tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35732732024-03-13T18:29:26.213+00:00Charlie FarrowNam in herbis, verbis et lapidibus magna vis est.Charlie Farrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08134083309643455404noreply@blogger.comBlogger102125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573273.post-57489222929685152562022-10-12T16:02:00.011+01:002022-10-12T16:25:03.666+01:00Remembering Angela Lansbury<p> The magnificent Angela Lansbury, star of some of the most magical films, has died at the grand old age of 96. Although best known nowadays for her long running role as Jessica Fletcher, the crime busting novelist in <b>Murder She Wrote</b>, she gave some other literally enchanting performances.</p>As Apprentice Witch, Eglantine Pryce in <b>Bedknobs and Broomsticks</b>, in the company of three evacuee children and a charlatan professor, she raised the ancient warriors of Old England in defiance of the invading Germans. Surely as children we all tried our hand at some amateur witchery by reciting <i>“Treguna… Mekoides… Trecorum Satis Dee!”</i>, didn't we? Well, I know I did! <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgzObO_Mvsdp6frg6-J4iXGDoev4eOZN4ZYSeDCSAnHXvy7D6Vyp4SqTx6CNNHYd2yHyBdT3JYi1GVS--CY_sF2jt88JXNtnZyyEz0-MzTi1DyCzlojlahK0Pu8NWINf11Bd2PIkOcKMu6sMds3CNJU3tlzPUnaCIVRaIySj-fc4Wf2xDMS4AM" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="442" data-original-width="600" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgzObO_Mvsdp6frg6-J4iXGDoev4eOZN4ZYSeDCSAnHXvy7D6Vyp4SqTx6CNNHYd2yHyBdT3JYi1GVS--CY_sF2jt88JXNtnZyyEz0-MzTi1DyCzlojlahK0Pu8NWINf11Bd2PIkOcKMu6sMds3CNJU3tlzPUnaCIVRaIySj-fc4Wf2xDMS4AM" width="320" /></a></div><br />She was the voice of Mrs Potts in Disney's 1991 release <b>Beauty and the Beast</b>. Here we have behind the scenes footage of the recording session on June 8, 1990, of Walt Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Also seen is Jerry Orbach singing as a Maurice Chevalier-like candlestick named Lumiére. <br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="299" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CqklITq24ow" width="381" youtube-src-id="CqklITq24ow"></iframe></div><div><br /></div>But my absolute favourite must be her performance as Granny in <b>The Company of Wolves</b>, Neil Jordan's film version of Angela Carter's dark interpretation of the Red Riding Hood story. This nightmarish folktelling is no Disney bowdlerisation conjuring as it does nightmarish fears and dire warnings.<div><blockquote><i>Granny: "They say that priests' bastards often turn into wolves as they grow older! If the child is born on Christmas Day, if he's born feet first he'll be the one, if he's born feet first and his eyebrows meet in the middle! Oh yes, very bad! One day he'll meet the Devil in the wood". </i></blockquote><blockquote><i>Rosaleen: "That's a horrid story! I didn't like it at all".</i></blockquote><blockquote><i>Granny: "It's not a story, child, but God's own truth. So if you should spy on a naked man in the wood, run as if the Devil himself were after you! Never stray from the path, never eat a windfall apple and never trust a man whose eyebrows meet!"</i></blockquote><div><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgFLNlKE71OQpSD68-OEvNOon0QeXqREXt35C19IHTbz9axosSv-d10_cExNx7xQBbjOsHHsFCvvrMqddurYURwhlMck3MdcE3fV79qZXbFOiv9s5G3YmQ1qBW2htgYkW4mOCFqPlYiiOXcrgCuLi0aqY2NakmScJ94XPxAhHx6rruxJp7dFH0" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2185" data-original-width="3271" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgFLNlKE71OQpSD68-OEvNOon0QeXqREXt35C19IHTbz9axosSv-d10_cExNx7xQBbjOsHHsFCvvrMqddurYURwhlMck3MdcE3fV79qZXbFOiv9s5G3YmQ1qBW2htgYkW4mOCFqPlYiiOXcrgCuLi0aqY2NakmScJ94XPxAhHx6rruxJp7dFH0" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Here Mark Kermode Reviews the 'boldly pyscho-sexual reworking' of the story from Angela Carter's Fairytale anthology <b>The Bloody Chamber</b>. As Kermode says, "if you like your fairytales to have teeth, then this is the film for you."</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lwXImpudjvU" width="320" youtube-src-id="lwXImpudjvU"></iframe></div><br /> What a bewitching legacy for a grand talent - farewell Dame Angela Lansbury and thank you for the magic.</div><div><br /></div><div>As an FYI The Company of Wolves is currently <a href="https://www.itv.com/hub/the-company-of-wolves/ENT0323a0001" target="_blank">availalble to watch free on ITV Hub.</a> <br /><br /><p><br /></p></div></div></div>Charlie Farrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08134083309643455404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573273.post-68250677006467330962022-02-27T14:19:00.004+00:002022-02-27T14:25:22.289+00:00Sunflowers, war and ancient magic<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PJJ8zmcBH2A" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">A Ukrainian woman has gone viral on
social media after she confronted a heavily armed Russian soldier and
offered him sunflower seeds – so that flowers would grow if he died there on
Ukraine’s soil. Some are suggesting she was offering a lovely flower with which
she hoped <span style="background: white; color: #303030;">to bring peace, not war.
In fact her message was one of properly chilling malediction – a curse – with a
powerful message.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="background: white; color: #303030;"></span></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #303030; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">So what did she actually say?</span></b></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #303030; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></i></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #303030; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>Who are you?</b><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #303030; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">We have exercises here. Please go this way.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #303030; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>What kind of exercises? Are you Russian?</b><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #303030; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Yes.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #303030; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>So what the f*** are you doing here?</b><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #303030; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Right now our discussions will lead to nothing.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #303030; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>You’re occupants. You’re fascists! What the
f*** are you doing on our land with all these guns? Take these seeds and put
them in your pockets, so at least sunflowers will grow when you all lie down
here.</b><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Let’s not escalate this situation. Please.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>What situation? Guys, guys, put the sunflower
seeds in your pockets please. You will lie down here with the seeds. You came
to my land. Do you understand? You are occupiers, you are enemies. You are
cursed. I’m telling you. And from this moment you are cursed.</b><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Now listen to me –<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>I’ve heard you.</b><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Let’s not escalate this situation. Please go this
way. <o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>How can it be further escalated? You f***ing came
here uninvited. Pieces of sh**.</b></span></i></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="background: white; color: #303030;"></span></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #303030; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The symbolism </span></b></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
national flower of Ukraine is the glorious yellow sunflower. Although sunflowers
are New World natives they found their way to Ukraine during the 17<sup>th</sup>
century where this oil-rich seed formerly unknown to the Church, was able to
skirt the prohibitions against butter, fats and oils during Lent. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #303030; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
potential for this region of sunflowers to become a major oil crop especially
during lean times of Lent led to its proliferation. <o:p></o:p></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjRkdE8aP341GlrK3vSRFKFBBaxZYt6pRuzmn1a56p6p1j4xaUrTCiVyx4MpjWhgg0A0lEVQ5fPRneoWMD1Y1ZC-5xhv3PgofYC_QOmc96-zjv6V7Sfo8ikNSGd6zpXUR7XNOLTNrSpXAFS2piEdeZxkQIMIFSNHSkUc1X50sS7a7pq35BI1oI=s2048" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1348" data-original-width="2048" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjRkdE8aP341GlrK3vSRFKFBBaxZYt6pRuzmn1a56p6p1j4xaUrTCiVyx4MpjWhgg0A0lEVQ5fPRneoWMD1Y1ZC-5xhv3PgofYC_QOmc96-zjv6V7Sfo8ikNSGd6zpXUR7XNOLTNrSpXAFS2piEdeZxkQIMIFSNHSkUc1X50sS7a7pq35BI1oI=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #303030; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">Final of the 62nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 in Kiev, on May 13, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Genya SAVILOV</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">The vinok, is a traditional
Ukrainian flower crown. These glorious flowered headpieces may bring to mind
hippy-style at festivals but in Ukraine, the vinok isn’t merely a pretty
accessory. Various flowers are used symbolically in the headdresses, notably the
sunflower which is the national symbol of Ukraine. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
meaning of the wreaths traces back to Ukraine’s early history, when they were
associated with virginity, marriage, and womanhood</span>, fertility and
connection to the land.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Professor Slavic
Literature, Alexander Mihailovic, says, “Ukraine has preserved the original
Greek and Byzantine tradition of wedding head wreaths. However, in Ukraine
there is yet another tradition, of young unmarried women wearing the wreaths
during the spring, which, I suspect, explains why female dancers in Ukrainian
folk dances wear floral crowns, whereas their Russian counterparts generally do
not.</span>”<span style="background: white; color: #303030; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">So what did our lady of the seeds mean by it?</span></b></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">In full Slavic
pagan folkloric tradition, she cursed them in defence of her land, protecting
it by damning the invaders to an ignominious death which would merely fertilise
her soil.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Well said,
my lady!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi1fEw8HnRyvd2X3wt2Liu42bt3Whn0cLUq_F2mBHclfyBxQRVB4lPdQJOvKgAaOHup8anHu6EEphmRLe392k_LICUCZCsnRCTVnqqNlqRCtmv3smUgajy-bN04Eapi0Fn3N708WaMkqb02670QqoQe_lDWcQaBQ1C82ErftYR0wwcdnzldmIs=s600" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="429" data-original-width="600" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi1fEw8HnRyvd2X3wt2Liu42bt3Whn0cLUq_F2mBHclfyBxQRVB4lPdQJOvKgAaOHup8anHu6EEphmRLe392k_LICUCZCsnRCTVnqqNlqRCtmv3smUgajy-bN04Eapi0Fn3N708WaMkqb02670QqoQe_lDWcQaBQ1C82ErftYR0wwcdnzldmIs=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span><p></p><br /><p></p>Charlie Farrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08134083309643455404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573273.post-52789959532902120602022-02-14T15:52:00.014+00:002023-07-02T22:02:04.521+01:00Stock Photography <p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />Photo Servian Stock Images<br /><br />This post is just a place to note down stock photography sources that seem to offer a useful selection of historical or magical subjects which I might at some point want to include in a book cover or for social media. At this point I'm not recommending any of them - just noting their existence.<br /><br /><br />https://servianstockimages.com/<br />https://kathyservian.myportfolio.com/historical-costumes-1<br /><br />https://rjenkins.co.uk/<br /><br />https://wuestenhagen-imagery.photoshelter.com/index<br /><br />https://www.deviantart.com/phelandavion/art/Medieval-Knight-DSP-767888584<br /><br />https://pixabay.com/images/search/knight/<br /><br />https://photos.anniespratt.com/floral-space/<br /><br />https://www.123rf.com/stock-photo/medieval_knight.html?sti=lefpywk9y4o4sq5kwg|<br /><br />https://unsplash.com/s/photos/old-book<br /><br />https://www.dreamstime.com/photos-images/historical-novel-book-cover.html<br /><br />https://www.shutterstock.com/search/romance+novel+cover?kw=&c3apidt=71700000014798292&gclid=Cj0KCQiAmKiQBhClARIsAKtSj-kN6naCdvZCTNNYFGz8O2NpVrSWqttN-RTA25C30i2yGrpsSHL4kUUaAqowEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds<br /><br />https://depositphotos.com/stock-photos/romance-novel.html<br /><br />https://www.romancemfa.com/romance-stock-photos/<br /><br />https://blog.reedsy.com/book-cover-pictures/<br /><br />https://stock.adobe.com/si/search?k=woman+fantasy+archer<br /><br />https://lightfieldstudios.net/69750045/stock-photo-elf-woman-holding-sword.html<br /><br />https://www.trevillion.com/categories/historical.html<br /><br />https://www.periodimages.com/m/-/galleries<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Charlie Farrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08134083309643455404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573273.post-82926923451018999292021-10-23T22:16:00.002+01:002021-10-23T22:17:01.364+01:00<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3jvc9wF" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="708" data-original-width="440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigqbV40SgcB8VjxPX2GDbgJxRwgvESu6qsCgPDmtOyCDthvJgyxQHDvBv-5JUiavWKUheKe1b5dxl90G58GBmj34afOX-_yyc0zXPoAeez59dvO0gzifmv7qd3Rip3z0j6hfs2WA/s320/image.jpg" width="199" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">I’ve just binge listened to the audiobook of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Unsettled Ground</i> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>by Claire Fuller. I’ve had it on my TBR list
