tag:lunadraconis.blog.co.uk,2009-11-09:/A Blog Containing: Daft, Eccentric, Frequently Garbled Hyperbole. It Just Kinda Leads Me. Noticably Opinionated Periodically. Quite Random, Sometimes Tetchy, Utterly Vague, Wanderings. X You, Zealously. Oh, okay, I admit the XYZ had me stumped but I didn't think anyone would mind a kiss for an X!MokoFeed2009-11-09T14:07:52+01:00tag:lunadraconis.blog.co.uk,2009-10-20:/2009/10/20/word-finding-difficulties-picking-bloggers-brains-7210150/lunadraconis2009-10-20T18:51:51+02:002009-10-20T18:51:51+02:00 <p><span>...if I may?</span></p> <p><span>I have been asked if I would tutor a young lad with 'Word Finding Difficulties' to help him pass his English GCSE.  He is absolutely brilliant in mathematics and music, has an artist's talents and has perfect hand eye co-ordination judging by his juggling abilities.  He has already passed his 'A' levels in Maths and Music at 17.  He needs to get to Uni and has chosen Kings in London but he cannot get in without his English.</span></p> <p><span>Does anybody have any advice to give me on this 'Word Finding' problem?  It's not part of the Dyslexia syndrome, nor is it related to Aspergers or Autism.  If you showed him a picture of a swan, he would say it was a duck, so he can relate and he knows it's wrong even as he says it.  If you ask him to name 10 foods, he will name a group i.e. meat, veg, salad - he will not name them individually - if you see what I mean?</span></p> <p><span>I have looked it up in fairly authoratative journals but whilst they explain the reasons behind it, they're not big on supplying teaching methods.  He has been assessed recently, as the school unfortunately, don't recognise the syndrome.  I'm specifically looking for methods of getting him to remember words, even though he is not actually short of vocabulary at all.  It's difficult and I thought maybe someone out there would be able to help or at least point me in the right direction.</span></p> <p><span>So, all advice gratefully received.  Many thanks for reading.<br></span></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://lunadraconis.blog.co.uk/2009/10/20/word-finding-difficulties-picking-bloggers-brains-7210150/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:lunadraconis.blog.co.uk,2009-10-18:/2009/10/18/deep-joy-for-a-beautiful-autumn-sunday-in-october-7193117/lunadraconis2009-10-18T12:22:01+02:002009-10-18T12:22:01+02:00 <p><span><img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/icon_wave.gif" alt=""> So, I thought I would share it all with you.</span></p> <p><span>Today, I am preparing a lecture on the Anglo Saxons - this is the deep joy part!  They have reared their heads again after the hoard found in a Staffordshire field.  Isn't it interesting how history has a future?</span></p> <p><span>It is clearly a battle hoard, made up of armour and coins and basically, it is the spoils of war.  The problem is, we know very little about the Anglo Saxons and, what we do know has been written by the monks and priests, who were Christian and so, what they say about the pagan Angles, Saxons, Fresians and Jutes must be taken with a pinch of salt!  <img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/icon_wth.gif" alt=""><br></span></p> <p><span>The intriguing part about the hoard is...how and when it was collected...what significance did it have for it to be collected in the first place and was it left to be picked up later. </span></p> <p><span>It is believed that the Celts took the heads of their enemies, to give them insider knowledge about their enemies and thus defeat them better.  Quite how they extracted this knowledge from dead heads is open to debate!  <img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/grayconfused.gif" alt="">Anyone?  As there are no body parts (yet!) found in the hoard, one can probably rule out the gaining knowledge scenario.  Unless, of course, it was the Celts who won that battle and it was them who collected the spoils, having already beheaded the enemy...they then took their wealth.  Or, did the Anglo Saxons fight each other?  The Celts certainly did.  The problem historians have with the Anglo Saxons is that most of what we know comes from archaeology, like the Staffordshire find and that of Sutton Hoo.  Archaeology is open to interpretation and that makes historians a little antsy about it. <img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/graybigrazz.gif" alt=""> Some historians consider archeologists to erase pages of history as they dig and that may certainly be true of early archaeologists but not really of today, where they record everything.</span></p> <p><span>Still, finding burial sites and seeing the things they were buried with, is fascinating but doesn't really give us the significance of the why.  Tacitus, a Roman writer based with the legions in what is now Germany, wrote that the Germanic tribes were fierce warriors, that the women were as fierce in fighting as their men and that if they weren't fighting would stand at the sidelines, bare-breasted encouraging their men forward into battle. <img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/graybigeek.gif" alt=""> Yet no such evidence has been found in the Anglo Saxon graves here in Britain.  The women have been buried with jewellery, keys and sewing kits, buttons, shells and cloak pins.  Ne'ery a sword, buckle or shield boss to be found as they have in male graves.  So basically, if the women were warriors, they were not expected to be warriors in the after-life or their grave goods certainly don't indicate this in any case.  Yet, these were the same people, weren't they?</span></p> <p><span>Furthermore, we are taught in school that the Anglo Saxons invaded Britain but this has now been disproved.  A  study of English place names would indicate that they did in fact come as settlers, bringing their wives and children with them.  Invaders would immediately have made settlement names their own but England has many place names that have roots in Celtic, Latin and Anglo Saxon as well.  This, to me at least, implies a quiet settling, relatively at peace with those indiginous peoples already here.  Of course, I could be wrong, it has been known!!!  <img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/10rolleyessmile.gif" alt=""><br></span></p> <p><span>So...to the writings of Gildas Badonicus, a Celtic monk who spoke of the invasion of the Anglo Saxons as a plague of biblical proportion...a lesson if you will for the tyrant kings, the corrupt church and indolent priests in Britain.  Forward to the Venerable Bede, himself an Anglo Saxon, who despite plagiarising Gildas' work unashamedly, described the Anglo Saxons as beloved of God!  <img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/smiley-innocent.gif" alt=""> They were writing in the 6th and 8th centuries respectively.  Which just goes to prove that they had hidden agendas even back then!!!</span></p> <p><span>Oh dear, as I write, the lovely autumn day has clouded over and the wind chill has increased exponentially. <img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/graysigh.gif" alt=""> It is a timely reminder that I should not be writing lectures on my blog for the instruction of all (and, let's be honest to the disinterest of many!!) but rather that I should be applying myself to writing it for my 2nd year Medieval History Uni students, who will, of course (!!) dazzle me with their sparkling insights into the cosmology of the Anglo Saxons but who are, unfortunately, more likely to ask me the worth of the hoard and whether or not it is worthwhile going out to buy metal detectors!!!  <img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/icon_lalala.gif" alt=""><br></span></p> <p><span>Therefore, I must away and be industrious, so, as they say in Anglo Saxon - cheerio for now!!!</span></p> <p><span><img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/graylaugh.gif" alt=""><br></span></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://lunadraconis.blog.co.uk/2009/10/18/deep-joy-for-a-beautiful-autumn-sunday-in-october-7193117/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:lunadraconis.blog.co.uk,2009-10-13:/2009/10/13/little-dragon-drinks-s-african-wine-in-toast-to-absent-friend-xxx-7162978/lunadraconis2009-10-13T20:15:51+02:002009-10-13T20:15:51+02:00 <p><span>Hello again everyone and a special hello to those who greeted me back again - you know who you all are, so no use labouring the point. <img src="/img/smilies/graylaugh.gif" alt=":))" class="middle" border="0"></span></p> <p><span>As I have had a little time now to amble back around the ongoing world of blog, immersing myself yet again in the wonder of words and writing, I have come to notice an enormous gap in my blog world.  Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have lost a very good blog friend.  Not that all my blog friends aren't very good blog friends, if you know what I mean but I am one of the lucky few, that has quality friends not quantity friends and therefore, when one goes missing, I notice very quickly.