News article on Argentinian reenactment

Oswego reenactment news story and video

French and Indian war reenactment footage from the recent 250th anniversary of the French victory at Oswego.

Fergie 'London Bridge'

If you thought 'My Humps' by the Black-Eyed Peas was the most revolting hip hop record ever it has a new challenger - Fergie herself doing an anglocentric rap called 'London Bridge'. 'My Humps' was really really bad - a 31-year old singing like a 12-year old - Ms Ferg rapping coyly about her 'lovely lady lumps' and the bling that they would acquire - this one is not quite that bad but it is pretty awful. 'Fergie Ferg gonna love you long time' I sincerely hope not. The video is tacky to the extreme and the whole premise is built on the misconception that Tower Bridge with its drawbridge system is actually London Bridge. Idiot.
Lyrics here.

Battle of Blenheim 1704

As today is the anniversary of this English victory over the French I have an excuse to put up another picture of me this time at Blenheim Palace in 2004 with one of the captured French colours.
The coat I'm wearing has an interesting background - it was made in '89 by Simon Frame for the tercentenary of Killikrankie but since then was used in practically every possible way - the Monmouth Rebellion on both sides, the Boyne in Ireland, an American Indian trade coat, a Governor at the Salem Witch trials, an Irish officer in the War of Spanish Succession - even travelling to Estonia to take part in the relief of Narva. Simon got the coat back a year or two ago and since then the coat has been enjoying a happy retirement, a little damaged from its travails.
Narva is on this weekend so let's hope it goes as well as previous years - article here

The return of Futurama

Were you upset when they cancelled Futurama? We were vert upset... so we're very happy now that they commissioned some new episodes coming out in about 2008. We won't be so sad when watching our boxed sets anymore - we can use them as a tool to get all excited about the brilliant characters, jokes and storylines.
Fansite

Argentinian reenactors

This year quite a few Napoleonic reenactors are off to Argentina to reenact the British invasion of 1806 - check out this lot - one of the participating groups - the Voluntary Grenadiers of Buenos Ayres (also called Grenadiers of Fernando VII).
wiki on military history of Argentina
BBC article on the forgotten invasion of Argentina

The Michigan Wolverine

Michigan is known as the Wolverine state apparently so it is a matter of intense local pride that one of these enigmatic and legendary creatures has returned after an absence of 200 years or more. Check out the site to learn more about this fascinating animal.

Age of Sail live firing video

This is an amazing site. Basically a mock-up of part of a War of 1812 warship is used to demonstrate the destructive power of the cannons of the time. This is the real deal not Hollywood fakery so you can see what it really would have been like at the time of Hornblower and his ilk. The recoil of the guns, the flying splinters - it's all there - spectacular and educational.

The wounds of World War Two - Germans as Victims?

'Some call it historical revisionism. Others say it's an important part of World War II. An exhibition in Berlin looks at the fate of Germans expelled from Eastern Europe after the war -- something that makes many of Germany's neighbors nervous.'

Wolverines

'Wolverines are fast enough to run down a reindeer, strong enough to swim across a river, and agile enough to scale a tree'. National geographical article on the Finnish Wolverine
My son was looking up stuff on the Ekorus - a giant prehistoric mustelid - and it looked a bit like a Wolverine in the picture. The ekorus used to bring down horses and had leopard-like legs so I don't think it is that much like a Wolverine but the Wolverine is an amazing creature. A relative of the weasel that can kill something as large as a moose. Distribution: Canada, Estonia, Finland, Mongolia, Norway, Russia, Sweden, USA Read more here
Wiki on the Wolverine
The Wolverine Foundation site - well worth visiting if you care enough about one the planet's most fascinating creatures.

Napoleon the Polecat

Is this the handsomest ferret you have ever seen? Looks like a polecat - Mustela putorius - the word polecat apparently derives from the French word for chicken meaning chicken cat. They live on frogs, voles, eels, rats and various fowl being strong swimmers. I suppose their niche has been taken by the imported Mink.
More stuff on polecats here including some photos and the fact that Polecats kill by 'pithing' or biting through the brain stem which leaves the prey alive but immobile - I heard once of someone who found a stash of frogs in a wall - all alive but paralysed.

Polecat survey showing distribution map
Wiki on European polecats
Rockabilly Guys
Of course there was an 80s rockabilly band called the Polecats who featured Boz Boorer who is best known for his work with Morrissey. Watch their ultra-catchy orginal Make A Circuit With Me video here
Phew! Ferrets to Morrissey in one posting.