since my favourite local bookseller, Emma at Hungerford Bookshop featured it as
a local story from a local author. Sadly I didn’t manage attend the ‘do’ – (but
can I say the events at Hungerford are fab).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Unsettled Ground</i>
is set just down the road from here and references Newbury, Hungerford etc. but
while is a story of tight localism, squirming into an almost 19<sup>th</sup>
century Hardyesque village setting that is suffocating, yet open air and
wide, it’s a rural story that could have been played out in an urban tower
block. It is a story that is a slow burn – that is literally the point - but oh
so compelling. There is no ‘twist, it unfolds with a relentless grind. The
outcome is satisfying because it needed to be acknowledged, not because it was
surprising.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The weaving of folksongs and music into the fabric of the
text is something that I have a particular interest in. There was no music
included in the audio, but the verbal delivery of the lyrics (as one would read from
the printed page) was well done. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I say I’ve listened rather than read it, which is unusual
for me. While I enjoy audiobooks, mostly I find the narration to be intrusive to
my interpretation, so that I flick back to the written word and ‘co-read’ in
order to progress. But this narrator, <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?ie=UTF8&search-alias=audible&field-keywords=Rachel+Bavidge&ref=adbl_dp_pd_narr"><span style="background: white; color: #007185; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 200%; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Rachel
Bavidge</span></a>, is splendidly self-effacing. She uses accents sparingly and
judiciously, even if she slides occasionally from Berkshire / Wiltshire into a
sort of Irish-ish, it didn’t spoil it for me. As I say, I binge listened to the
whole thing today (and I don’t like to speed up into Pinky and Perky territory),
and I was captivated, saddened, and then raised up again.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I liked this book – a lot. I recommend it as a full-on 5
star. I give the narrator 5 stars too.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Charlie Farrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08134083309643455404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573273.post-46470379107897665552021-07-01T21:38:00.009+01:002021-07-01T21:55:46.006+01:00Diana Statue<p> </p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgueChO57m60cpJ2Dk1JKwPPZRV7gcsWmlAzS3pL28ANe1US686ufOK2-pO4pC872HsdKWRc7JBRDcOrKhwTlk6Ne8_9Y2rJPsyjYKOL4siLlgP1eQvH2jbgGBdyAUVSaFLeOLl7Q/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="372" data-original-width="620" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgueChO57m60cpJ2Dk1JKwPPZRV7gcsWmlAzS3pL28ANe1US686ufOK2-pO4pC872HsdKWRc7JBRDcOrKhwTlk6Ne8_9Y2rJPsyjYKOL4siLlgP1eQvH2jbgGBdyAUVSaFLeOLl7Q/" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">So there has been an erection of a statue to the sainted
Diana. <br /><br />Her stiff likeness has been
raised in iconographic superiority over a couple of random ethnically diverse little people who have been represented as small adults in the same way
that Empress Victoria was elevated above the teeny tiny subjects of her Colonial Realms. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p>Ian Rank-Broadley has not depicted these little people as children—their tiny heads render them as little adults—but of lesser status in the same way that we see in the hierarchies in most religious iconography.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">OK it's not very good but, why was the hideous message of the icon size superiority not picked up at the maquette stage? Surely, t</span>his has got to be an appalling choice by the powers that be?</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Over and above that, can we all agree that statues have not
really been 'the thing' since General Lee and old Colston got themselves toppled? </p><p class="MsoNormal">So, why have the Brothers pursued this ghastly course at all?</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><br /><p></p>Charlie Farrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08134083309643455404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573273.post-25508016226549779462020-09-07T19:39:00.001+01:002020-09-07T19:40:07.140+01:00Echoes of the Runes: A sweeping, epic tale of forbidden love byChristina Courtenay<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgpQT2bYGzxt5UoE2l39Wxu3g8_fwd1J0L0249YqiZ_g_vgaOzW0vTSZUWXibwDoPic57GAxABjUr3il_LLaaiwkRST8sFI_HCOc1lFvIKTaYpmkUEFtewTUhL30JiH15SJmnZcA/s300/Echoes-of-the-Runes_cover-LARGE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgpQT2bYGzxt5UoE2l39Wxu3g8_fwd1J0L0249YqiZ_g_vgaOzW0vTSZUWXibwDoPic57GAxABjUr3il_LLaaiwkRST8sFI_HCOc1lFvIKTaYpmkUEFtewTUhL30JiH15SJmnZcA/s0/Echoes-of-the-Runes_cover-LARGE.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><a href="https://amzn.to/2ZfdNIl" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://amzn.to/2ZfdNIl</a><br /></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">This is timeslip romance at its best. The story moves along at a brisk pace, elegantly interweaving the old and the new, the researched and the eternal, yet pauses long enough to smell the flowers along the way. Energy suffused in ancient artifacts and their connection to the past afford Mia and Haukr a shared paranormal experience which is plausibly real. The stories of the 9th and 21st century characters parallel each other, yet dovetail together in a way that is extremely satisfying. This is a book I really enjoyed - this is what timeslip is all about! 5 stars.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSy0ffg5m1YduyQgbPc4W91dhPqp2HhkiQyEyj66EjNebpuw8PWWHWNrzAPvecmYm81cWE-919-StBfv7_rBzV0YtAyUl0W5P3ilD3ZEqLHuNwKzVZW9jXwdtx0H4cPj3Zb_aPtQ/s660/ESVobgdXYAACikp.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="660" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSy0ffg5m1YduyQgbPc4W91dhPqp2HhkiQyEyj66EjNebpuw8PWWHWNrzAPvecmYm81cWE-919-StBfv7_rBzV0YtAyUl0W5P3ilD3ZEqLHuNwKzVZW9jXwdtx0H4cPj3Zb_aPtQ/s320/ESVobgdXYAACikp.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><p></p>Charlie Farrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08134083309643455404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573273.post-55881846324212856752020-02-20T18:43:00.004+00:002020-09-07T19:39:54.935+01:00The Ninth Child by Sally Magnusson<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ninth-Child-novel-author-Sealwomans-ebook/dp/B07SC3BGMN/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&linkCode=li3&tag=heresy-21&linkId=a377094cdb10da0b67d996e8b89b575d&language=en_GB" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B07SC3BGMN&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=heresy-21&language=en_GB" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=heresy-21&language=en_GB&l=li3&o=2&a=B07SC3BGMN" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div>
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<br />
I received this pre-publication e-book from John Murray/Two Roads via NetGalley
in exchange for an honest review. <o:p></o:p></div>
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‘The Ninth Child’
tells the story of a massive 19<sup>th</sup> century engineering project of pipes
and aquaducts bringing fresh water from the Highlands into Glasgow’s disease
ridden heart.<br />
<br />
Isabel Aird’s husband is appointed doctor to the engineering camp,
and accompanying him takes her to a world entirely at odds with her prior
life of drawing rooms and miscarried babies. There she meets and employs,
Kirsty the wife of a navvy, whose back story and the story of the engineering
project and life in the camp are quite compelling. Kirsty’s residual fairy
faith lends credence to the proposition that a ragged clergyman is in fact Robert
Kirke who disappeared into fairy 200 years earlier and has been returned to the
mundane world via a pact to deliver up a ninth child in his stead. We also have
curious snap shots of the private lives of Victoria and Albert which are
diversions from the plot but allow the author to show off some solid research.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The story is told
variously from the points of view of Isabel, Kirsty, Prince Albert and Robert
Kirke. The distinctions between the voices are poorly drawn and the formatting
of the ebook supplied by the publishers offered no assistance in distinguishing
them - often one voice continuing on from the next without so much as a
paragraph break. Kirsty is the ‘main’ narrator and a fabulous character, yet we
don’t hear enough of her and her take on life and events. The multitude of
perspectives makes for a disjointed narrative and diverts the reader from investing
strongly enough in any of the characters, which is a shame given how
interesting they all were individually. It feels as though the author couldn’t
decide at the planning stage which of the aspects to prioritise so stuck them
all in for good measure, which serves to dissipate rather than strengthen. </div>
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A
firm editorial hand might have made this a much better book than it is - as it
stands, 3 stars.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Charlie Farrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08134083309643455404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573273.post-80197821375905723812019-10-30T17:04:00.000+00:002019-10-30T18:14:00.505+00:00Starve Acre by Andrew Michael Hurley<pre class="display" id="review-display" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 4px; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway-Regular, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5em; outline: none; overflow-wrap: normal; overflow: auto; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-break: normal;"></pre>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxWS_mOGnwNjkqxZVMbSx2bIy8n_XacoLBroDsi0UCJBHbYigVXZvT_xaDGQ4mywoEQXtN0MKALqEhjBhorzAOyWe8lNEbv0RcbLr8Oj30yYhwmHa6nZCpRlN5VpsNQTVDjQlMqw/s1600/71tZ4RY0vnL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="648" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxWS_mOGnwNjkqxZVMbSx2bIy8n_XacoLBroDsi0UCJBHbYigVXZvT_xaDGQ4mywoEQXtN0MKALqEhjBhorzAOyWe8lNEbv0RcbLr8Oj30yYhwmHa6nZCpRlN5VpsNQTVDjQlMqw/s320/71tZ4RY0vnL.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
<pre class="display" id="review-display" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 4px; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway-Regular, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5em; outline: none; overflow-wrap: normal; overflow: auto; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-break: normal;"></pre>
<pre class="display" id="review-display" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 4px; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway-Regular, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5em; outline: none; overflow-wrap: normal; overflow: auto; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-break: normal;"><i>Published 31st October 2019 this review is based on an e-ARC supplied by the publisher through NetGalley.</i></pre>
<pre class="display" id="review-display" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 4px; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway-Regular, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5em; outline: none; overflow-wrap: normal; overflow: auto; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-break: normal;"></pre>
<pre class="display" id="review-display" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 4px; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway-Regular, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5em; outline: none; overflow-wrap: normal; overflow: auto; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-break: normal;">Starve Acre is an atmospheric, eerie story in the modern gothic tradition - just up my street.
