humour
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Here she is, joining the list with Edward IV (twice), Louis XIV, John Lennon, King Fahd of Saudi Arabia, Sir Andre Previn, Ed Sheeran, Dan Snow and Adele. Never mind the evidence, the judicial decisions and the legislation, it just didn’t happen (as they say in Cairo).
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At the moment I’m trawling around medieval rulers in Europe. And lo! I’ve come upon this gentleman: His contemporary likenesses aren’t much better, so why was he called Philip the Fair/Handsome? Was it tongue-in cheek? If you look through the various recreations of him in this link below, if they’re even halfway accurate you can…
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Where Richard III is concerned, his physical appearance is all important. His enemies alter his portraits to give him an evil, scheming aspect that suits their agenda. His friends prefer more flattering portraits that show him as he really was. There is one portrait in the National Portrait Gallery (above) that is perhaps the most…
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The Dickon’s Diaries series was written to lighten the mood surrounding Richard III as the authors felt that there was so much tragedy and sadness regarding his life, especially the last few years. Susan Lamb has a Facebook page, Dickon for his Dames, and on meeting Joanne Larner (me!) she asked her to collaborate to…
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“The Buildings that fought Hitler” (Yesterday)
Battle of Britain, Bawdsey Manor, Blitz, deception, Dorset, dummy cities, Edmund Ironside, Field Marshal Ironside, Home Guard, Jasper Maskelyne, Military tactics, pill boxes, radar, Second World War, Stanley House, Stanleys, stop lines, Wars of the Roses, Wellington College, Winston Churchill, Yesterday ChannelOnce you have reached beyond the bizarre title, which sounds rather like a Dr. Who episode, this is actually a very good series. Rob Bell, the engineer who is becoming quite ubiquitous, demonstrates how the UK was ready to use ther natural and built environments, together with science, to repel and then restrict a German…
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Here is a selection of useful inventions. I was surprised to find out how old the stair lift was but Henry VIII and his maternal grandfather could both have availed themselves of it and 1536 was just in time for the former’s riding accident. The fire extinguisher only dates to 1818 but many people really…
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15th C fashion could be quite dramatic…and sometimes, to our modern eyes, a bit ridiculous. Nothing more so than the infamous Poulaine shoes, with their excessively long pointed toes that looked as if they were dangerous to walk in (the nearest we had to them in modern times were the Winklepicker shoes worn by Teddy…
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There are some interesting occurrences in Welsh history, not all of them well known. When I came upon this article, I looked for Henry VII. Well, he was bound to feature. And he did! I quote: “….Numerous [Welsh] rebellions still arose, most famously that led by Owain Glyndwr….The Glyndwr Rising would lead to the Penal…
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Well, the hymn book was never like this, I grant. No hymn numbers here. Instead we have a forgotten Rolling Stone, because if ever there was one, here he is! I can just picture him up on stage giving it some wellie with Mick, Keith & Co. Not that he’d be enjoying himself, that’s for…
The New Murrey and Blue blog 