We have a special place just around the corner from us. Its an ancient abbey, hundreds of years old, full of ruins and graveyards. Its the kind of thing that is so European and magical to someone from a place where most of its visible history begins only a few hundred years ago.
Most of our spring and summer days find us here at some point. Sometimes to climb the ancient walls like a climbing frame. Or to use the bell tower as a personal echo chamber (many a rendition of wheels on the bus has been sung here)
The grassy areas hold picnics and the sloped embankments make great hills to roll down.
Hide and seek is easy amongst the ruins.
It is full of bats and owls and bugs and trees and tall grass. Sheep are the gardeners and the Ochils keep guard. It is a thousand history, art, and science lessons. It is a playground and a summertime living room. It is magic, quite simply, magic.