In an interesting exploration of grief and dissociation, we witness a couple, Richard and Juliette, grieving for their 5-year-old son, Ewan, searching for closure and spiritual meaning, respectively. The story marshals the key distinguishing components of English folk horror, landscape, isolation, skewed beliefs/perception and offers the obligatory happening/summoning. Traumatised, Juliette is unable to let go of the feeling that her son still inhabits her world. While the story appears to be grounded in rural realism, which distinguishes Richard’s viewpoint from Juliette’s, Richard’s casual acceptance of the regeneration of a skeleton seems a tad off-piste.
While the date of the story is not explicitly set, analogue clues lead us to a time frame redolent of 1970s Folk Horror; an Austin car, a typewriter, a Sony recorder. But this careful stylistic location of the story in the past as a believable setting, is fractured by occasional glaring errors; for example, a twinset does not have a blouse as a component. In any era, an academic historian would never speculate that a man might have been hanged for torching hay bales two hundred years before they were invented (unless it was a time slip plot point).
But there is atmosphere and tension and wonderfully observant lyrical passages,
“…but they’d started talking – in the King’s Head or after mass, where he pictured her altruism being broken and shared round like another round of communion bread.”
The tension mounts splendidly gruesomely to what is ultimately an unsatisfying denouement. I realise Starve Acre is in the folk horror short form or novella tradition, and as such, I was prepared for it to be short, but not for it to fall off a cliff at the end. It was as though an invigilator had said ‘pens down in 5 minutes’ and the story was brought to an all too hasty conclusion. I genuinely wanted more. But hey, wanting more from a story is A Good Thing.
<a href="https://amzn.to/2PxWWNc">https://amzn.to/2PxWWNc</a>
</pre>
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=GB&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=heresy-21&language=en_GB&marketplace=amazon&region=GB&placement=1529387264&asins=1529387264&linkId=c27d97f136c8427c6068588499e52bbe&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Charlie Farrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08134083309643455404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573273.post-89753847712488436702015-01-13T13:37:00.001+00:002015-01-13T13:40:46.426+00:00'Tout est pardonné'?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2907855/Bodies-four-Jewish-victims-Paris-kosher-deli-attack-arrive-Israel-ahead-funeral-Jerusalem-cemetery.html"><img a="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh85gZwQELj2ULP9eJ_xT4JvnRfOw1N0RO3vROATw67TnwlADZtlyVAA-kl6UwsJGoKjb66vML5KlOYJ0DOn-ziIIZvIcs4gRjPWKBqngTfpPYMFDQS-_bFXZoiaqQh4sWSpVFbQ/s1600/Fury.jpg" height="236" width="320" /></a></div>
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It seems to me that there is something deeply flawed in the decision to send of the bodies of the murdered French national Jewish people to Israel for burial. Surely this corroborates the misconception in the twisted minds of the murderers, that all Jews worldwide are to be held responsible for the actions of Israel in the oppression Palestinians? French Jews, or British Jews for that matter, are no more responsible for Israeli policy, than ordinary French or British Muslims are responsible for the Charlie Hebdo murders, or than Christians are for the actions of Anders Breivik.<br />
<br />
So, why oh why, have the families of the innocent people tragically killed in the Kosher supermarket sent this message to jehadists everywhere? They're saying loud and clear, "you were right, we are Jews and as such we are all ersatz Israelis, and therefore we are all culpable". Then they compound it by releasing the most chilling of statements, "Time for a response will come". Let's pray they don't come over all Old Testament about it.</div>
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Today's Charlie Hebdo cartoon caption comes with an apology implied and absolution built in. The caption 'Tout est pardonné' literally covers a multitude of sins (and not just the murders). ALL is forgiven, including any offence caused. It is a self-aware, gracious and courageous response. Let's hope the Jewish families can put aside their reported fury and rise to something similar. Or God help us all.</div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2907855/Bodies-four-Jewish-victims-Paris-kosher-deli-attack-arrive-Israel-ahead-funeral-Jerusalem-cemetery.html">http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2907855/Bodies-four-Jewish-victims-Paris-kosher-deli-attack-arrive-Israel-ahead-funeral-Jerusalem-cemetery.html</a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/jan/13/charlie-hebdo-cover-magazine-prophet-muhammad">http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/jan/13/charlie-hebdo-cover-magazine-prophet-muhammad</a></span></div>
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Charlie Farrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08134083309643455404noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573273.post-17337364167402510512014-12-19T20:55:00.003+00:002014-12-19T20:59:07.610+00:00Feeling Festive<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jqABnoH7Ysk/UrWmN4eJCLI/AAAAAAAAF8Q/bynCx0whsrM/w800-h600-no/20131221_133156-SNOW.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jqABnoH7Ysk/UrWmN4eJCLI/AAAAAAAAF8Q/bynCx0whsrM/w800-h600-no/20131221_133156-SNOW.gif" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Santa and I are just getting prepped!Charlie Farrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08134083309643455404noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573273.post-79999080449828704692014-11-14T17:21:00.000+00:002018-02-19T16:17:15.012+00:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b style="font-size: x-large;">HNS Indie Awards 2016</b></div>
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<br />Charlie Farrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08134083309643455404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573273.post-46873460752433036512014-08-02T18:20:00.002+01:002014-08-02T18:34:20.475+01:00Review: The Tin Snail by Cameron McAllister<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0857551299/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0857551299&linkCode=as2&tag=apoliheres-21" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXMXM4LJOO8iFXbmLo6cciBW6BjvCFaldE_b2sV-VsLqK7WevmQLPxdwKyYE34MmqY9LH9hcuZt_xVJwHW_WYe4yFFp7SMZ7zsCq_r2-yaak15DyabClkh-1IFUyM2cFU6DCAx3A/s1600/TinSnail.jpg" height="320" width="208" /></a>
</div>
<br />
<em><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0857551299/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0857551299&linkCode=as2&tag=apoliheres-21"></a></em><i><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=apoliheres-21&l=as2&o=2&a=0857551299" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
</i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><i>'The Tin Snail'</i> by Cameron
McAllister is a charming, somewhat old-fashioned read that delights with its
humour, adventure, patriotism and love. Invoking the spirit of war-time France,
it tells the tale of the development of the French version of the ‘people’s
car’, the Citroën 2CV. We have baddies ranging from Nazis, including the
villainous Ferdinand Porche, designer of the VW Beetle and the Panzer tank, who
is trying to steal the plucky French design for Germany, to young Philippe, the
jealous love rival, and his father, Victor, the pompous and obstructive mayor,
who are ultimately redeemed by their courage and patriotism.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><i>'The Tin Snail'</i> is well
plotted and the story unfolds like a script for a rattling good family film.
However, although the book is illustrated, it is never completely clear from
pictures or text what the revolutionary designs look like, unless one is
already familiar with the 2CV (which my daughter was not). I wonder whether as
a screenwriter, the author was imagining that all would become apparent on
screen?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">It appears to be
creative non-fiction, telling the true story of the development of the car, so
I felt a little cheated that that having invested in Angelo, his father Luca
Fabrizzi, Christian Silvestre and Bertrand Hipaux, I discovered that their
names were really Flaminio Bertoni, André Lefèbvre and Pierre Jules Boulanger.