</span></p> <p><span>Now, I don't know her reasons for leaving.  I know only that she was troubled and wrote some of that in her various blogs.  Yet, despite this being a virtual world, with virtual friends, some can get to you more than others.  Not becaue they are any wittier or cuter, or anything more tangible but simply because maybe just one thing they say resonates so much with you that suddenly you have a virtual soul mate.  Okay, that's a bit strong but I'm sure you know what I mean.</span></p> <p><span>I hope that wherever she is, she is working it through in her own way and that she is making progress.  I shall definitely miss her pithy remarks, her cartoons, her gravitas, her sharing of sorrows, without feeling sorry for herself, her insights, her happy moments and our virtual wine sessions.  Nothing like a good South African red, we said. </span></p> <p><span>She used to call me by a pet name which, from others may have sounded patronising or odd in some way but from her it was nice and she kind of made it into a compliment somehow!  I always thought as well that one day she and I might actually meet in the 'real' world and have a few reds together.  How strange that seems now.</span></p> <p><span>Worse...having been gone so long from blog myself, I will always wonder now if there was something I could have said that would have helped or made a difference.  Whilst that sounds vain I don't mean it like that at all.  I'm sure my absence did not make a huge difference given the amount of friends she had anyway.  There were people she had been friends with for far longer and, I suppose if anyone could have helped her, I'm sure they would all have done their very best.</span></p> <p><span>I guess I just wanted her to know, in case she ever stops by, that I am thinking about her and yes, that I am worried about her as well.  Also, that if she ever comes back in whatever persona she chooses, that she will let me know, so that we can catch up again and have a few more virtual reds.  Although, having said that and, of course, being one that needs no excuses, I bought a red tonight from her home country as I knew I was going to be writing a eulogical blog!  Don't know if that's a word but it sounded okay to me!!</span></p> <p><span>I hope she knows who she is...I haven't been deliberatly obscure or anything, just tried to maintain privacy for her to some degree, as her disappearance clearly indicates she wants anonymity for a while.</span></p> <p><span>So, I have composed a REALLY bad poem for her to make her laugh...especially as she was brought up a good Catholic!!</span></p> <p><span>May the sun warm your days<br>And the moon light your night<br>May they show you the ways<br>And guide you aright</span></p> <p><span>May you find all the peace<br>You so long to find<br>May all your doubts cease<br>To calm troubled mind</span></p> <p><span>AT the end of the day<br>When all work is done<br>I would just like to say<br>It's now time for fun</span></p> <p><span>So, pick up that glass<br>Fill it full of red wine<br>Make sure it's class<br>And don't forget mine!!!!!</span></p> <p><span>A toast to success<br>Little dragon is roaring<br>I hope she has guessed<br>And isn't ignoring...</span></p> <p><span>...that her absence I'm feeling<br>With her pithy prose<br>And I wish her much healing<br>My South African Rose</span></p> <p><span>Apolgies to those of you who have a poetic bent...I do realise I'm rubbish and it was only meant as a little light-heartedness.  I just hope she gets to read the nonsense and appreciate the agony and ecstasy I went through to become a poet for a few minutes!!!!  See, even when she's gone, she can inspire - what a GREAT teacher she is.</span></p> <p><span>Miss you hun xxx<br>Blessed be <img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/saddrunk.gif" alt=""><br></span></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://lunadraconis.blog.co.uk/2009/10/13/little-dragon-drinks-s-african-wine-in-toast-to-absent-friend-xxx-7162978/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:lunadraconis.blog.co.uk,2009-10-11:/2009/10/11/hello-again-xxx-7149287/lunadraconis2009-10-11T22:52:59+02:002009-10-11T22:52:59+02:00 <p><img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/icon_wave.gif" alt=""></p> <p>To you all.</p> <p>I would like to start with a question if I may?</p> <p>Does anyone know why my blog is being hit by incomprehensible gibberish about gold?</p> <p>I'm not even a fan of gold.  Being ruled by the moon, I am a silver lover.  Oh and that's another thing...being ruled by the moon, how come werewolves can be killed by silver bullets?  You'd think they would absorb them instead.</p> <p>Anyways, how are you all?  Hope you are well?</p> <p>Life, as usual has interfered with my blogging and it has been a tad overwhelming.  I am a fairly laid back person (for that read horizontal) and when things go at a pace outside my comfort zone, I tend to be a little disgruntled.</p> <p>Aaarrrrrrgggggggggghhhhhh!!!  I have just scrolled down the page and noted the dreaded word Twitter!!!!!  Good grief, when did that happen?  More to the point...why did it happen?  The hippy who, despite his title, is a technophile, has a site on Twitter - whatever that means.  Whilst being a medieval historian is no excuse or reason for being a Luddite and, in all honesty, I am frankly, quite well versed in technology, despite MY title, nevertheless, there are some things that I have yet to grasp.  One of those is Twitter.</p> <p>I am sure that there are thousands of good reasons to use it but, I have not yet managed to get my head around them.  Can someone please tell me what is SO great about being told that a friend is in a supermarket queue?  Or, that a friend is washing dishes or...blimey, the list is endless.  I though that accommodating such banalities was why FACEBOOK was invented.  Okay, I admit I am on Facebook but...it's the preferred communication medium of many of my friends and who am I to stand in the way of er...progress????  My younger generation friends, including my time share children, have this fashion of writing on Facebook that is second only to text messages.  Seemingly, vowels are out of date and show your age!  Why type whole words when a single letter and numbers will do?</p> <p>Indeed.</p> <p>Nevertheless, the purist in me has a knee jerk reaction to bastardised words, which is funny given my general mode of communication - English!  Which reminds me, appropos of nothing English - go figure! - I am going to start another blog, which will basically just be me making notes to self regarding general medieval stuff, lecture info, lesson plans and other stuff no use to man or beast unless you are a medievalist or masochist, or perhaps, BOTH!  I say this because it will have a Welsh name, in the hopes that I wont get any rubbish about gold, or anything else of similar pointlessness!  You are naturally more than welcome to view it but of course I certainly will not be offended if you don't comment on it.  In fact, if ANYONE does, I shall be gobsmacked!!  So, it will be LLEUADYDDRAIG, which is effectively Welsh for lunadraconis, in English dragonmoon.  I did once have a site on here called dragonmoon which was going to deal with my spiritual issues but sadly I allowed it to lapse.  I might start that again as well.  One is nothing if not categorisingly challenged - if that even makes sense!</p> <p>Of course, the problem with having blogs that deal with lots of different aspects of your life, is that there has to be a crossover.  Nevertheless, I do feel sometimes that I burden my blog friends with things they don't necessarily need to know, as overshare isn't always the answer.</p> <p>As I have said before, I really do hope that you are all well and I apologise for not having caught up with you all sooner.  I have tried to log in when possible to keep up with you all but unfortunately, you are all such prolific writers it has been a difficult task.  So I apologise to you all unreservedly.  My karma will get me no doubt.</p> <p>So, until the next time, I will love and leave you all - blessed be xxx</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://lunadraconis.blog.co.uk/2009/10/11/hello-again-xxx-7149287/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:lunadraconis.blog.co.uk,2009-08-30:/2009/08/30/through-the-wringer-and-out-the-other-side-6856808/lunadraconis2009-08-30T22:20:42+02:002009-08-30T23:50:57+02:00 <p><span>...slightly crumpled but now almost dry!!!</span></p> <p><span>It has been a strange few months.  I lost my wonderful, beautiful VerdIGris to a major tumour from which she just wasn't able to recover.  She died peacefully in my arms four days later.  I am much poorer and sadder for her passing.  Many people think that loving an animal and grieving for its passing is somehow unhealthy or unimportant...to all of you I say...you are heartless and I would feel sorry for you but you don't deserve my sympathy.  I have never, ever trusted people who don't like or are cruel to animals.  They are the lowest of the low!</span></p> <p><span>I miss her dreadfully.  