Bristol Balloon Fiesta

If you like hot air balloons and you live in the West of England then you must go to Ashton Court for the annual balloon event - nightglow and fireworks tonight.

Snakes on a Plane

No hand luggage or mobile phones on flights... is this a massive publicity stunt for the forthcoming movie Snakes on a Plane? Imdb with link to trailer
Wiki on Snakes on a Plane

An American castle

I thought when we took the photos of Nunney Castle that the American visitors to this site would enjoy it as yanks usually go all weak at the knees when they see British castles but it seems there is a few over there. The above link takes you to the story of castle Vianden in Illinois and if you're interested more US castles to read about.

Nunney Castle - photos by Susan

For our first trip we thought we got to Nunney castle - one of my favourite castles in this area. It's free to get in and with the village that surrounds this moated ruin it is a very picturesque part of North Somerset.




















Inspired by the French chateaux he'd seen in the Hundred Years War John de la Mare started Nunney castle near Frome in the 1370s. Never a serious military fortress being overlooked by rolling hills it was no doubt an impressive enough status symbol for the time. It passed into the Prater family in the 1560s. The castle was besieged in 1645 when the New Model Army's siege train was despatched from the main force to finish this outpost of Royalist resistance. It fell without much effort, this was not a building made to resist artillery. The garrison was tiny and it is said that they made pigs scream to make it seem they had plenty of pork to slaughter. It's said that it fell to Cromwell or Fairfax but this segment from Anglia Rediviva shows that only a small detachment was needed to reduce it.

The General resting all the next day a t Sherborne, to settle the business of the county. And on Monday (after Sir Lewis Dives and the prisoners , together with the club-leaders before mentioned, who were had in hold, were sent away with a guard to London) the army marched to Castle-Carew (save that Colonel Rainsborough with his own and Colonel Hammond’s regiments, and two pieces of ordnance, was sent to Nunney-castle, for the reducing thereof), th e rest of the army marched that night to Castle-Carew: the next day the General himself went to view Nunney castle, and found it to be a very strong piece. The next day the army marched to Chue, nine miles, and ill way;
Thursday 21st, in the morning, to encourage us in our engagements, we received intelligence of the surrender of Nunney-castle to Colonel Rainsborough, upon condition to have liberty to go to their own houses.

Have car will travel

Our next-door neighbours have kindly leant us their car while they go on holiday - how nice is that? Anyway it means that we can zoom about the countryside like everyone else, although I doubt we'll go far as we have a load of ferrets to feed and keep clean but it will be pleasant to get out and about without relying on the terrible bus service that we have. I hope I can still remember how to drive as it's been about 6 years since we last had a car. Some journeys like the one to Frome and Bath I could probably do with my eyes closed, though I shan't be trying it to see whether that's true. I wonder if there's any good gigs on? The serious business of choosing what cds to play is the next item on the agenda - fast and frantic like the Polysics or calm and soothing? I don't really have any calm and soothing music apart from some Yo La Tengo and the Wicker Man soundtrack. I bought a Carpenters tape once to try and create a pleasant ambience in the car but everyone hated it, especially when I sang along in a flat voice 'Calling occupants of interplanetary craft!' try it - it's fun!
My favourite feelgood goosefraba song, and universally popular family-wise is Sugartown by Nancy Sinatra. Watch the lovely cheesey video here. How could you get road rage with that on the stereo?

article on Mel Gibson's kids

Animals and Men live

You might need to be a friend or family member to enjoy this clip of us playing the Griffin Inn Frome - it was recorded on a phone so don't expect good sound quality.

Celia

Middle daughter, just back from the Big Green Gathering. Armband and sunburn intact. Not that much of a hippy really - especially if you read the small print on the t-shirt. She had great fun and reckoned it was a lot better organised this time. Her favourite bit was the fairy tunnel which was the best place to cool off. Her favourite musical moment was a band the Cardboard Superstars who played a set of punk covers adapted to have a toilet theme from a portaloo. She was a bit disappointed with the state a lot of the campers left their spots but her living history experience since the age of 2 makes her a conscientious person when it comes to camp discipline.
Green dreams are mainstream but noone told the hippies

Bath Spa Project

Well finally our local white elephant the Bath Spa Project is open. I really resent this, like most local people. I remember swimming in the warm spring waters of Bath and it was an orange colour - the water in this thing presumably comes out of the tap rather than the springs.
If I wasn't so well brought up I'd go along purely to defecate in one of the hot tubs.