I don’t even know whether Fabrizzi’s son Leonardo had anything at all to do
with the design. The other niggle is the sub-title: The little car that won a
war – it didn’t. What actually happened was that the prototypes were
deliberately hidden from the Germans and the car only went into production in
1948.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">That said, this is a
delightful book for anyone over the age of eight, and it would make a
tremendous film. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">This review first
appeared in<a href="http://historicalnovelsociety.org/reviews/the-tin-snail/" target="_blank"> Historical Novels Review Issue 69 (August 2014)</a>. Book supplied by
publisher.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="http://rcm-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=apoliheres-21&o=2&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=0857551299" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe></div>
Charlie Farrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08134083309643455404noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573273.post-50995243374146504742014-07-29T12:02:00.000+01:002014-07-29T19:14:28.019+01:00Medieval graffiti in England's churches<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEichyphenhyphenEhXqWSYLjB-ifV7Ooz7kFkhc2raUodRZZi-4k4aiWZ8hA41_QjK7dlklo4g5ApTMf0GhR2s42k5E3vjaJhpB_xDonllc4wCx5UCU6j7VkHhLeJs33lrGBvuXd3XkrTpDgyHA/s1600/2014-07-25-pagan-medieval-graffiti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEichyphenhyphenEhXqWSYLjB-ifV7Ooz7kFkhc2raUodRZZi-4k4aiWZ8hA41_QjK7dlklo4g5ApTMf0GhR2s42k5E3vjaJhpB_xDonllc4wCx5UCU6j7VkHhLeJs33lrGBvuXd3XkrTpDgyHA/s1600/2014-07-25-pagan-medieval-graffiti.jpg" height="320" width="283" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 18px;">The 'straw king', a medieval graffiti drawing that could be a pagan fertility symbol. Photo: Lincolnshire Medieval Graffiti Project.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-28035013" target="_blank">BBC reports a four-year-oldLincolnshire medieval graffiti project</a> which has uncovered more than 28,000
examples of centuries-old carvings etched by bored medieval church-goers, some
of which appear to depict pagan symbols and imagery. But do these graffiti
drawings really reveal a lingering devotion to paganism?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
On the walls near the entrance to
Cranwell Parish Church, in Lincolnshire,
is a figure identified as "the straw man". Brian Porter,
Lincolnshire's medieval graffiti project co-ordinator, believes the figure to
be a pagan fertility symbol, possibly etched before a May Day celebration.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
The BBC goes on to state that 'in
pre-Christian tradition the "straw man" was made out of the previous
year's crop and then eventually burned, with the ashes scattered across the
fields. Mr Porter said he believed the church "couldn't stamp out"
the Pagan traditions of parishioners and probably grew tired of rubbing the
graffiti away. It raises a tantalising prospect. Could it be that beneath the
Christian veneer, an older tradition was still being actively pursued, perhaps
in a deliberately subversive way?'<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
Professor Ronald Hutton confirms in
his book <i><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0192854488/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0192854488&linkCode=as2&tag=apoliheres-21" target="_blank">Stations of the Sun</a></i> that the making of corn symbols from straw
was done as part of a harvest ritual. The last sheaf in the field to be harvested was often given a name, such as the maiden, the old woman, the mare or the neck.
Hutton specifically mentions a figure from 1598 at Windsor that is woven from straw and dressed
as a woman. There are accounts through
to the 1800’s (Hutton 2001:332-347). All such folk customs are indeed fascinating
and may plausibly be considered as remnants of pre-Christian practice and
belief.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
But why does Mr Porter conclude
that this church graffiti figure is a representation of a corn dolly? Surely it is
clearly identifiable as a man in rich Tudor dress? Oh I do wish Mr Porter were
correct, but to my eyes there is nothing to suggest anything of the corn or
harvest in the image. I suspect this is wishful thinking on Mr Porter's part, a
suspicion perhaps shared by Matt Champion, the medieval archaeologist who began
the project in Norfolk in 2010, who says there are a variety of different
theories and care is needed when interpreting the drawings.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
"Brian could be right,"
he says. <span style="line-height: 150%;">"But we have different
perspectives. To be honest, I've yet to come across a genuine pagan symbol. Not
all [Christians at the time] were closet pagans."</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Yeah. Dream on Brian!<o:p></o:p></div>
Charlie Farrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08134083309643455404noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573273.post-73293016165427286792014-06-30T12:48:00.001+01:002014-06-30T13:43:49.203+01:00Review: Buffalo Soldier by Tanya Landman<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1406314595/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=1406314595&linkCode=as2&tag=apoliheres-21" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJJwoJkjwVbOLEjpGoJggUK0wDVaSD-RYsvg7-oh2YvMS9Er3LLfbQzh9XmDh3iRinXOLHZmMice23d8jDaBXWgo3acNzZVV8pihpJJahpWIaYbO4D3VhkaPGD7l3NHQLFu8CJQ/s1600/BuffaloSoldier.jpg" height="320" width="208" /></a></div>
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<em><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1406314595/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=1406314595&linkCode=as2&tag=apoliheres-21">Buffalo Soldier</a></em><em><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=apoliheres-21&l=as2&o=2&a=1406314595" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
</em>explores of the nature of freedom, in a searingly poignant story told from the perspective of Charlotte, a young African-American slave from the deep south of America at the end of the Civil War. After witnessing the rape and lynching of her adoptive mother, Charlotte is pitched all alone into a world of war and terror. Officially emancipated from slavery, she is still trapped by the colour of her skin but also by her gender. Now that even her value as a slave has been stripped from her, in desperation she dons a dead man’s clothes and joins the US Army, becoming ‘Charley’, a ‘buffalo soldier’. Her journey takes her from coast to coast cutting a swathe through a unpleasant period of US history, during which we see Buffalo Bill initiating the sanitisation of the record.<br />
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This is an extraordinarily powerful book, immaculately written in a sustained voice that never misses a beat. The analogies and observations that flesh out the narrative are superbly observed and always completely in character and period. We are literally observing the world according to Charley, and her take on it is skilfully developed throughout her journey. Landman doesn’t shy away from the sights, sounds and language that characterized slavery and its aftermath, but the further that Charley moves away from the former Confederate slave states, the more she adopts the different spoken styles indicating the prejudices of the soldiers around her, in a changed world order in which the Native Americans are at the bottom of the heap. Yet she is finally shown the meaning of true freedom by an Apache with whom she is able to discover a viable identity for herself as a woman.<br />
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Important material is sensitively addressed, making this a must-read book for all over-twelves. <br />
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Review first appeared in <a href="http://historicalnovelsociety.org/reviews/buffalo-soldier/" target="_blank">Historical Novels Review</a> Issue 68 (May 2014)<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=apoliheres-21&o=2&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=1406314595" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div>Charlie Farrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08134083309643455404noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573273.post-28390411177481199632014-05-17T17:48:00.003+01:002014-05-17T22:35:15.012+01:00Reverse Ferret<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ-I5sUX5MJYrehYbkHY91vP7RSjo8pa0lWy2Qo0s33-LhEpbl-cJJFUgNbhUWn5Htz6wOLcIzQI-CxZyp4eCqKCgFyuGWvlfyS2AUAyAMXV4JLh9Vinlm88U1Bu8n41uTTs8zHA/s1600/reverse+ferret.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ-I5sUX5MJYrehYbkHY91vP7RSjo8pa0lWy2Qo0s33-LhEpbl-cJJFUgNbhUWn5Htz6wOLcIzQI-CxZyp4eCqKCgFyuGWvlfyS2AUAyAMXV4JLh9Vinlm88U1Bu8n41uTTs8zHA/s1600/reverse+ferret.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reverse Ferret</td></tr>
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UKIP Leader Nigel Farage got a right savaging for 20 minutes by James O'Brien on LBC yesterday, until his spin doctor intervened to get him off air. I wouldn't normally have heard this clip, (as I don't enjoy O'Brien's interview technique - I find him hectoring and too fond of his own voice and I don't care much for Farage's opinions on anything), but for the fact that O'Brien accuses Farage of "reverse feretting" over a promise to have his expenses independently audited – an offer Ukip made but Farage withdrew saying he would not be subject to a stricter audit than other MEPs. The phrase appeared in headlines on social media. It's at 18 min 30 sec in this video.</div>
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Hello! I thought, what on earth is "reverse feretting" when it's at home? I had to Google it!<br />
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It turns out to be media luvvy-speak for a volte-face on the editorial line on a certain issue. It's sufficiently specialised for the Guardian to feel the need to define it <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2011/nov/01/st-pauls-seeks-new-direction" target="_blank">in this article from 2011</a>:</div>
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"Reverse ferret" is, technically speaking, a term used in Fleet Street, just down the road, to describe the moment when an editor executes a startling editorial U-turn.</blockquote>
It even has its own Wikipedia entry:<br />
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Reverse ferret is a phrase used predominantly within the British media to describe a sudden reversal in an organisation's editorial line on a certain issue. Generally, this will involve no acknowledgement of the previous position.</blockquote>
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The term originates from Kelvin MacKenzie's time at The Sun. His preferred description of the role of journalists when it came to public figures was to "stick a ferret up their trousers". This meant making their lives uncomfortable, and was based on the supposed northern stunt of ferret legging (where contestants compete to show who can endure a live ferret within their sealed trousers the longest). However, when it became clear that the tide of public opinion had turned against the paper's line, MacKenzie would burst from his office shouting "Reverse Ferret!" </blockquote>
Now I know that background, I find it really rather colourful and I quite like it. Oddly though, Farage appeared to be quite familiar with the term which was somewhat surprising given his words at the start of the interview,<br />
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"This is the political class clubbing together using their mates in the media and doing anything they can to stop the UKIP charge." </blockquote>
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This is an irony that seems to have completely bypassed the testy Mr O'Brien in his nasty little media-luvvy bubble. How ironic!Charlie Farrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08134083309643455404noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573273.post-74347550880395236692014-04-26T19:24:00.001+01:002014-04-26T19:58:32.630+01:00UKIP v. the EstablishmentAs someone who believes that the current tripartite party system is incestuous, corrosive and corrupt, I find it very interesting in the run up to the 2014 European elections, that UKIP (whose xenophobic position is not mine, by the way) appears to be getting under the skin of the powers that be. Instead of being treated as genial buffoons on the fringes of politics, the mainstream media (in all its forms) is having a right <i>ad hominem</i> go at UKIP leader Nigel Farage.<br />