Her contribution to this household was exotic and primeval and she always smelled of clean vegetation after a spring rain.  She was intelligent and graceful and curious - she loved strawberries, pasta and toast oh yeah and After 8 Mints - the rustling of the paper envelopes she could hear from far, far away!  All good indiginous South American foods!!!!!!! and, of course, an intrinsic part of Iguana diets everywhere!</span></p> <p><span>I buried her in a warm blanket, in the cold soil of Wales and planted Rosemary for Rememberance in a colourful pot over her.  I miss you Verdi you will be in my heart for ever and I shall miss you for just as long xxx RIP</span></p> <p><span>Onward...</span></p> <p><span>After passing my first year PGCE, I embarked on a very different journey - the journey of music festivals.  As a festival go-er from way back, the festivals here in Wales were a very different scene.  As a youngster I inhabited the world of Donnington Monsters of Rock festivals...going to other big gigs elsewhere, including the ONLY gig ever held in the OVAL where I saw Genesis, Wishbone Ash, Jeff Beck and Emerson Lake and Palmer as well as going to gigs in Swansea and meeting the bands as most stayed in the hotel in which I worked.  I have met David Essex, Queen, Roxy Music, Mott the Hoople, Groundhogs, Medicine Head, Golden Earring, Argent, Leonard Cohen and 10 years after -  to name drop but a few!  Then I have also met the Glitter Band (sans Gary!!!), Alvin Stardust and yes...the Bay City Rollers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Hmmm!  Let us not dwell upon the last few!</span></p> <p><span>I have now worked as steward at the Small Nations Festival and the Pontardawe Festival and life has suddenly become very different for me.  There is seemingly something very beautiful about being coated in mud from head to toe; there is a cameraderie that cannot be found in the alleged sophistication of Leeds and Reading.  There is something very levelling in being coated in the primordial gloup in that, no matter what social sphere of society in which you glide ordinarily, you are all equal when it comes to the lowest common denominator of field festivals in Wales - WELLIES!!!!!</span></p> <p><span>BUT, it isn't just about that.  After all, Glastonbury is no tidier than these local Welsh festivals...even if it is a myth that it is actually held in Glastonbury (instead of 25 miles away at Frome!), it is nevertheless famous for mud.  It appears that Glastonbury wouldn't be a festival without the mud anymore!  So it is with the Welsh music festivals.  I have to say -I have met people that have enriched my heretofore (seemingly) rather poor life.  I can honestly say I have never met such a wonderful group of people who work voluntarily, incredibly hard, with a common goal, whilst still holding down full time jobs - to create an atmosphere where others can come and enjoy music, dance, buy at stalls, party, get drunk and chill out, whilst not taking any time out themselves to just enjoy.  Enjoyment time for the stewards comes at the very end of the festival...when it has gone without a hitch, has been a rip roaring success and they can indulge their own passions for music where individuals or groups can get up on the stage after the gates are closed and perform brilliantly themselves, the music that they all love - many of whom are talented enough to warrant main stage!!!!</span></p> <p><span>As an ageing rock chick, I have to confess I was somewhat dubious at working a folk festival, particularly a 50/50 Welsh speaking folk festival, even though I am a fluent Welsh speaker - yet, I was bowled over by the talent exhibited by some of these bands, given their combined ages were less than my own!!!!!!!!!!!!! and who were keeping the Welsh music scene very much to the fore.  To my shame I have always said - I like Wales but don't like the Welsh much!!!  I take it all back.  The Celtic Folk scene in Wales is being kept alive by youngsters - I bow to them and have NO shame in posting links to these incredibly talented youngsters.  To them, I dedicate a glass of Bordeaux Claret a la Co-op!  CALAN...You rocked Pontardawe 2009 - you were a fitting act to end the whole 3 day festival. You had everyone up and dancing...not a sat on seat in the whole house!!!!</span></p> <p><span>I will try and embed but likely I will only end up with a link so...bear with me! Aha...seem to have managed it - it gets faster after 2.50 on the counter...music they wrote themselves - fantastic!!!</span></p> <p> </p> <p><span>I would like also to say a very personal thank you to Rory McLeod who can only be termed a 'genuine' musician...who made me several cups of tea!  He was the first to arrive at the venue and the very last artist to leave.  He had impromptu jam sessions, played over and above his allotted sets, loved my cooking and is an all round 'nice guy' and really gorgeous as well!!!!!  It wasn't the money for him, it was the sheer pleasure of just being there.  He above all, has probably made me different!!!!! or at least less cynical!</span></p> <p> </p> </p> <p><span><br> Another band who had the whole place bopping was Taran!  Yes, I know, Taran and Calan and all else...worse...both Welsh speaking bands!!!  I can only seem to find footage of them at the Lorient Celtic Music Festival but hey, better to show off their skills than not!!!!!</span></p> <p>I should of course mention the winners of the 'Road to V' - the Last Republic - a local band and a thoroughly nice group of guys with innovative uses of loud hailer and despite winning the competition and opening V festival - still down to earth with no ego in sight!!!</p> <p>So, there you go...a full update on my disappearance from blog...my continuing sense of unreal-ness and an adjustment period back to normal life which has frankly taken time to get used to again - er, never, ever thought I would say something that um...frankly - sounds SO VERY silly!!!!</p> <p>SERIOUSLY though, if you have time, become a steward at a music festival...I have found it quite life-changing, refreshing and wonderfully un-cynical!!!</p> <p>Pontardawe Festival 2009 rocked - to all the stewards, back stage crew, chefs, site security, site managers, site nutcases...you know who you are Gav - THE MARQUEE MONKEY...musicians, roadies, sound and light engineers - my gods...you are something wonderful.</p> <p>More can be found on facebook - well, of course!!!!!!!</p> <p>As usual long post - if you've read this far...good grief - why?</p> <p><img src="/img/smilies/graylaugh.gif" alt=":))" class="middle" border="0"> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://lunadraconis.blog.co.uk/2009/08/30/through-the-wringer-and-out-the-other-side-6856808/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:lunadraconis.blog.co.uk,2009-07-09:/2009/07/10/all-you-wonderful-people-6481803/lunadraconis2009-07-10T00:15:26+02:002009-07-10T00:15:26+02:00 <p>Bushka, wendlane, jacki,justgrrl,</p> <p>Thank you for my birthday wishes. I know I have been gone for a while but...there are reasons ( as always for everyone!)</p> <p>I will be back soon.</p> <p>Still - thank you for remembering - it is appeciated MORE than you will EVER know xxx</p> <p>THANK YOU XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://lunadraconis.blog.co.uk/2009/07/10/all-you-wonderful-people-6481803/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:lunadraconis.blog.co.uk,2009-05-18:/2009/05/18/phew-that-s-over-with-6134590/lunadraconis2009-05-18T11:47:33+02:002009-05-18T11:47:33+02:00 <p><span>1.  Supervised teaching experience - to include journals, evaluation and continuing professional development guidelines - done!</span></p> <p><span>2.  Assessment, evaluation and feedback - done!</span></p> <p><span>I think I have earned a few drinks tonight...possibly even a few more as I have downloaded Angels and Demons and Tom Hanks is not how I saw the hero (?) in the books and just like in the Da Vinci Code, he may very well irk me to the point of sleep!  Don't think I have sat through the DVC without falling asleep.  A bit like Pulp Fiction really...can't watch that without nodding off either.  Oh and I've just noticed that the new Star Trek has downloaded as well...think I'll opt for that one instead!  You've just got to love torrents!!!!<br></span></p> <p><span>So, that's my first year on my PGCE over and done with...halfway to being a teacher - woot!</span></p> <p><span>Not that I'll get a job in the profession straight away (if at all, considering my age!!)...in which case, I might just consider doing my Masters instead!  Yeah, right...now where did I put that loose change of a couple of grand????</span></p> <p><span><img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/icon_crazy.gif" alt=""><br></span></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://lunadraconis.blog.co.uk/2009/05/18/phew-that-s-over-with-6134590/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:lunadraconis.blog.co.uk,2009-05-17:/2009/05/17/another-grrrr-i-m-afraid-6132446/lunadraconis2009-05-17T23:39:56+02:002009-05-17T23:39:56+02:00 <p><span>His Hippiness has done something diabolical to the printer and it is refusing to obey my commands!