In The Pink

Sky Watch Friday

The highlight of my week occurred on Tuesday when I found myself in the region of Wigmore Castle in the Welsh Marches, once home to Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March (1287 - 1330). I have wanted to go here since reading Ian Mortimers book about Roger, The Greatest Traitor.  Roger was an amazing man, warrior, and leader of men however he is probably most remembered for his part in the forced abdication of Edward II and alleged involvement in the murder of the former King, a topic I won't debate here.  To me however he was a true historical hero. Unfortunately in the end absolute power corrupted absolutely and I believe he lost sight of his initial goal, which for years was to preserve the interests of the Country, but I am proud to know his story and so happy to finally have visited his home. I had the place to myself for the duration of my visit and I found Wigmore to be powerful and peaceful.

Ooh, and one more job to finally start today, I have to sort out my 15,000 plus digital photos and label them! I can't find anything!

Yesterday I found Facebook pages for enthusiasts of King Edward III, Medieval History and Scottish History. I am in heaven! Mr Dancin is a history enthusiast so we talk about it a lot however his preference is for earlier periods and the Anglo Saxon Kings, plus he has yet to read a couple of books I have bought which have highlighted some historical revelations and until he reads them I can't discuss it as I don't want to ruin the surprise! So, having other like minded folk to rant about days of old with has made my weekend. I must however remember that there are chores to do, articles to write for the website, dogs to feed and a song to write! I do as well, thanks to recent FB findings, have a couple of new history books to add to my shopping list and I would really like to buy them and delve between the pages! I can't wait for our summer holiday this year. Our holiday activities focus on mountains, water, walking, history and reading and I foresee a serious reading

Today I am going to write a folk song on my guitar. I am a big folk fan and have always written songs and poems. Its a personal hobby and not something I have ever planned to try and make a career out of! Anyway I have had THIS amazing folk song, sung by John Tams in my head all week and hope to come up with something as simple and captivating. I will let you know how it goes! You may know John Tams as one of the Chosen Men from Sharpe, as seen here in an early episode. And if you are anything like me you will know which episode this is and what line is coming next!

Last weekend we had my wonderful nephew come and stay. We went out on the canoe and had a picnic lunch, spoiled ourselves with a Chinese takeaway for tea, and played play-station until bedtime! (Need for Speed II Underground!) I have to say we have missed him sorely this week and wish he could come every weekend! Anyway, this was his room. I managed to keep it this tidy for about a day after he left before we filled it with our rubbish again! At the moment it is currently housing a double bed and all of the rubbish that was under the bed, plus a huge pile of clean washing that needs ironing and putting away!

I don't come here as often as I would like and I think one reason, one of many, is that blogging seems to have suffered in recent years. I don't know if its FB or Twitter or maybe just people going through phases or being busy, but it is a bit of a shame.  I have long since stopped thinking about the merits of my blog and whether I should continue or not. It will always be here now and I will always come here to update my reading list, use my links to visit other bloggers and occasionally post about my passions and ponderings! I do this for me and I like to share things here. Having said that, if you stop by please say hello, the blogosphere feels very lonely without you all.

Tomorrow is St Georges Day in England however it is a date I have come to associate more with the Knights of The Order of the Garter, the oldest and most senior British Order of Chivalry, founded in 1348 by one of my historical heroes King Edward III.  The Sovereign and twenty-five knights make up The Order. It is an honour bestowed upon those who have: held public office, contributed in a particular way to national life or who have served the Sovereign personally. In centuries gone by the day was marked by a jousting tournament and great celebration. The patron saint of the Order is St George, and the spiritual home of the Order is St George's Chapel, Windsor.  Every knight of The Order displays a banner of his arms at St Georges Chapel, along with a helmet, crest, sword and stallplate. These items are taken down on the knights death. The insignia are returned to the Sovereign and the stallplates remain as a memorial. (The insignia have developed over the years and

Its been another slow blogging year for me so far but all for good reasons! The latest of which being we have a new toy! We have hired canoe's out on several holidays and have wanted one of our own for ages so we are really pleased to finally have a boat to play in. We live on the canal and near a great canoeing river so it makes sense really! We have had the boat for 3 weeks and have been out every weekend for between 3-5 hours each trip.  Thanks to my parents we have a great air tight ruck sack for our picnic and supplies so we just pack a lunch, carry the canoe across the road to the canal and set off. Yesterday we went the furthest yet and even found a canal-side pub for a quick pint before the return journey. We are obviously keen to take the boat further afield but that will have to wait until we get the roof rack sorted on the truck. We are already planning our next holiday in Scotland around good canoeing! These pictures are all from our first trip out but we

For some time now I have been trying to get the whole Lancaster vs York thing straight in my mind with regard to The War of the Roses. As most of the magnates involved are descended from Edward III (all credit to Phillipa of Hainault!) it is a family affair but I feel as though I want to choose sides. I just want to know who was right and who was wrong! Up until this point I have felt distinctly Lancastrian however through my recent readings I have discovered that while more knowledge makes some things clearer, it can also make things more complicated. I now understand the family tree for this period, and if I squint and really concentrate I can see it in my mind and follow the blood lines through. But both sides have done some really bad things, and not always for good reasons. Both sides have killed a King and it seems that almost everyone has plotted to kill one, except one poor soul who has been executed for plotting to kill one despite being innocent. It seems I am going t

I am coming to a crucial bit in my Henry V book and am troubled. I have read about many English Kings now, some I like, some I don't, but I have tried to understand them all so that I may make my own opinion on their cause and justifications. I like Henry V, well at least I want to, but I do not believe in his cause. (Image Credit: Silva Animation ) I have always liked my warrior/ battle stories, and reading about a battle can be incredibly exciting when you believe in the perpetrator; when you don't it is a sad tale of events that wreak havoc on thousands of peoples lives, like a wave of suffering and destruction; and if there was one thing they knew how to do in medieval times it was make people suffer!  I think Henry's cause is misguided and believe him intelligent enough to have been able to change the course of events if he had considered the bigger picture and believed in himself.  Perhaps I am wrong; perhaps given his Father's unorthodox route t

My current book and precious possession - History of the Kings of Britain, Geoffrey of Monmouth