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A recent social media manifestation rather tickles me though. This image is being gleefully shared on Facebook:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIcseyDPU-bp6eFUv4XDXCR69gG84wGl1wTCz9SZt3v5ADyRg-Q0O46-WDhPezEQU-zKuFHr_g1_amRJtDCzBFmaoKjNunIOUCybEtCwe9EYgoGRrx474q2KFuGLveb3JP3gch0g/s1600/PunkFaragePhotoshop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIcseyDPU-bp6eFUv4XDXCR69gG84wGl1wTCz9SZt3v5ADyRg-Q0O46-WDhPezEQU-zKuFHr_g1_amRJtDCzBFmaoKjNunIOUCybEtCwe9EYgoGRrx474q2KFuGLveb3JP3gch0g/s1600/PunkFaragePhotoshop.jpg" height="214" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nigel Farage, leader of UKIP circa 1983... UKIP wanted it banned, so here it is!</td></tr>
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I have pointed out to those of my friends who shared it that it is in fact nicely done Photoshop work - Farage's face has been applied to this image:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSnj3R-Sbw55S0iw3A3f641XSM7JIZT-1TkzH_-MVQNdgLkz7ahYBWGSj2NLgQbi8DS_ulyqNTsgQENuvKWowquEgRhWBaxf7rNqP_7mPfGUB2PnVYwpCagSmV2I0j-Vs_VBDrAQ/s1600/Punk1983.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSnj3R-Sbw55S0iw3A3f641XSM7JIZT-1TkzH_-MVQNdgLkz7ahYBWGSj2NLgQbi8DS_ulyqNTsgQENuvKWowquEgRhWBaxf7rNqP_7mPfGUB2PnVYwpCagSmV2I0j-Vs_VBDrAQ/s1600/Punk1983.jpg" height="209" width="320" /></a></div>
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(However, if Farage had actually ever been a punk, I doubt that he'd have had a 50 year old face at the time...)</div>
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Anyway, I'm quite intrigued about who did the tidy Photoshop job and why. Given that punk was a uniquely British phenomenon characterised by a two-fingers-protest against the existing regime, wrapped in tartan and the Union Jack, what could this "fake" rebel image do for Farage? Certainly no harm at all!</div>
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So is it a clever viral campaign by UKIP or a memorable own goal by Conservative Central Office? Or just a random person messing about.</div>
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Answers on a ballot card!</div>
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Even Johnny Rotten is a mainstream Brit icon now:<br />
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Charlie Farrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08134083309643455404noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573273.post-76315929873751786602014-03-19T20:27:00.000+00:002014-03-20T00:07:35.543+00:00Learning our lines<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhXlsAWS_TQdoXEP80dhJz1n5TRlF_aYhI-33qu8dbZbj6G8frGwcB20rt1br4sXQjulCOv-B_GKxfFMo5ujQbyWaDtEjE3EBA10p4VE30C_TjluF6Br6dECTzJ1I5sXohhtwvNg/s1600/bart-simpson-generator.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhXlsAWS_TQdoXEP80dhJz1n5TRlF_aYhI-33qu8dbZbj6G8frGwcB20rt1br4sXQjulCOv-B_GKxfFMo5ujQbyWaDtEjE3EBA10p4VE30C_TjluF6Br6dECTzJ1I5sXohhtwvNg/s1600/bart-simpson-generator.gif" height="171" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2583954/Food-banks-Britons-LEAST-hungry-developed-world-Number-families-say-eat-falls-past-five-years.html" target="_blank">According to the Daily Mail</a>, a study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development says that "the number of families saying they are going hungry has fallen over the past five years – as the number of food banks has risen."<br />
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This is obviously because more people are being fed, so fewer are going hungry, right? But such deductions are not the Daily Mail way. Their take is based on Lord Freud's, (the UK Welfare Minister), statement that "it is very hard to know why people go to food banks". They report, "while he conceded nobody turned to charities for food parcels ‘willingly’, more people were visiting the banks simply because there were more in existence." Personally I find that to be an argument worthy of <a href="http://news.sky.com/story/181082/the-best-of-comical-ali" target="_blank">Comical Ali</a>, Saddam's Information Minister, who said "there is no presence of American infidels in the city of Baghdad," as the world's media recorded the line of tanks rolling across the bridge in shot behind him. And while Freud says (to all intents and purposes) "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let_them_eat_cake" target="_blank">let them eat cake</a>", that is not really the nature of this post and it's not that kind of line.<br />
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The foodbank situation has led to a considerable amount of commentary about people in the UK being "below the breadline" and getting lines crossed<i> is </i>the nature of this post. People can be 'near the breadline' and they can be 'on the breadline' but they cannot be 'below the breadline'.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEishd8qGTQ5pByr03KSOf0H300Sz2AUgV308ud2p1XPUGlLnPfZt9KXiUT7jE4WQJQDtMZNs5dCYIjIeek93rGqxlyI1Htl-ePakCmoy6JyiS4BXc_ojbnkDfooVNVsi4zeQcCIQA/s1600/gd49.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEishd8qGTQ5pByr03KSOf0H300Sz2AUgV308ud2p1XPUGlLnPfZt9KXiUT7jE4WQJQDtMZNs5dCYIjIeek93rGqxlyI1Htl-ePakCmoy6JyiS4BXc_ojbnkDfooVNVsi4zeQcCIQA/s1600/gd49.gif" height="257" width="320" /></a></div>
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The term breadline is borrowed from the Americans who use 'line' where we would use the word 'queue'. So a breadline is a queue for bread. It is not some arbitrary measure of relative poverty, some economic <a href="http://www.rmg.co.uk/explore/sea-and-ships/facts/ships-and-seafarers/load-lines" target="_blank">Plimsoll line</a> below which one must not be sunk. The breadline is a physical queue for food handouts - the literal end of the line is the foodbank.<br />
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It is an absolute disgrace that some commentators (who should know better) should use the term 'breadline', frivolously and relatively to score political points without seeing it for what it is, when it is an absolute that many Britons are on, or near, or approaching.<br />
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There is no 'below the breadline'. When you can't afford food there is no going 'below' that.Charlie Farrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08134083309643455404noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573273.post-33510774885534632442014-03-07T14:00:00.000+00:002014-03-07T14:01:28.944+00:00Seminar on Herbal illustration and identification at Kew -18 June 2014<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifmUNvAkx1Xpl3GrMMTpgP_8GQwN64kYEOmSCrzmPGOygMPsv_Y2ZRupxKArP9R1YDA5BHvDzA3h8zhOyQlQIft43sIhYxUmLX-0ofbT7rjrVks2H1q9e-FbYTKeJ4LFOWzWps3w/s1600/c12867-02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifmUNvAkx1Xpl3GrMMTpgP_8GQwN64kYEOmSCrzmPGOygMPsv_Y2ZRupxKArP9R1YDA5BHvDzA3h8zhOyQlQIft43sIhYxUmLX-0ofbT7rjrVks2H1q9e-FbYTKeJ4LFOWzWps3w/s1600/c12867-02.jpg" height="320" width="261" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">British Library MS Harley 3736/10r. Charlemagne and the plant Carlina</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">This is a heads up for any of my herby friends (or arty or historically minded ones) who might like to attend.</span><br />
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Illustration and Identification in the History of Herbal Medicine</h1>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">18 June 2014</span><br />
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Organized by Anne Stobart (Herbal History Research Network) and Frances Watkins (University of East London, UK)</div>
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Jodrell Lecture Theatre<br />
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew<br />
Richmond TW9 3DS<br />
United Kingdom</div>
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The aim of this day seminar on Wednesday 18th June 2014 is to bring together researchers to explore issues related to plant illustration and identification in the history of herbal medicine. Correct identification of plants in the past has been of great importance, whether for foods, medicines or other purposes. But to what extent did people in medieval and early modern times learn about plants with medicinal uses from illustrations in herbals or elsewhere? Matters of interest include ways in which illustrations were produced, the role of illustrations, dissemination of information about plant identification, significant observers of plants and their approaches to plant description. This day seminar at Kew Botanic Gardens near London, UK, has been organised with a particular focus on presenting research into finding and interpreting archival and other sources relating to the history of herbal medicine.</div>
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Main speakers:</div>
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Julia Boffey, Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London</div>
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Isabelle Charmantier, University of Exeter</div>
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Maria Daronco, University of Udine, Italy</div>
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This event is organised by the Herbal History Research Network group which aims to promote research into the history of herbal medicine. The Network helps to connect together people who share common interests in researching the history of herbal medicine through seminars and other events. For further details of the Network contact Anne Stobart at a.stobart@herbaid.co.uk</div>
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Please see the supporting material for the day seminar programme and registration form at: <a href="http://events.history.ac.uk/event/show/12436?ref=email" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #743399; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">http://events.history.ac.uk/event/show/12436?ref=email</a></div>
Charlie Farrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08134083309643455404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573273.post-72683269804092971322014-02-01T17:44:00.000+00:002014-03-20T00:02:27.173+00:00Knight Crusader<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirOHBaucfXwuJmiuKoDXu9G-kD3s24XuI4X97dofTyv4Kvqw8TgNb67vrhqV_FUp0JOr0D2ROQCwZt-UkphgYIWUjV9EiwD5dcQhmi-z7n8GmD_FjWm_yBj1VAFBLs7D7L_b9RKQ/s1600/KnightCrusader.jpg" height="320" width="207" /></div>
It's about time I caught up on this blog and published some of the recent book reviews I've done for the <a href="http://historicalnovelsociety.org/reviews/knight-crusader/" target="_blank">Historical Novels Review</a> Children's and Young Adult list.<br />
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This one is for a re-issue of a classic, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0192793578/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0192793578&linkCode=as2&tag=apoliheres-21"><i>Knight Crusader</i>.</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=apoliheres-21&l=as2&o=2&a=0192793578" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
<br />
<br />
Ronald Welch won the Carnegie prize in 1954 for <i>Knight Crusader</i>, an action packed tale of a young Norman nobleman from Outremer, Philip d’Aubigny.<br />
<br />
The new edition retains the evocative original illustrations and cover art by William Stobbs. Unusually it also includes a <i>Note on the Text</i> for modern readers, rather euphemistically referring to ‘difficult’ language of a classic re-published in its original form. However, it is not that the vocabulary is incomprehensible to a strong reader of 8 to 12. It is rather that political correctness dictates that pejorative expressions like ‘half-breed’ are no longer used in new works for young people. However, Welch shows the newly arrived Norman barons as ugly, racist, barbarian thugs, whereas the protagonist, Philip, is a third generation ‘Syrian’ lord, who has assimilated elegant customs and practices of the East and is sophisticated and enlightened in comparison. Philip is a pretty darn heroic hero, yet even he holds some unsavoury opinions of the ‘Pullani’, or mixed race noblemen, as untrustworthy schemers.<br />
