Game of Thrones revisited [Review – NO SPOILERS]
Cover of Game of Thrones Season 1 DVD (Photo: HBO) Long term readers might remember that Game of Thrones is one of only two one star reviews that I've posted. Generally I avoid negative reviews because I don't think they help much, especially when all I've got to say is that it wasn't really my sort of thing. Game of Thrones in video As I said in my original review of A Song of Ice and Fire, there's a lot to like in the story, but there's also a deplorable level of unnecessary misogyny. This didn't sit right for me as when you base a fantasy world on history you can change it. What made me give Game of Thrones another chance was two fold. First there was a chance that the translation from book to screen had changed it…
Bonny Mary O Argyll – do you know the words?
Me in my Tam O Shanter from when I was a part-time soldier (photo: James Kemp) Bonny Mary O' Argyll is a song I remember being sung at (grown-up) parties when I was growing up. I also remember singing it with gusto from the back of army four tonners when I went on exercise with 207 Battery RA, AKA the Glasgow gunners. Some years ago I spent ages years ago trying to find all the words, to no avail. However a more recent search showed loads of videos. It seems that filming your old army pals singing it in the pub has become a thing, so I was able to decipher some of the words from a bunch of Arglls veterans on youtube! There's another traditional folk song also called Bonny Mary O' Argyll. However this version seems to have…
Living History Symposium 2017 at Pitchford Hall
I was fortunate enough to be one of the select few speaking at the English Civil War Living History Symposium at Pitchford Hall this weekend. There were several fascinating talks all aimed at deepening our understanding of 17th century life and also how we deliver Living History events. My thanks to Sue Sampson who organised the Symposium and to Ken Clayton who marshalled the speakers in the hall. Carolyn Richardson talking about the lute at the Living History Symposium 2017 (picture: James Kemp) Living History Symposium Campsite Activities These were mostly hands-on practical activities. Sewing bee (Carolyn Richardson & Sue Sampson) Music & Dancing Have a go blacksmithing (David Best) Around the World with 17th Century Spices (Sue Ball) Wool Production: spinning & spinning wheels - early to mid 17th century (Jos Richards * Sue Sampson) Painting miniatures (Mike Richards)…
The Handmaid’s Tale & Failure Modes of Democracy
I've finally caught up with The Handmaid's Tale that Channel Four recently showed. I haven't read the book by Margaret Atwood but I have read some of her interviews about it. I've added the book to my wish list. The Handmaid's Tale The Handmaid's Tale is essentially a piece of speculative fiction about the failure of Democracy in the US. It's scarily plausible, which is sort of the definition of speculative fiction. Elisabeth Moss as Offred in The Handmaid's Tale (photo: Hulu) In the TV series of The Handmaid's Tale we follow Offred (formerly known as June) as she survives in the post-coup Republic of Gilead. That being the survivors of the former US. Elisabeth Moss does a great job playing the main character through both the flashbacks that explain how she got there and the 'present day' parts of…
Rivers of London: Black Mould by Ben Aaronovitch [Book Review]
Rivers of London: Black Mould by Ben Aaronovitch My rating: 4 of 5 stars Black Mould is a lovely little side story for Peter Grant that you can read without having read all the previous ; Black Mould The premise is pretty straightforward, although there's more than meets the eye initially. Peter Grant and his colleague Guleed are called to a luxury high rise where there's an infestation of black mould. This is more than just a fungal infection, otherwise they'd have sent a cleaner instead of the Met Police's second best ; The graphic novel format works really well, and despite having read five books before getting to the graphic novels (this is the third graphic novel) the characters are drawn/painted the way my imagination did from Ben Aaronovitch's ; There are some lovely background bits that tie Black…