</span></p> <p><span>The hippy is in a whole heap of trouble when he comes in from work.</span></p> <p><span>It's not like I haven't got one or two assignments to print now is it??? </span></p> <p><span>The shed for him tonight I think...I shall hide the camper van keys - no luxury for him!  If I had a dog house he'd be in it!  The metaphore will just have to do.</span></p> <p><span>Grrrrrrr  <img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/09evil.gif" alt=""></span></p> <p><span>Oh, he's just pulled in to the drive...Right, where's the frying pan???<br></span></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://lunadraconis.blog.co.uk/2009/05/17/another-grrrr-i-m-afraid-6132446/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:lunadraconis.blog.co.uk,2009-05-16:/2009/05/16/as-i-m-grumpy-anyway-6126694/lunadraconis2009-05-16T21:20:57+02:002009-05-16T21:20:57+02:00 <p><span>...I thought I would carry on for a tad <img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/icon_lalala.gif" alt=""></span></p> <p><span>Is it just me or can anyone else see these MP's expenses/allowances issues are a smoke screen?  You know, preventing them with getting on with the real business of running what's left of the country (admittedly probably into the ground but well...).</span></p> <p><span>Now, I am what is commonly known as apolitical - just ask my friend Abe Unlimited - I am too apathetic to be an anarchist and too overweight to be an activist - however what I definitely am not is blind!</span></p> <p><span>If the main political parties aren't careful, we'll have the BNP as MEP's and then where will we all be?  Course that is a bit of an oxymoron as allegedly they don't believe in Europe! </span></p> <p><span>No longer are they swaggering around like something out of Clockwork Orange...no, no, these guys are walking around in suits and being very plausible in denial, their 3K white hoods neatly folded up as pocket handkerchiefs.<br></span></p> <p><span>Look to your laurels (if you aren't too well fed from expensive restraunts on er...daily food allowances to see your backside) all you MP's out there, or summat nasty is going to creep up behind you to a Beethoven soundtrack, just ready to kick you in the head and drink a glass of milk to celebrate!</span></p> <p><span>Mind you, if you see one drinking alcohol, do helpfully and sweetly remind them that we got pure alcohol from Islam, won't you and that the Swastika comes originally from India oh and that the original Aryan race were Persians?!  NOT that I want to see Sharia law here either by the way because that's just as insidious.  Britain is not a fascist or Islamic state - what it is is multicultural and vibrant because of it.<br></span></p> <p><span>Diversity is what makes this world so interesting...let's appreciate and celebrate it and be nice to each other in the process. <img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/icon_mrgreen.gif" alt=""><br></span></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://lunadraconis.blog.co.uk/2009/05/16/as-i-m-grumpy-anyway-6126694/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:lunadraconis.blog.co.uk,2009-05-16:/2009/05/16/grrrrrr-6126563/lunadraconis2009-05-16T20:38:05+02:002009-05-16T20:38:05+02:00 <p><span>....SPAM!!</span></p> <p><span>I have just spent the last 20 minutes removing canned pork luncheon meat from my google mail account.  Now, I don't mind doing this (much!) but it goes straight into a spam folder which comes as standard.  So, if it's intelligent enough to know it's spam...why doesn't it just delete it for me and save me the hassle of doing it myself??  Hmm?</span></p> <p><span>Out of curiosity and, in an effort to ensure that I haven't deleted anything from my students, I went through them most meticulously.  I had 398 spam messages and, when you think I was only in it yesterday...well, you can see why I'm a tad irritated!</span></p> <p><span>So, I courageously went through them - 148 of them were from someone selling me Viagra...ah but, of those 148 no two names were identical - damn but there's a lot of Viagra out there!  Then, we move on to someone selling me degrees for AMERICAN Universities...what?  We then move swiftly on to FAKE, yes FAKE Rolex and Cartier watches...my watch cost six quid in a market and it works just fine thanks.  It's got as much bling as I need and I have no idea who made it...not that Cartier probably make their own anyways...they just shove in diamonds at mid/day/night, 3, 6 and 9 - but of course that's only if your really rich...otherwise I think you get it over the 'i' in Cartier or sumfink!  Dunno, never seen one, let alone worn one - be too scared of getting mugged...or worse!</span></p> <p><span>Then, my credit rating...haven't got one...have no loans you see or credit cards either...effectively I do not exist except in cyberverse.  Fine by me.  Still, they want me to find out how I'm doing, who's checking up on me and why...well, no-one should be and why they would is beyond me.  Okay, the next ones were diet pills, again in vast quantities...I would ask what they were implying but no response is often the most apt reply.  In lesser quantities then were B & Q, Argos, Amazon and someone else whose name I forget.</span></p> <p><span>Now, forgetting for just one moment that I am female, so the point of Viagra is completely lost on me; and forgetting for a moment that diet pills DON'T BLOODY WORK anyway; and then buying an online degree from a USA University - if I'd wanted one I'd have gone there and earned it; and forgetting that I am a tramp who is about as interested in designer anything (or crazy enough to want a facsimile thereof) as a bin bag and who therefore does not need loans and credit cards to purchase these designer/fake items, so need for credit checking...can I just ask this...WHY?????????????????  How do they get my email addresses and why do I only get spam on google????  Eh?  Can somebody please use these little nanobots for target practice?  If the bots on google know it's spam enough to put it in the appropriate folder, why can't the bloody thing just delete? Can I set up a forcefield that omits anything with the words viagra, oh - I forgot the penis englargement - damn, how could I forget something like that...I just remembered er...so yes the words viagra, penis, diet, degree, credit and watches.<br>Think it will work?<br></span></p> <p><span>I say again, grrrrrrrrrr<br></span></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://lunadraconis.blog.co.uk/2009/05/16/grrrrrr-6126563/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:lunadraconis.blog.co.uk,2009-05-13:/2009/05/13/ooooooo-pain-6111528/lunadraconis2009-05-13T23:51:37+02:002009-05-13T23:56:02+02:00 <p><span>...I am in!</span></p> <p><span>I am currently suffering VERY recurring toothache.  I have had this toothache for seven years.  I have spent over a thousand pounds trying to find out what this toothache is all about.  Dentists the width of the country, including a six year incursion up north, are not in agreement on what is causing the pain.  I have had two perfectly good teeth removed in Colchester, whilst leaving the roots sticking up from my gums... they couldn't even pull it out AND I had to DRIVE (YES DRIVE, whilst off my FACE on anesthetic!!!) to another of their practices to try and remove the roots...plus four X-Rays.  Another two perfectly good teeth removed in Manchester also plus X-Rays...and, despite all this...I AM STILL IN LARGE AMOUNTS OF PAIN!!!</span></p> <p><span>I cannot begin to describe it...but I shall try, just for the sake of clarity!!!</span></p> <p><span>Ever had an injection so far up your cheek it feels like it's permeated your brain?  Well, times that by 4.  Ever had an injection in the roof of your mouth, that really scratchy feel?  Times that by 4.    Ever had an injection so far into your lower jaw, it feels as if you have swollen glands?  Ever suffered from overwhelming producuction of saliva...WITHOUT the benefit of real desire for a particular food?  Ever had an irresistible urge to smack your jaw so hard against a doorframe that broken jaw would be a relief?  Now, ever had a migraine?  Well, take it from your head, locate it in a specific area of your mouth...NOW your're getting it.</span></p> <p><span>I wouldn't really mind if it hadn't been DENTISTS THAT CAUSED THE PAIN IN THE FIRST PLACE.</span></p> <p><span>I was perfectly fine until a checkup.  Then they diagnosed a problem.  They sorted it to the point where I was in pain.  Okay thought I naively...it will pass!  Two years later it got so bad I went back again.  Fine they said but we have spotted another problem.  Right says I...will it get rid of the pain?  OH YES, they assured me, like the Churchill Dog...it will make everything okay.  Fine says I, do please go ahead.  Have credit card...can get dental treatment.  Four years later, am still quaffing loads of pain killers, have lost four PERFECTLY good teeth and they STILL don't effing known what's wrong with my teeth.  