<br />
The plot claps along at a splendidly brisk pace, informed by the author’s superb knowledge of place and period. The fight and battle scenes in particular are vivid and powerful. The reader is immersed in the action, complete with sights, smells and sounds and one is left with a genuine belief that the author has both gone to war and to the Holy Land.<br />
<br />
A stylistic point unusual to modern ears, though, is the occasionally didactic narrative voice. Equally unusual is the unnervingly unexpected savagery of the protagonist in the denouement which is so convincingly shocking as to leave the reader (this reader anyway) ‘blown away’ by a masterpiece. Wow! <br />
<br />
<i>Knight Crusader</i> is not a ‘girly’ book yet this female reviewer loved it; but if you want your son to fall in love with history and reading, this may be the book to do it. </div>
Charlie Farrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08134083309643455404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573273.post-75359583468039422332013-10-25T14:18:00.001+01:002014-09-20T19:49:05.214+01:00Agincourt or Gunpowder Plot? Old Style vs. New Style Dates<div style="text-align: left;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Today
my dear (but habitually rude) friend set his Facebook status to read:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #37404e; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><i>598 years ago today we gave the French a right
shoeing at Agincourt. It was one of a series of bootings that we routinely gave
the French back in the day. We should remember that next time that ponce
Hollande gets uppity or some French farmer starts burning our sheep.</i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Leaving the French and the sheep aside, he is quite correct in memorising the date of the battle of Agincourt as 25<sup>th</sup> October 1415, but he is not, in
fact, right to state that it was 598 years ago today. Actually he’s missed the anniversary by nine days, due to the change from Julian to Gregorian calendar. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Why did dates change?<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The ancient Egyptians
adopted a 365-day calendar sometime between 4000 and 3000 B.C. The
first major improvement to that 365-day calendar was made by Julius Caesar
(100–44 B.C. ) in 46 B.C. With the help of Greek astronomer
Sosigenes, Caesar developed a new calendar divided into 12 months of 30 and 31
days, with the exception of 28 days in February. This new Julian calendar
(named after Caesar) built-in an extra day, or leap day, every fourth year
to account for the 365.25-day solar year.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The Julian calendar,
however, was still off by 11 minutes and 14 seconds each year. Over 300 years,
this difference added up to just over 3 days. By the mid-1500s, the Julian
calendar was 10 days ahead of Earth's natural yearly cycle.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSB5tHlcS3cq24yl9OqFdxONf_ZoDc5n83TI5FqGGAr_aXHzxzz-x0rPAURmJnRqi8lt_mlgqLkB-jTUtkpp3aXGxtG9vZOjELtT2NhD25cEHUCwbjIO6YZd9z5sEcFryc9rpGwg/s1600/GregorianCalendar_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSB5tHlcS3cq24yl9OqFdxONf_ZoDc5n83TI5FqGGAr_aXHzxzz-x0rPAURmJnRqi8lt_mlgqLkB-jTUtkpp3aXGxtG9vZOjELtT2NhD25cEHUCwbjIO6YZd9z5sEcFryc9rpGwg/s320/GregorianCalendar_0.jpg" height="206" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1f1e17; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">In
1582, Pope Gregory XIII installed a new calendar, designed to deal with this problem of solar years being slightly longer than 364 days for which reason festivities
originally set by solar dates (namely the equinoxes and solstices) had drifted
10 days in the solar calendar. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">T</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1f1e17; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">he Gregorian calendar shifted the entire year
ten days forward in order to fix the discrepancy, so that ten days were
“skipped”.</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #1f1e17; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">However,
this being during the Reformation and the Pope being a Catholic, England didn’t
play ball until 1752, leaving two different calendars in place in Europe for </span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">170 years</span><span style="background: white; color: #1f1e17; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Historical-trivia geeks (such as myself) revel
in the knowledge that Shakespeare and Cervantes both died on 23 April 1616 but Cervantes
predeceased Shakespeare by 10 days! For dating these events Spain used the ‘New
Style’ Gregorian calendar, but Britain used the ‘Old Style’ Julian calendar.
Astronomers avoid this ambiguity by the use of the Julian day number.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">By the time Great Britain,
Ireland and the colonies changed over, the discrepancy between calendars had
increased, so that Wednesday 2nd September 1752 was followed by Thursday 14th
September 1752, 11 days later<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">This
anomaly is of little importance to most people, but to writers of historical
fiction it can be useful to realign dates with the seasons using what is called
the ‘proleptic Gregorian calendar’. The following conversion ready-reckoner is a handy guide.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table class="wikitable" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; border-collapse: collapse; border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; margin: 1em 0px 1em 1em; text-align: left; width: auto;"><caption style="font-weight: bold;"><b>Conversion from Gregorian to Julian </b></caption><tbody>
<tr><th style="background-color: #f2f2f2; border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em; text-align: center;" width="170">Time period (from<br />
1 March of first year to<br />
28 February of last year)</th><th style="background-color: #f2f2f2; border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em; text-align: center;" width="50">Сorrection, days</th></tr>
<tr><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em; text-align: center;">1–100</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em; text-align: center;">+2</td></tr>
<tr><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em; text-align: center;">100–200</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em; text-align: center;">+1</td></tr>
<tr><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em; text-align: center;">200–300</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em; text-align: center;">0</td></tr>
<tr><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em; text-align: center;">300–500</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em; text-align: center;">-1</td></tr>
<tr><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em; text-align: center;">500–600</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em; text-align: center;">-2</td></tr>
<tr><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em; text-align: center;">600–700</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em; text-align: center;">-3</td></tr>
<tr><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em; text-align: center;">700–900</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em; text-align: center;">-4</td></tr>
<tr><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em; text-align: center;">900–1000</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em; text-align: center;">-5</td></tr>
<tr><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em; text-align: center;">1000–1100</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em; text-align: center;">-6</td></tr>
<tr><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em; text-align: center;">1100–1300</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em; text-align: center;">-7</td></tr>
<tr><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em; text-align: center;">1300–1400</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em; text-align: center;">-8</td></tr>
<tr><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em; text-align: center;">1400–1500</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em; text-align: center;">-9</td></tr>
<tr><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em; text-align: center;">1500–1700</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em; text-align: center;">-10</td></tr>
<tr><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em; text-align: center;">1700–1800</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em; text-align: center;">-11</td></tr>
<tr><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em; text-align: center;">1800–1900</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em; text-align: center;">-12</td></tr>
<tr><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em; text-align: center;">1900–2100</td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0.2em; text-align: center;">-13</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">So by subtracting 9 correction days, the anniversary of 25<sup>th</sup> October 1415 is
(or was) 16<sup>th</sup> October in 2013. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">To perform a
reverse calculation, add 10 correction days to calculate that 25</span><sup style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">th</sup><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> October of 2013 was the 4</span><sup style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 150%;">th </sup><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">November
of 1605. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjsBKDvGrDRCV8dy6S4XrsS-Ah6VkPquIXISd1KkYYUSRvEA1NUIbaMGZaLxfbmrty6jolMf8kLDEMDWOtFVUHx3pX11TYOKpQkbSsdn9vdqBw6543OqleE3XBKFBGgBD6f6aTaA/s1600/Guy_Fawkes_by_Cruikshank.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjsBKDvGrDRCV8dy6S4XrsS-Ah6VkPquIXISd1KkYYUSRvEA1NUIbaMGZaLxfbmrty6jolMf8kLDEMDWOtFVUHx3pX11TYOKpQkbSsdn9vdqBw6543OqleE3XBKFBGgBD6f6aTaA/s320/Guy_Fawkes_by_Cruikshank.jpg" height="320" style="cursor: move;" width="272" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">And what is the significance of 4<sup>th</sup> November 1605? It is
the <a href="http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-information-office/g08.pdf" target="_blank">date of the initial search of the cellars of the Houses of Parliament</a> that
discovered Fawkes and the wood and coal that Percy had provided to cover the
kegs of powder. A thorough search of the cellars by Sir Thomas Knyvett at
midnight found the gunpowder. Fawkes was
arrested and taken before Cecil (Secretary of State) and King James in the
early hours of 5<sup>th</sup> November 1605, the anniversary of which is
tomorrow 26<sup>th</sup> October 2013.<br /><br />So, while my friend is remembering an old victory over the French, he could today be commemorating an event that took place much closer to home.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Charlie Farrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08134083309643455404noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573273.post-13588751988225955102013-09-05T16:00:00.000+01:002014-03-20T00:02:59.565+00:00Saxon's Bane by Geoffrey Gudgion<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="http://amzn.to/151L6Np" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivfzlKm-axeGvDxpEt_lWFRUPvaSPuAQ8Cbo2Kbmi3dnjEBr4dLWws7a6-GWcLzMQM7pfMrF8pTNFacBAWD7HoWtdE7d9vFqveBcjJCXAKmIdo0pJ_HfdWTyClDBo1pJjzeFOb_Q/s320/16051788.jpg" height="320" width="208" /></a></div>
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Yesterday, on a hot summer night, I went to the launch of
Geoffrey Gudgion’s fabulous debut novel, <i>Saxon’s Bane</i> at <a href="http://forbiddenplanet.com/" target="_blank">Forbidden Planet</a> on
Shaftsbury Avenue in London. </div>
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Walking in, I felt I had surely found the
UK spiritual home of Sheldon, Leonard, Howard and Raj from the <a href="http://the-big-bang-theory.com/">Big Bang Theory</a>! Upstairs was stocked with comic books and sci-fi merchandise goodies.
