go- Between by L. P. Hartley,
‘The past is a foreign country:they do things differently there’
Best wishes from a chilly Aberdeen!
Excuse me, but isn’t a sign post to “The Secret Garden” kind of self-defeating? How can it be a secret? Maybe if the signpost were written in an unknown language, or step one on a treasure hunt kind of game. We’re waiting for Spring here in frosty New England.
It is perfectly self-defeating!!
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
Your post resonated with me, on my walk this morning as I saw a flock of robins return to the garden. It was a most welcome sight and a sure sign of Spring.
Joy to you,
Cherie Lewis
A burst of light in the darkened world of Covid. Thank you for your insights!
Good morning Lady Carnarvon
It seems strange to me to see all the comments about coming into spring because it is coming into Autumn in Australia. Both seasons are favourites of mine and I look forward to the spring fresh colours as well as the delightful autumn hues which are making their entrance now.
I think I live “topsy turvy” all the time being in the southern hemisphere but (when) we can we take holidays in the northern hemisphere, all the blood runs back to our feet ! Maybe Alice ended up down here, who knows?
Thankfully here in New South Wales we have passed more than 50 days with no new cases of Covid and my vaccine is on its way and has started to be rolled out. It has been tough this past year or so, but I have discovered things I used to do. I phoned people regularly, read a lot, finished patchwork I had put down for “later on”…….3 years ago……made jam pickles and chutney and had 40 winks every afternoon. All things considered it hasn’t been all bad and I pray for those who are doing it far worse than I.
Getting back to normal is becoming exciting and I am looking forward to whatever normal brings whether it be the same as before or different. Life truly is an adventure and we are all weathering the Covid storm in our own ways. Roll on better days 🙂
Stay safe and well, practice smiling and start smelling the roses again 🙂
Best wishes to everyone.
Joy Roebig
Thank you and lovely to hear an update from upside down!
Dear Lady Carnavon,
I so enjoy your stories and love the photos of Highclere Castle and the beautiful grounds. I find the photos especially today so magical. Thank you for sharing. I hope one day I will be able to cross the pond and pay a visit to Highclere. That is a dream of mine.
I have been reading your blog throughout the year, Lady Carnarvon, and I’m full of admiration for your marvellous writing and how you capture the essence of the experiences you describe. I’ve appreciated the insights into how much Britain has endured in a way that has made it real for me in Adelaide, where our circumstances have thankfully been very different. Your resilience, common sense and optimism are inspiring!
I am so glad that it is really looking possible that you will soon all be rewarded by the crowds of golden daffodils and all that they promise.
Thank you Angela
MY DEAR LADY CARNARVON,
GOOD NIGHT FROM BRAZIL
MILADY ,THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOURS WORDS. STUNING PHOTOS.
LA VITA É BELLA. UN DOLCE FAR NIENTE.
VILLA ALEMÃ
RIO CLARO – SP
BRAZIL
Love the C S Lewis quote!
I look forward to the Monday morning essays. Always such a treat and a lovely way to start the week. Spring in England is so beautiful and we all look forward to a return to normality across the world. Thank you Lady Carnarvon.
I just loved this piece, Lady Carnarvon. I continue to marvel at the wonderful and varied topics you cover in this blog, along with the delightful way to integrate history and literature into your commentary on the times. I chuckled at your discussion of appearance on Zoom calls. As a consultant for many years, working from home, if I did not have an outside meeting prior to COVID I would often be in my exercise attire after a morning workout well into the afternoon. Now, I feel I have to look decent for Zoom! There is always the ability to turn off the camera, which I somehow fail to do. One of my regular meetings is at 7:30 a.m.–not my favorite time! I put on my workout clothes and accessorize with a cute scarf. No one is the wiser!!
Well done!
Dear Lady Carnarvon, I love that quote from C S Lewis. Such a wise man. I do hope things improve for you in England. It has been a very strange year.
Dear Lady Carnarvon, you write so beautifully. It is such a joy to read your blogs when I get time. I just love springtime and the awakening of mother nature. Good health to you and Lord Carnarvon and may this year turn into a good blessing to you both and to us all…….eventually!
Dear Lady Carnarvon:
Thank you for taking the time to write your Monday blog.
I do not know who “stuck a key and wound up” my yesterday, but it felt very much as an event in “Alice in Wonderland”.
I enjoyed reading the story and viewing all the beautiful and colorful pictures, especially the crocus and daffodil. Their presence has not been made here in our garden. I am hoping that within the next few days that will change as the temperature has become warmer and the winds not as cold.
Until next week, keep calm and think Spring.
Perpetua Crawford
P.S. I watched last week’s Instagram presentation with Paul in the kitchen. Would love to sample the Mother’s Day/Easter cake. I visited the Castle’s web site to purchase the same, but it appears that I am unable to do so. I am curious: what is the restriction in shipping this item outside of the United Kingdom? Also, where may I fine the recipe?
It is a fruit cake and I will repost – actually delicious and scrummy. There was some inadvertent strobe lighting so I need to resort!!!
my granddaughter hopefully will receive her doctorate in medical research from cambridge in april 2021. i was trying to reward her and her houston family with a glorious adventure at highclere by staying at one of your adjacent lodges……are they still available for rental???? downton abbey is a true “upper” for our escape from these dreary days. on november 26, 2020 i celebrated my triple digit birthday,,,,,,,giving thanks on thanksgiving for a zoom call arranged by my devoted sons and family for one hundred friends to share and enjoy.
cordially, marilyn
Congratulations on your triple digit birthday!
Hello Lady Carnavon, I am a fairly recent member of the blog loving family and this is my first comment.
I was fortunate enough to be able to visit Highclere Castle last September, on my birthday, and was delighted to see you, personally marshalling us all, as we waited, in a socially distanced queue, to enter your beautiful home.
Of course, one visit was never going to be enough; and I’ve just booked for another visit in July. It has become my special ‘something to look forward to’ that we all need right now.
Best regards
Gloria
Welcome to the Monday blog family!
I thought I had seen all of Michael M’s YT videos but, clearly, I missed the Fortune Teller one. I’m so glad you pointed it out 🙂
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
From the first time we met you, I’m so impressed with how you handle everything. The way you handle your stewardship of Highclere, the way your staff are treated as partners, how well you and Geordie treat your guests as host and hostess at your events. You’re a little bit of a hero to me. I know this has been a tough time for all of you at Highclere and not everyone will understand just how hard. I want you to know this… you are both greatly admired and appreciated. You make so many of our lives so much better through all your hard work. Thank you. We look forward to visiting again soon and will work on being sure everyone I know does as well. If there’s anything I can ever do, just say so.
Bonnie
How kind thank you
Lady Carnarvon, a few weeks back I had mentioned donations. Any ideas yet? Should I hold on till I hear from you? Thank you. Cheryl
I have a few ideas
Lady Carnarvon, Happy Mother’s Day. I hope your day is special. I have no children but I have my dog Anika and she is my baby girl. Best Wishes To You, Cheryl
Thank you