the orifice (uk version)

imagine my surprise when i was handed my key to my office here at herstmonceux castle and discovered it was in a turret! a turret complete with leaded glass windows, a slightly dank odour and no heat. the view from the window above my desk is fantastic -- i can see the "folly" located farther out on the castle grounds. the other two windows overlook the moat (yup, there's a moat -- and residents are cautioned against swimming in it in the "welcome book" with the words: "lastly, the water in the moat is not suitable for swimming as ingestion of this water is likely to result in an overnight stay in hospital"), and the west entrance (sorry, no drawbridge).

while i'm looking forward to the course i'm teaching this term, i'm a little sad that there are no gothic novels on the syllabus ('twouldn't work, i'm afraid, with the course focus). all of a sudden i feel very like a beleaguered gothic heroine, what with readings to wrangle, a syllabus to finalize, and oh yeah, ye ol' dissertross to tame, and some how, reading about those innocent young maidens and enjoying the ingenious ways in which the plots always work out in their favour (unless you're stuck in a novel by matthew lewis) would be somewhat reassuring right now.