X-rays have shown absolutely, precisely, effing nuffink.</span></p> <p><span>So, what the effing hell is causing it...cos dental X-rays don't show it...I still have roots so long outside the gums that I use them instead of the PERFECTLY good teeth I lost. </span></p> <p><span>Did I mention they were PERFECTLY good teeth at all?</span></p> <p><span>I am currently going through a packet of painkillers a day.  I cannot go to a dentist as I no longer trust them.  I don't trust doctors any better either, as they nearly killed me and put me into a coma through ineptitude a long time ago.  In fact I haven't been to a doctor since 1984.  AT ALL!  Not even for a sick note.  Rather take a day off my annual leave than piss about with nonsense forms for being off sick!!!</span></p> <p><span>The term general practitioner is EXACTLY what it says.  GP's know nothing specific and, if I have a problem I want a specialist.  Sorry...call me strange but hey...it's flattering.  Dentists, on the other hand, seem to get paid by the amount of work they do...so, if you have PERFECTLY good teeth, they don't get paid for you.</span></p> <p><span>Did I mention they were PERFECTLY good teeth at all (again)?  They bloody well admitted they were...oh, yeah you're teeth are fine but we'll have to remove your gums!!!!!!!!!</span></p> <p><span>Just thought I'd post something even though it's grumpy, painful, heartbroken (that's another post [perhaps] but possibly contributory to this one!!!!!) and just downright PISSED OFF on a Beaufort Scale of 10 for stupidity in trying to maintain healthy dental practice whilst in NO pain. Then getting toothache for my PAINS in my attempt to  be good FROM them 'cos I was doing the right thing AND as an added bonus COST me and gained those charlatans over a thousand pounds OF MY HARD EARNED CASH in the bloody process!!!</span></p> <p><span>BASTARDS.</span></p> <p><span>Apologies all...am in so much PAIN it's hard to be coherent but I'm sure you get my drift...</span></p> <p><span>Tagging...lying bastard dentists.</span></p> <p><span>Night all and may your gods be with you xxx<br></span></p> <p><span><br></span></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://lunadraconis.blog.co.uk/2009/05/13/ooooooo-pain-6111528/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:lunadraconis.blog.co.uk,2009-04-30:/2009/04/30/sorry-peeps-notes-to-self-again-6037310/lunadraconis2009-04-30T21:13:11+02:002009-04-30T21:13:11+02:00 <p><span>Taking a break from assignments...I shall copy and paste this into word later as for some reason I cannot write in word and paste onto here - a right pain that is I can tell ya</span>!</p> <p>Anyways,</p> <p>So...Malory...Sir Thomas no less.  An obscure character...little known about him.  Suggestion he was Sir Thomas Malory of Newbold Revel in Warwickshire.  A man who lived at the time of the Wars of the Roses.  His book is all about the Knights of the Round Table and their adventures in seeking the Holy Grail.</p> <p>Arthurian tales have come back to us via the French but originally and arguably from the Welsh Tales of the Four Branches of the Mabinogion, ably helped along by that most interesting man, Geoffrey of Monmouth...who, despite being a Churchman and of mixed Norman and Welsh descent, saw no problem in shying away from or embellishing the truth somewhat.  That's another story.  I mention the fact that he was a Norman purely out of academic curiosity.  Most of the Arthurian legends are credited to Chretien de Troyes, a Frenchman of the courts of Aquitaine.  He and Geoffrey lived at the same period...so did Geoffrey give Chretien ideas on Arthur or was it the other way around?  Anyway...</p> <p>Malory's book tries to put together all the myths of Arthur into some semblence of order...this means he spoke French...as most sources on Arthur at that time - apart from Gawain and the Green Knight by the Pearl Poet - were in French.  Yet Thomas Malory is believed to have been a prisoner...possibly because he backed the wrong colour rose!...he was an alleged rapist, cattle thief, extortionist and vandal.  Hardly the sort of person you would credit with a strong belief in chivalry really then.</p> <p>Is Morte D'Arthur a reflection on the demise of chivalry apparent in his day?  Is it a longing for the past and a resurrection of the true meaning of knighthood?  Is the Holy Grail an allegory for true love?  There was certainly no shortage of romance literature in the medieval period.  Marriages were business and courtly love was an almost sanctioned form of adultery.  Everyone knew it went on and turned a blind eye.  Yet courtly love is exactly what gave rise to the whole concept of chivalry in the first place.</p> <p>So, it is difficult to reconcile this book and its subject matter to a felon accused of all the above heinous acts.  It has a high moral tone on the conduct of all the Knights of the Round Table and it is liberally peppered with references to courtly love, culminating in the downfall of Camelot throug the alledged adulterous behaviour of Gwenhwyfar and Lancelot.  Yet, was this the real downfall?  Arthur was told of the alleged affairs by Sir Aggravaine and Mordred.  Now, Mordred is a very interesting character.  It is alleged that Mordred was in actual fact Arthur's incestuously conceived son on his sister Morgana le Fey.  Right, well THAT would really make him a great candidate for knightly kingship.  If this is true, you can at least understand that Mordred would be perfectly within his rights to be a tad pissed off about that.  Particularly, as he was unacknowledged as heir by a man who did not have a legitimate heir to succeed him.</p> <p>That clears up nicely his reason then for going tittle tattling to Arthur about his wife's courtly love affair with the handsome and chivalrous Lance.  Arthur of course already knew about it...he would have had to be BLIND not to!  So, sticking to the letter of the law, he told the gossiping men that he would have to have proof before he did anything about it.  Off they go then to try and trap Lance and Gwen.  They didn't manage to catch them in the act but Lance was in her company and that was enough for them.  Back they go to Arthur, leaving other knights to apprehend Lance, a man with a fearsome reputation who then dispatches them all and disappears into the distance, no doubt out through an arrow slit and down crenellated walls.  Okay, this then leaves Gwen to the mercy of Arthur who, in the face of such continued opposition, has no choice but to order her tied to a stake and burnt (she wasn't a witch, so I'm not sure why this particular punishment was chosen!)  On the Burning Day along comes Lance and rescues her (but of course!), slaying in the process two unarmed knights, brothers of Sir Gawain who had always told Arthur that no good would come of this performance.  Understandably he is put out by this killing of the rest of his family and swears that he will not rest until Lance is 6ft under.</p> <p>Lance, gallops off into the distance, no doubt on his white charger and in full battle armour with the queen thrown unceremoniously over his saddle pommel.  He takes her to his castle.  Arthur meantime is being advised to stop this bloody nonsense and go get his queen back.  He sheepishly agrees to this and sends an envoy to Lance asking very nicely, could he have his wife back now please.  Lance still the chivalrous chappie agrees and hands her over at Arthur's court.  This has not gone down well with either Mordred or Gawain.  When Lance leaves to return to his castle Arthur is persuaded to go after him as he has committed a slur upon the king's person by having it away with his wife!  Arthur stupidly agrees to this and he and the troublemakers trundle off to Joyous Guard (Lance's no doubt little pad!) and Gawain demands he fights with him, which Lance doesn't want to do because of their long term friendship...this goes on for a while with the protagonists going...oh yes you will, oh no I wont etc.  Anyway, enough insults later, Lance agrees and flattens Gawain...Gawain goes off to lick his wounds and then comes back for more...Lance repeats the flattening and Gawain takes longer to heal this time.  Meanwhile, Mordred is sticking his poison in whatever ears are listening and ultimately this culminates in the final battle between Mordred and his dad...in full view of an agog audience...both are struck mortal blows...Excalibur gets lied about three times and then eventually gets chucked in the river...hand grab and manic laughter (apparently!).  Happy that Excalibur has returned home, Arthur breathes his last and is collected by Morgana le Fey  to Isle of Avalon, where he will once again rise when he is in need.  Distraught at the death of Arthur, Gwen gets herself to a nunnery and Lance goes all celibate on us at a monastery.  The castle is named Dolourous Guard in honour of these events.  The End.</p> <p>It is the writer's 'umble opinion that this does not show Arthur in a particularly good light...incestuous rapist, weak and easily led.  