Downstairs I found a regular bookstore and a warm book launch – actually the welcome (and the room) were very warm indeed - but the wine was chilled!</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ruD3DqKs_fU/UiiSHW5dOlI/AAAAAAAAAzw/upsaZKusCAA/s1600/20130904_180915.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ruD3DqKs_fU/UiiSHW5dOlI/AAAAAAAAAzw/upsaZKusCAA/s320/20130904_180915.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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I should declare that I was given an advance copy of this book by the author, who I know through the Historical Novel Society. <a href="http://www.jennybarden.co.uk/" target="_blank">Jenny Barden</a>, (author of <a href="http://amzn.to/19lN6jb" target="_blank">Mistress of the Sea</a> and doyenne of the HNS) and I were greeted by a charming woman, as "Ah! You'll be the HistFict massive then?" Gosh! Best to admit it then!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yil4OrzQ9TA/UiiLvW8fWsI/AAAAAAAAAx4/TFu2dao1NIQ/s1600/20130904_191254.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yil4OrzQ9TA/UiiLvW8fWsI/AAAAAAAAAx4/TFu2dao1NIQ/s320/20130904_191254.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Jenny Barden</td></tr>
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<b>So what about the book?</b></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i>Saxon’s Bane</i> is an action-packed page-turner
shaped by elements of horror, fantasy, history, thriller and the ghost story. As debut novels go, <i>Saxon’s Bane</i> is pretty impressive.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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The catalyst for the story is the simultaneous discovery of
a bog body and a car crash in an unspoilt valley, which brings together a plausible
set of characters in an environment of convincing solidity. Just as the
landscape visibly preserves the memory of ancient ploughshares, so other
fragments of the past colour the lives of the living. Legend, history, memory, folklore,
magical practice - ancient and modern - and religion impinge
on the present and serve to fuel the interactions between well-drawn characters,
all of whom have been touched by the shadow world in different ways. Gudgion
deftly uses a well-observed, surprisingly broad spectrum of belief in a quintessentially
traditional British rural community, to develop tension and suspense that hold
the reader’s engagement without recourse to sensationalism. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Dream interactions and flashbacks allow Gudgion to share a
vivid experience of ancient lives and battles, with both character and reader
alike. An emotional literacy underpins much of the writing which is further enlivened by tangential
but witty observations by the characters - a smug post-coital pigeon or a
failed clinch that results in the near-embrace of a rucksack - which diffuse any suggestion
of sentimentality. Mythical motifs are woven elegantly into a fast paced split-time
story.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Saxon’s Bane reads very well indeed – give me more, Mr Gudgion! Five
stars.</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Publisher’s Description</b><br />
<i>Fergus's world changes forever the day his car crashes near the remote village of Allingley. Traumatised by his near-death experience, he stays to work at the local stables as he recovers from his injuries. He will discover a gentler pace of life, fall in love and be targeted for human sacrifice.<br /> </i><i><br /></i><i>Clare Harvey's life will never be the same either. The young archaeologist's dream find the peat-preserved body of a Saxon warrior is giving her nightmares. She can tell that the warrior was ritually murdered, and that the partial skeleton lying nearby is that of a young woman. And their tragic story is unfolding in her head every time she goes to sleep.<br /> </i><i><br /></i><i>Fergus discovers that his crash is linked to the excavation, and that the countryside harbours some dark secrets.<br /> </i><i><br /></i><i>As Clare's investigation reveals the full horror of a Dark Age war crime, Fergus and Clare seem destined to share the Saxon couple's bloody fate.</i></blockquote>
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<b><i>Saxon’s Bane is published 12 September 2013 by Solaris. </i></b></div>
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<b><i>Available for pre-order via <a href="http://amzn.to/151L6Np" target="_blank">Amazon now</a>.</i></b></div>
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Charlie Farrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08134083309643455404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573273.post-2526691907095652942013-08-29T16:20:00.001+01:002013-08-29T16:37:10.497+01:00Blackberry Vodka Liqueur<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OrUVbViZC1o/Uh9WFujHLyI/AAAAAAAAAwE/Aeac8l9US5w/s1600/20130829_150815.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OrUVbViZC1o/Uh9WFujHLyI/AAAAAAAAAwE/Aeac8l9US5w/s320/20130829_150815.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blackberry Vodka Liqueur</td></tr>
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Driving a desk (or a dining room table) is all very well but I do try to sortie out most days at lunchtime for a break.<br />
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Right now it's quite important that I do get out because I'm preparing for a talk at the <a href="http://www.springfieldsanctuary.co.uk/" target="_blank">Springfield Sanctuary Herb Festival</a> and I 'wildcraft' most of the <i>materia medica</i> that I use to illustrate my talks. That said, by the very nature of 'wildcrafting', it's not like going to a shop, so you don't always get what you were looking for and more often than not, something else absolutely wonderful just presents itself and demands to be harvested and used.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihKOlb_828mpVGJM1RvPeHQ5mUywarEB_fTwM-MMk6zSuOjrxuBNjG7wt6XvrfwaHBypf2J5kdgf0zs3JuFkQ8FJoxktRiDyqBOO6d1frADpTJcBJEXmfSG_4Syz7k-1jntFslxg/s1600/21471_10201533211947955_901838249_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihKOlb_828mpVGJM1RvPeHQ5mUywarEB_fTwM-MMk6zSuOjrxuBNjG7wt6XvrfwaHBypf2J5kdgf0zs3JuFkQ8FJoxktRiDyqBOO6d1frADpTJcBJEXmfSG_4Syz7k-1jntFslxg/s320/21471_10201533211947955_901838249_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hops</td></tr>
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This afternoon I posted on Facebook that I had happened upon a gorgeous swag of hops on the tow path of the Kennet and Avon canal near my home and my friend Ruth said she'd thought of me while blackberrying on Greenham Common today... As one confidence begs another, I was forced to confess to more than a few hops as today's bounty - I was indeed guilty of bringing home some lovely blackberries again today... The foraging habit is quite addictive and admitting to it is part of the solution!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJUhw5hPJRRUGnevk1Mz1Va_ODBJAFJdxvNkVvE9t5Tvp1ydskYKoF_84U0-mkocDSOqKk7ySyVl5CTPxTxwE5EAg5igiMQQmpX87MYr8YDot3eaJ_Nf0DerWRWFrxcCFcafmsDw/s1600/2012-08-16+13.47.44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJUhw5hPJRRUGnevk1Mz1Va_ODBJAFJdxvNkVvE9t5Tvp1ydskYKoF_84U0-mkocDSOqKk7ySyVl5CTPxTxwE5EAg5igiMQQmpX87MYr8YDot3eaJ_Nf0DerWRWFrxcCFcafmsDw/s320/2012-08-16+13.47.44.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blackberries</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
While Ruth is presently jamming away, my blackberries sit in a bowl awaiting cream for pudding. However I was reminded that last year I made a blackberry vodka liqueur. I didn't blog it at the time but I did take pictures so here goes... It's a doddle really - weighing it really isn't necessary but some folk like to have an idea of scale.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoXkcvU4wqZZQ8BufwQd4xBSF0hsdqtZXJnLJWVPZC8u4DhyphenhyphenOU3utzPFtoUaRz_YK1hh34XNvwkg4hBVxZM4CS8oEcVNUEaWlWyG7pc_bgNjdOd1EkIsRs5fNw4VhNjqnINdWjIg/s1600/2012-08-16+14.20.09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoXkcvU4wqZZQ8BufwQd4xBSF0hsdqtZXJnLJWVPZC8u4DhyphenhyphenOU3utzPFtoUaRz_YK1hh34XNvwkg4hBVxZM4CS8oEcVNUEaWlWyG7pc_bgNjdOd1EkIsRs5fNw4VhNjqnINdWjIg/s320/2012-08-16+14.20.09.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Basically you are looking at about a cup of sugar to a pound of blackberries, layered into a jar and covered with vodka in the jar. You need enough to keep the fruit beneath the surface which in my case was less than a full 75cl bottle.. so about 50 cl. Or about 500g blackberries to 250g sugar and as much of the vodka as it takes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeid8qPK8Vo8z1KwlOfR4c5raFuRaogoHoVnpj20m54kPvqHNT3Alx7Jm0LjOAHvhW1NgpCltCvVSN38YcC4qKR_6ee3lwLorzkcvyI95D89ul7Bi7iaEmGgdzI3_dewHuY7C8bA/s1600/2012-08-16+14.24.39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeid8qPK8Vo8z1KwlOfR4c5raFuRaogoHoVnpj20m54kPvqHNT3Alx7Jm0LjOAHvhW1NgpCltCvVSN38YcC4qKR_6ee3lwLorzkcvyI95D89ul7Bi7iaEmGgdzI3_dewHuY7C8bA/s320/2012-08-16+14.24.39.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Don't mess with caster sugar or any fancy vodka. The blackberries transform granulated sugar and cheap supermarket vodka!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQCS5HQq2OfPKFBaIyeQhoVlusjwt9nSE7QXDIm5FwqUdHm2QVGbiF8uoUwhnR0aqHiohvEPdIGHS2yfp4UFUPXyxma8s4K4q2sICOyhpu4PDmTNmC7ZzRqfeYWwXaQN6qJePEJw/s1600/2012-08-16+14.33.48.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQCS5HQq2OfPKFBaIyeQhoVlusjwt9nSE7QXDIm5FwqUdHm2QVGbiF8uoUwhnR0aqHiohvEPdIGHS2yfp4UFUPXyxma8s4K4q2sICOyhpu4PDmTNmC7ZzRqfeYWwXaQN6qJePEJw/s320/2012-08-16+14.33.48.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
Then just layer it in, sugar and fruit, right up to the top.<br />
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Pour over the vodka...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMl-UOClH0XoxxoKZYQIwPzCn-tXTg-0_DEdWfg_Hz6CW9TuxzW4qR5bhgNc1acx2Q3Hkyt63HN4aC-fEP_zjdFj-W7aj4fysXEcZJESZMnVaFGUK7uOtfJwg3SDxGmQRBDmaYVw/s1600/2012-08-16+14.42.16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMl-UOClH0XoxxoKZYQIwPzCn-tXTg-0_DEdWfg_Hz6CW9TuxzW4qR5bhgNc1acx2Q3Hkyt63HN4aC-fEP_zjdFj-W7aj4fysXEcZJESZMnVaFGUK7uOtfJwg3SDxGmQRBDmaYVw/s320/2012-08-16+14.42.16.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
Cap the jar and stick it in a dark cupboard for a few weeks. Until Christmas ideally. Then strain it through muslin and bottle.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fresh and frozen</td></tr>
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You can use the sweet boozy fruit in desserts like pavlovas! The weird thing is that the vodka content prevents it from freezing properly. So in the picture above the new fresh fruit picked today is in the left hand tub and some of the fruit that made the dark liqueur last year is in the frozen right hand tub. Some colour extracted, obviously, but the fruit in the frozen tub still has the texture of fresh fruit!<br />