Cracking choice to rule Britain.  In fairness Malory says that Arthur was a great fighter and a fair man...so, more brawn than brains then?  The Morte D'Arthur as a compilation is great and Malory has done a fantastic job at putting all the random Arthur stories into some semblence of order but really...makes you wonder why everyone thought Arthur was so great.</p> <p>So...why did Malory write about Arthur, chivalry and courtly love?  Yes, that is indeed the question.</p> <p>Answers anyone?</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://lunadraconis.blog.co.uk/2009/04/30/sorry-peeps-notes-to-self-again-6037310/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:lunadraconis.blog.co.uk,2009-04-30:/2009/04/30/bushka-i-found-it-6036947/lunadraconis2009-04-30T20:00:42+02:002009-04-30T20:00:42+02:00 <p><span>...took a while but I got there in the end.</span></p> <p><span>PLATO, <em>PHAEDRUS </em>c. 380 BCE (how could I forget Plato?) <img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/grayconfused.gif" alt=""><br></span></p> <p><span>said...</span></p> <p><span>"If men learn writing, it will implant forgetfulness in their souls; they will cease to exercise memory because they rely on that which is written, calling things to rememberence, no longer from within themselves but by means of external marks; what you have discovered is a recipe, not for memory but for reminder..."  <img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/icon_wth.gif" alt=""><br></span></p> <p><span>Hmmm!</span></p> <p><span>Now, if I were a Druid I would comprehend that remark totally as those guys allegedly had phenomenal memories, knowing whole clans and their entire ancestry...however, as a 'bit' of a writer himself, I'm not entirely sure what Plato is getting at!</span></p> <p><span>Still, who am I to question one of the great classic chappies...um, I do believe I have finished the above paragraph on a preposition - bugger!  Oh well, perhaps a little 'reminder' is what I need so that I will not again do it!  Heh, heh.</span></p> <p><span>It was nice having this little digression but I feel a metaphorical whip wind behind me so best get on with Sir Thomas Malory and Morte D'Arthur for the young minds next week...wish I could find an angle that engages them through their own experiences!  I'm sure light will dawn as I trawl internet information highways.</span></p> <p><span>Bye all xxx   <img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/icon_wave.gif" alt=""><br></span></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://lunadraconis.blog.co.uk/2009/04/30/bushka-i-found-it-6036947/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:lunadraconis.blog.co.uk,2009-04-29:/2009/04/29/sigh-still-working-6032423/lunadraconis2009-04-29T23:28:12+02:002009-04-29T23:28:12+02:00 <p>...on assignments...tired now...miss you all <img src="/img/smilies/graysleep.gif" alt=":zz:" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p>Night night all and may your gods be with you xxx</p> <p><img src="/img/smilies/graysleep.gif" alt=":zz:" class="middle" border="0"> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://lunadraconis.blog.co.uk/2009/04/29/sigh-still-working-6032423/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:lunadraconis.blog.co.uk,2009-04-22:/2009/04/22/notes-to-self-again-5990443/lunadraconis2009-04-22T22:42:58+02:002009-04-22T22:42:58+02:00 <p><span>Hello everyone...only notes to self here today I'm afraid...very boring for you all.  Still, it's good to be self indulgent once in a while I feel!  *tongue firmly in cheek*</span></p> <p><span>So, whilst listening to lute and guitar music of the medieval variety, lulling my iguana to sleep and also the two cats...I shall write some thoughts on my PGCE...you can all switch off now...really, it is very boring!</span></p> <p><span>Which is probably why I am having problems with it.  It's not so much that I don't want to be a teacher...I just didn't want to be a psychologist.  I never knew there were so many things to take into consideration!  I knew already that not everyone learns in the same way.  I also know that there is large amounts of research out there that discusses this in large amounts but ultimately - define learning!</span></p> <p><span>It's nebulous isn't it?  It has no borders, boundaries or definitive anything really.  It is a concept and it is a concept that I am asked to measure to establish whether the student has learnt anything or not!  I am supposed to do this by formative and summative assessment.  Very good I think and then I realise...don't we do that already?  Well, yes, I guess we do if you consider essays and projects during term time as formative and exams at the end of the year summative. </span></p> <p><span>However, studies show that these methods currently don't work.  Really, I think to myself but I am unsurprised.  I know I am absolutely rubbish at having to write an essay to a timescale.  It does not allow me to phrase sentences and get my facts absolutely spot on.  I tend to blurt in exam essays...it all comes out in incoherent lumps, tenuously tied together by short bursts of randomised coherence more akin to a Gordian knot than a logical process of well thought out prose!  Nope, I am absolute rubbish at exams.  Now, give me a project then I can get my teeth into it - no problem.  Ask and I shall research and will enjoy it.  Yet we all know, some lunatics prefer exams.  So, there you have it.  It appears that it is the more logical mind that prefers exams.  Those who learn formula like maths, science and engineering - less room for speculative error I suppose and also, I can't imagine what a maths project would look like somehow - but that is because I have come to the conclusion that I am dyscalculus (if there is any such thing!)  I see numbers and it's like a hare to a greyhound.  I'm off as if the devil himself was after me!!!</span></p> <p><span>I can add, subtract, multiply and divide - the problem is that I often can't differentiate between 8, 5 and 3 without really concentrating.  Yet, I loved geometry and logs, sines and cosines in school - go figure.  I also understood binary but now, nope...scares the hell out of me.  Still, there are some people who are dyslexic and frankly, I would rather be number dyslexic than word dyslexic - the thought of not being able to read is far more scary than not being able to add - but that's just me.</span></p> <p><span>So the Assignments...1.  The Design of Learning.  Design a 10 week course including scheme of work.  Include learning objectives, teaching and learning strategies, resources required, assessment and evaluation techniques.  Include indicative reading.  2.  Assessment and Evaluation.  Devise an assessment tool for both summative and formative assessment.  Presented in a form that would be handed to student, you should also include relevant marking schemes.  Lastly, analyse the major features and provide feedback to student, this last to be in the form of a mini-essay!  3.  Peer review of journals and an analysis on teaching practice, what I have learnt and how I will implement any changes in the future.  Right-o then!</span></p> <p><span>Being an ever practical human being and a lazy bitch to boot, I am going to use the same courses that I used for my first assignment for which I got a merit (must be doing SOMETHING right!)  I shall expand upon them and figure out assessment, which I didn't have to do before - only design a scheme of work and lesson plans.  Nevertheless, I am a firm believer in recycling and reusing!! <img src="/img/smilies/graylaugh.gif" alt=":))" class="middle" border="0"></span></p> <p><span>For the first one, I have trawled large amounts of Uni sites to see if I can figure out what they do to sell their courses to prospective students.  I figured that's the sort of thing they are looking for.  All my teacher friends in blogland, do please tell me if I vastly barking up the wrong tree am!  For 2 I am going to use the age old year project and exam weighting scenario.  I shall explain it in words of one syllable, as apparently research shows that even though it is explained in great detail in course books and essay handouts, students still don't get the idea of assessment and furthermore, I am now wondering if I do either!!</span></p> <p><span>The third is more difficult because I am not having my teaching assessment until practically the end of term, in fact the last seminar I take at Uni (good grief!).  So I may have to beg an extension on that one as it is due in on May 11th so that will give me oh, lessee, er...the weekend to do it!</span></p> <p><span>Yep, that's about it...oh, along with seminar preparation, trying to find further teaching hours, which involves volunteer work in the larger community (one a project with the National Botanic Gardens in Wales [The Medics of Myddfai - they want me to talk about medieval medicines in the apothecary they have set up], Towy, Afon Yr Oesoedd [Towy a River through Time with the Cambria Archaeological Trust] and Skills Sharing for Transition Town Llandeilo)  and holding down a full time job! *yawns profusely*<br></span></p> <p><span>Right, that's it, I'm knackered and I'm going to finish off my single glass of wine all evening, shut down the laptop and go to flipping bed with a good book (a damn fine medieval mystery who dun yt?), of which I will probably succeed in only reading one paragraph before I fall ignominiously asleep with book and glasses still on face, as I have a big works meeting to attend tomorrow.  Mine lif, yt is rad sumtimes!<br></span></p> <p><span>Someone remind me...why I'm doing this?????</span></p> <p><span>Tch! </span></p> <p><span>Goodnight all and may your gods be with you xxx</span></p> <p><span><img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/graysleep.gif" alt=""><br></span></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://lunadraconis.blog.co.uk/2009/04/22/notes-to-self-again-5990443/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:lunadraconis.blog.co.uk,2009-04-13:/2009/04/13/sigh-back-to-work-tomorrow-5940098/lunadraconis2009-04-13T23:21:42+02:002009-04-13T23:21:42+02:00 <p><span>...bugger innit?</span></p> <p><span><img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/graysigh.gif" alt=""></span></p> <p><span>Have been somewhat remiss in my blogging but normal service will be resumed with the onset of reality kicking in after a few days off!</span></p> <p><span>Will also have to crack on and do some assignments as I have three to hand in and a presentation as soon as I get back to Uni as well.</span></p> <p><span>Will probably do a post on notes to self so nothing to get excited about there.</span></p> <p><span>Have also promised some sparkling wit and repartee to Bushka on learning and memory from one of the classic writers whose name escapes me for the moment but I shall endeavour to post it as soon as I find it in my notes again!</span></p> <p><span>Oh well, time for bed, Zebbedee said.  Florence's reply was unprintable!  (Magic Roundabout for all you out there who didn't get it!)  Well, Jasper Carrot's version anyway!<br></span></p> <p><span>Night, night all and may your gods be with you xxx</span></p> <p><span><img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/graysleep.gif" alt=""><br></span></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://lunadraconis.blog.co.uk/2009/04/13/sigh-back-to-work-tomorrow-5940098/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:lunadraconis.blog.co.uk,2009-04-07:/2009/04/07/deep-5907605/lunadraconis2009-04-07T22:17:35+02:002009-04-07T22:17:35+02:00 <p><span>I really wish I was clever enough to have said this but I read it in a blog somewhere (not here though) and I can only attribute it to a guy called Michael as that's all the information I had...</span></p> <p><em><span>"We've reached a critical mass point where the amount of memory we have externalised in books and databases (to name but a few sources) now exceeds the amount of memory contained within our biological bodies.  In other words there's more memory 'out there' than exists in 'all of us'.  We have peripheralised our essence"</span></em></p> <p><span><img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/092eek.gif" alt=""></span></p> <p><span>Indeed.<br></span></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://lunadraconis.blog.co.uk/2009/04/07/deep-5907605/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:lunadraconis.blog.co.uk,2009-03-29:/2009/03/29/no-change-5854685/lunadraconis2009-03-29T19:06:54+02:002009-03-29T19:06:54+02:00 <p><span>...it seems the alcohol and the painkillers did not do the sterling job I expected <img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/grayno.gif" alt=""><br></span></p> <p><span>I still have a crick in the neck and a headache...</span></p> <p><span>...only now, I'm not sure if the headache is due to the crick in the neck OR alcohol related <img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/10rolleyessmile.gif" alt=""></span></p> <p><span>Furthermore, I'm not sure I had as good a night's rest as I was looking for either.  The trouble is...alchol doesn't really agree with me and, since it doesn't, I am always determined to prove it wrong and consume it anyway - doh!</span></p> <p><span>So, tonight...no alcohol, herbal teas and due to the headache having been with me all day...some painkillers as a last resort again.  I've not yet taken any and so feel I have earned them.  I have given the headache a stern talking to but it is alas, ignoring me.</span></p> <p><span>The hippy was highly amused thinking that I had a hangover, only I wasn't sure it was.  If it was, it was rectified by a full veggie breakfast which the now unamused hippy paid for ha ha!  Serves him right.</span></p> <p><span>Now, I am off to make herbal tea - Camomile and Honey methinks; I have dabbed my temples with lavender to ease the tension; I will take the damned painkillers and I intend to spend an evening as a couch commando playing computer games!</span></p> <p><span>Right, that's me sorted then.</span></p> <p><span>Blessed be all xxx <img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/icon_wave.gif" alt=""><br></span></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://lunadraconis.blog.co.uk/2009/03/29/no-change-5854685/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:lunadraconis.blog.co.uk,2009-03-28:/2009/03/29/firstly-thank-you-5850451/lunadraconis2009-03-29T00:29:16+01:002009-03-29T00:29:16+01:00 <p><span>...to all those very kind people who responded to my previous whinge-y blog!  You were all very kind and none of you cast aspersions upon my selfish nature.  To you all, a big thank you.</span></p> <p><span>It is always nice to see one's friends nominated as a featured blog and, with that in mind, would like to say congrats to Pompey Caulkhead or something double-barrelled and suitably comic as he now prefers to be called.  Whatever name you chose Pompey, just remember to tell your friends so they can keep up with your blogging <img src="/img/smilies/graylaugh.gif" alt=":))" class="middle" border="0"></span></p> <p><span>Today, my partner and I have had a first 'business meeting' with regard to his new company.  Frankly, he had a captive audience as I have a severe crick in my neck, leading to a bad head.  Incapacitated therefore as I was without the aid of pain killers and an only just now poured whisky and dry, he had me at a disadvantage oo er!</span></p> <p><span>I am loathe to take pain killers at the best of times but realised today that it was better than suffering to an undignified position as couch potato without benefit of TV to keep me suitably comatose, or the reassuring feel of the remote which I could commandere, whilst adopting the 'I'm somewhat poorly' approach when huffing would have been heard.  Now, I just have to keep my head in a book, adopt the martyred sigh whilst placing book pointedly face down and showing interest by eyebrow raising and intense attention looks.  I know that all sounds garbled but I know what I mean!!!!!</span></p> <p><span>Anyway, to sum up my day...I have attended a business meeting; created a suitable business plan; made notes accordingly; put things into motion (or rather put hippy into motion!); found Atlantis on GoogleEarth; lost it again in GoogleEarth explanations of phenomena; read blogs; writing blog; fed rabbits and iguana; took more painkillers and poured a whisky.  Result.  Having got this far on a pain killing trip, I'm now going to have another whisky.  </span></p> <p><span>Now before you all get sanctimonious about pain killers and alcohol, let me reassure you I ain't that daft!  You are just going to have to trust me on that one.  Dying is not part of my life schedule and, even when it is my time, I will be going kicking and screaming into whichever realm the gods choose.</span></p> <p><span>Onward, to more considered matters...</span></p> <p><span>As part of what the hippy is trying to achieve with his business, I watched today a programme about Peak Oil.  Now, before you mutter about this, I'm not trying to lecture...this is more of a reflective sort of thing!  </span></p> <p><span>Unfortunately, there can be no doubt that fossil fuels are on the decline and I don't genuinely believe it is scare mongering.  If you think about it, there does have to be a finite resource doesn't there?  Whether this is true or not, it got me to thinking that far from abolishing slavery, we are continuing to be slaves to oil and if you think about it...what the hell are we going to do if it runs out sooner than anyone thinks?</span></p> <p><span>So, with that in mind, I looked today at Cuba.  Fantastic.  If you can find it on YouTube, it is flipping well inspirational.  Forced by embargos to do without oil, they have turned it to their advantage.  Most interesting and informative and frankly awe inspiring.  Well done Cuba!  Furthermore, they are clearly proud of what they have achieved without oil.  EVERYONE grows their own veg, sold in local markets...no travel involved.  Rooftops in Havana have been turned into gardens.  Wonder what that looks like from the seat of a plane?  