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Magic!<br />
<br />Charlie Farrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08134083309643455404noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573273.post-40117437746174941162013-08-07T15:09:00.003+01:002013-08-07T18:47:11.239+01:00Springfield Sanctuary Herb Festival 2013<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcTIPD4kJ1Hha4nzZkepdRYPuazD5chLcDIqBkSW5Vb6aP59VFYQREyvjx5ZE0XpzG7uEuMejIg2aSjoBh8VCJ8cvICJuxVeMJi3HKGkAVGtNUWuQU8FA8cQvX357j6DZaaoDyJg/s1600/CharlieHerbFest2012-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcTIPD4kJ1Hha4nzZkepdRYPuazD5chLcDIqBkSW5Vb6aP59VFYQREyvjx5ZE0XpzG7uEuMejIg2aSjoBh8VCJ8cvICJuxVeMJi3HKGkAVGtNUWuQU8FA8cQvX357j6DZaaoDyJg/s320/CharlieHerbFest2012-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Speaking at the 2012 Festival. <br />
Photo credit Debs Cook</td></tr>
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This year will be the third year that I have been a speaker at the <a href="http://www.springfieldsanctuary.co.uk/mainfiles/festival.htm" target="_blank">Springfield Sanctuary Herb Festival</a> in the Cotswolds. The 'Celebrating Herbs' festival runs from Friday 6th to Sunday 8th September 2013. The other speakers are all amazing - practising medical herbalists and experts in wildcrafting - there are practical workshops and guided herb walks. Camping is available in the field. The programme is <a href="http://www.springfieldsanctuary.co.uk/mainfiles/festival/festival_programme.pdf" target="_blank">here as a printable pdf</a>. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.springfieldsanctuary.co.uk/mainfiles/festival/festival_camping_01_med.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.springfieldsanctuary.co.uk/mainfiles/festival/festival_camping_01_med.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Camping at the Festival. <br />
Photo credit Chris Head</td></tr>
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I generally take an historical and folkloric approach to my talks. Last year I spoke on Herbal Fumigants:<i>"Burning, suffumigation and smudge: using smoke to clear the air" </i>based on the idea that many people believe that the practices of burning herbs and smoking were brought to us from the New World with tobacco. So I took a look (with demonstrations) at the Old World uses of non-tobacco smoke, from the incenses and entheogens of the classical period to Bald's Leechbook which tells us "<i>geréc þone man mid þám wyrtum</i>" (smoke that man with the herbs); through the early modern period and into the 20th century.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRkEWzGLZUPlQQ0gOMA42WMNT4_823UekekJugpTz48WuHtcYM52E0iVj-_UM05ZqyTbHTYzNCHiCc1mdHF9DS_0wOrS_Xg0iGxkayJFW4mkV-GbyO7tL374Mj34qyb5zgFp7chg/s1600/CharlieHerbFest2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRkEWzGLZUPlQQ0gOMA42WMNT4_823UekekJugpTz48WuHtcYM52E0iVj-_UM05ZqyTbHTYzNCHiCc1mdHF9DS_0wOrS_Xg0iGxkayJFW4mkV-GbyO7tL374Mj34qyb5zgFp7chg/s320/CharlieHerbFest2012.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Demonstrating a mugwort 'smudge' stick.<br />
Photo credit Debs Cook</td></tr>
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At the request of a number of people in the audience, as well as some overseas members of Sarah Head's herb apprenticeship programme who were unable to attend, I did promise to make an extended version of my notes available as an e-book, and it is as I start to prepare this year's offering that I'm prompted to get that out before I actually deliver the next one! I do hope some of my herby friends can be persuaded to review it - let me know and I will gift you a copy.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRdPnEb40_vKrq7q1TEs6pm-2aS65FHWmHLpSnNp7VMW0JSt-bC1FAbOghcHGHQpQjHfIH_lo85RVPl01EJDAUO57_O34CdQ99akTOmy0C7FjGKtagS1-FUx_KdW6NZhw7qkDoQg/s1600/CharlieHerbFest2012-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRdPnEb40_vKrq7q1TEs6pm-2aS65FHWmHLpSnNp7VMW0JSt-bC1FAbOghcHGHQpQjHfIH_lo85RVPl01EJDAUO57_O34CdQ99akTOmy0C7FjGKtagS1-FUx_KdW6NZhw7qkDoQg/s320/CharlieHerbFest2012-3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With my 'pirate's chest' of goodies.<br />
Photo credit Debs Cook</td></tr>
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This year the title of my talk is <i>"The historical legacy of blessings, curses, and charms in modern western herbalism." </i>I shall be bringing along my wooden box of goodies with loads of things to demonstrate again, (last year's audience called it my pirate's chest!) I think that interacting with the herbs is so valuable to supplement booklearning - it's one of the main reasons why people choose to attend festivals and join groups.<br />
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<i>Sarah Head runs Springfield Sanctuary <a href="http://www.springfieldsanctuary.co.uk/mainfiles/sanctuary_apprenticeship.htm" target="_blank">herbal apprenticeships</a> and I am proud to number myself amongst her alumni. Her blog <a href="http://kitchenherbwife.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">'Tales of a Kitchen Herbwife' is here</a>.</i><br />
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<a href="http://www.springfieldsanctuary.co.uk/mainfiles/apprenticeships/apprentice_02_med.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.springfieldsanctuary.co.uk/mainfiles/apprenticeships/apprentice_02_med.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Springfield Sanctuary is part of Wynyards Farm, a small arable farm in the Cotswolds belonging to Sarah Head's parents, Pryce and Marjorie Watkins.</i><br />
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<i>Debs Cook's Herbaholic website <a href="http://herbal-haven.co.uk/blog/" target="_blank">'Herbal Haven' is here.</a></i>Charlie Farrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08134083309643455404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573273.post-21312985310030735212013-05-28T22:25:00.000+01:002013-05-28T22:42:23.561+01:00So you've been accused of witchcraft...?Herewith for your delectation, a flow chart that sets out your options should you be accused of witchcraft, taken from the Summer 2012 edition is<a href="http://laphamsquarterly.org/" target="_blank"> Lapham's Quarterly magazine</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMvmS_vN2FCTilwLPzk58Mdg5ewsmUs2FPbNsILdrsBRlHpO__a9Nqf7SsJPlTExnmy3A1UOBDMiA7UN120zbFnSF4XFnzYObazivavoY6LZCRn8PWW0hlmCm-tz2qzV1j24GOSw/s1600/witchcraft-copy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x162/CharlieFarrow/witchcraft-copy.png" width="267" /></a></div>
Just on a point of interest though,<i> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malleus_Maleficarum" target="_blank">Malleus Malificarum</a></i> (Hammer of the Witches) is a treatise on the prosecution of witches, written in 1486 by Heinrich Kramer, a German Catholic clergyman. Here<br />
in England we hanged our witches, we didn't burn them... the Scots did though...
You can't say I never post anything useful!<br />
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<br />Charlie Farrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08134083309643455404noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573273.post-32984211846309480892013-05-21T11:07:00.001+01:002014-03-20T00:01:56.559+00:00Volunteers needed for Loose Ends soup kitchen, Newbury<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1otPDmmAjvUFjZbWoqE_RGbdmMLScPoYzzHln8gcWHjS2HjkoDc5M8FxyLYu6xEvQOo1t9z3NOHuYbERFHkUekO4Sz3GxXjJ0-ojqMIzS7LqRnY_8UPaVMi9duDDkXJjlISB1xw/s1600/_59914083_tins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1otPDmmAjvUFjZbWoqE_RGbdmMLScPoYzzHln8gcWHjS2HjkoDc5M8FxyLYu6xEvQOo1t9z3NOHuYbERFHkUekO4Sz3GxXjJ0-ojqMIzS7LqRnY_8UPaVMi9duDDkXJjlISB1xw/s1600/_59914083_tins.jpg" /></a></div>
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Further to my Food Bank post <a href="http://charliefarrow.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/suspended-coffee.html" target="_blank">here</a>, I'd just like to add that the charity I referred to in the Morton Hall at the Baptist Church in Newbury is <a href="http://www.do-it.org.uk/search/opportunities/1050356/drop-in-centre-volunteers?unit=mile&distance=5&location=Rg14+5JG&causesInterestsSome=44" target="_blank">currently seeking volunteers for their Drop In Centre called Loose Ends</a>. They provide a hot meal, groceries to take away, toiletries, showers and clean clothes for homeless or inadequately housed people in the Newbury area.
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhszSPv10aj_pArdXiaeC8GKUMEq6s9TwR00tB7mSoKgbKlt1KduOHVa3o0AhBfFuxDuJQtu-il8dL8tK2ezag4kEr1UPCoy79ZqbAO7FTM3zFUqA5_a8n3xa2C5bW_JLNflkM0gQ/s1600/church1_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhszSPv10aj_pArdXiaeC8GKUMEq6s9TwR00tB7mSoKgbKlt1KduOHVa3o0AhBfFuxDuJQtu-il8dL8tK2ezag4kEr1UPCoy79ZqbAO7FTM3zFUqA5_a8n3xa2C5bW_JLNflkM0gQ/s320/church1_s.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Newbury Baptist Church, Cheap Street </td></tr>
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"<i>At the moment the doors are open for 4 sessions a week. A home cooked soup is provided on Mondays between 12:30pm and 1:30pm, a freshly cooked breakfast on Wednesdays and Fridays between 9:30am and 11:00am and on Sundays a cooked lunch between 2:00pm and 3:30pm. Volunteers are needed to arrive 45 minutes before the start of their session. </i></blockquote>
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<i>Another new trend is the number of young people coming through the doors. They are either living rough, or what is known as 'invisible homeless' ie constantly on the move from one 'friends' door to another's. So many of these people are the product of broken homes and failed 'care' systems, and a surprising number are ex-service personnel. Most of them have histories that move one to tears and have suffered terribly either physically or mentally or both. The majority have an alcohol or drug problem, or both, and most of them are known to the police. </i></blockquote>
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<i>If you are interested in getting involved, but don't feel this role is for you, then there are other equally important ways to support LOOSE ENDS i.e. collecting supplies of food/clothes/ toiletries, doing the regular shopping or fund-raising.</i>"</blockquote>
I don't attend this church and I'm not currently a volunteer, but having mentioned this work several weeks ago, it seemed important to help publicise their search for volunteers. Charlie Farrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08134083309643455404noreply@blogger.com1