I then watched a story by the BBC called A Farm for the Future.  This is about a young girl who returns home to her family farm after carving her own career as a naturalist.  She is determined that her father's work will be continued as he firmly believed that wildlife created a successful farm, although he didn't quite know how it worked.  She went off to speak to many different people about how they managed...again, she spoke with people who knew all about the Peak Oil issues and also spoke with experts in Permaculture.  It was an excellent programme especially as she was so obviously concerned about the future of food production and agriculture in general and also that she was trying to make a difference and become un-reliant on diesel for her farm.  She said that she wasn't going to be able to change the world but that she would rather have nature as the blood of her farm than that of fossil fuel.  Nice.  Vehicles, fertilizers and nutrients are all currently based on oil.  Very sad.</span></p> <p><span>As the summers of the last two years have been, well, frankly, crap - I am taking no chances this year and have invested in a poly tunnel.  These beasts are not cheap, I can tell you but I am hoping that I will be able to recoup costs in saving money on veg, which being a vegetarian I tend to eat a lot of!  Frankly, I am also concerned that I don't want to unwittingly eat GM crops.  I don't consider myself particularly stupid but I cannot for the life of me see the benefit in 'GM - anything' to be honest.  Nature is wiser than you guys, trust me on this, SHE doesn't have a hidden agenda...are you listening MONSANTO???  Ooo that's me tagged by THEM, whoever the nebulous THEM are!  Now, if I was to continue and mention Glaxo Smith Kline; Microsoft; Wellcome and the Bilderberg Group, I shall probably be arrested in about 5 minutes of this being posted...so, if you don't hear from me for a while, I shall probably be in sunny Guantanamo Bay, sitting on the dock, watching the tide slip away!!!</span></p> <p><span>I'll send a postcard telling you all how wonderful it is and how I am being so well looked after.</span></p> <p><span>Those of you who normally read my blog may be a tad confused about the randomness of my thoughts and wondering whether the pain killers and small alcohol usage are having a detremental effect upon my otherwise well adjusted character.  No?  Phew, that's okay then.  No need to explain.</span></p> <p><span>In any case, I am, fairly certain I have posted mutterings of a similar nature in the past.  I am nothing if not willing to revist my previous rants!</span></p> <p><span>Joking aside though, I must confess to being concerned about the state of the world not just Britain.  We really do need to try not to be so wasteful and consumerist to the point where manufacturers now only build things to last a short while.  Imagine if the architects and builders of the medieval period had done that...no Tower of London, no Salisbury, Winchester, Chester, Canterbury or York cathederals...no Westminster Houses of Parliament...oh, hang on...I believe I am with Guillhome de Ffawkes on that one.  Doh, there I go again.  I'll have MI5 at my door in moments...ah but just a minute...I live in that much obscurity, the Post Office swore blind I didn't even have a postcode for the Council Tax to work out where I lived.  Ho, hum.  Should have left it there when I had the chance - doesn't pay to be too honest these days.</span></p> <p><span>Like the time my oil tank got so heated in the hot summer, it completely split from top to bottom...bloody hell...how long ago was that?  I rang the Environment Agency to ask them if they had any numbers I could call as I had oil spilling out all over my garden (my pampas grass has been pink for the last two years as a result of the oil!  Pretty but just not right!)</p> <p>Thinking naively that the Environment Agency would have that sort of info, I was stunned, I mean REALLY STUNNED, when they turned round and said, 'Sorry Madam, we don't have that sort of information, however, I must inform you that I will now be sending an Environmentalist round to your house and, if you fail to contain the oil flow into your garden, we will of course have to fine you the sum of £5,000'  The imbecile, however, informed me of this before he asked for my address in the complete and utter belief that I would comply.  My screaming response was, 'Are you shitting me?' and slammed down the phone.  Thereafter racing off down the garden clad fetchingly in sou'wester and wellies - god I'm just SO sexy sometimes.  Hippy WAS pleased to see me as he had been bailing buckets and we borrowed every available canister from neighbours who were just great, unlike the ENVIRONMENT AGENCY.  Who are, incidentally people I work with everyday in my job but who I wouldn't give a pot to piss in!  Or trust with a baby's rattle!  However, what really pissed me off about that whole episode was...what if the most capable Environmentalist hippy had not been with me...what if I'd been alone...what if I'd been a little old pensioner with no other recourse?  Despite having worked with them before this incident and afterward...sadly, my opinion of them has not changed one iota - they are STILL JACKASSES!</span></p> <p><span>Oh, did I mention that I had actually counted my books today - just a cursory and at a glance sort of count?  Well, foolishly I thought I had a lot of books and believed that they simply looked more because they were randomly placed on bookcases; radiators; bathroom; bedroom; top of shelves; cupboards that sort of thing.  Well, just to say and, if any of you booklovers have actually GOT this far...and just to prove a point to the hippy - I only have 707 (minimum) books.  Now, I know that as a book lover this is nothing, so could you all please tell the hippy that it is a piffling amount and worthy of no note?  Thank you.  Especially as I am outstanding at least 32 books by my favourite authors and I plan to rectify this soon!  He's under the impression that this is a lot.  Foolish man!  Has he not SEEN a library's content?  In any event, as he is, in the main, responsible for the purchases of LARGE amounts of my books, I reasonably feel he cannot whinge.  Now, am I right?  Exactly.</span></p> <p><span>I would like to ask the audience this question as well...why on earth would anyone want their family as friends on facebook?  I have two nieces of 17 and 14, largely sheltered from life but who are genuinely (in my opinion), obnoxious, typical, teenagers.  As I honestly believe that the content of my friends' facebook comments are not ALWAYS suitable for them, why should I include them?  Am I wrong in this?  Isn't such information likely to cause comment within the rest of the family?  Am I just paranoid?  Ah, Black Sabbath!  Sorry I digress.  Ahem...so, what's the right thing to do?  Or, *shock horror* am I just too 'old/grumpy/intolerant' to deal with any comments they may make?  We have nothing in common, other than being related...so, am I misusing facebook?</span></p> <p><span>Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, I'm even too gods-damned anti-social to deal with a bloody SOCIAL networking site!!!  There's just NO hope for me is there?</span></p> <p><span>On that note, ladies, gentlemen, dukes, duchesses, earls, viscouts, counts, barons, cannons, priests and peasants, I bid you a good night and wish you all very sweet dreams.  If you read THIS far...I commend you to all gods and goddesses as a major charity contributor...for, you have made me VERY happy that I have merited your time with my ranting and quibbling and INTENSE paranoia at authority and having nieces.</span></p> <p><span>Blessed be and to all a good night xxx<br></span></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://lunadraconis.blog.co.uk/2009/03/29/firstly-thank-you-5850451/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:lunadraconis.blog.co.uk,2009-03-22:/2009/03/22/a-grumpy-post-5810063/lunadraconis2009-03-22T21:47:50+01:002009-03-22T21:47:50+01:00 <p><span>..and apologies in advance...</span></p> <p><span>I was three when my brother was born.  Now, as adults we all know how much hard work and attention a new baby requires - but, does a 3 year old?</span></p> <p><span>At 3, I was packed off to nursery school a few miles away, on a bus.  This bus did of course have attendants none of whom were my mother.  The reason I attended a nursery school so far away was that it was Welsh speaking.  As I got older, I realised that the nursery school was only a mile and a half down the road but, did I know that as a 3 year old?</span></p> <p><span>As I got older, I managed to get to grips with certain emotions...love, hate, anger, joy and jealousy but, did I understand them as a 3 year old?</span></p> <p><span>To my point...at 3 years old, you find yourself lacking the attention of your mother because of the new baby.  At 3 years old you further find yourself being bundled off on a bus in the mornings, watching your mother take the baby back home in the pram and waving goodbye to you.  At three, this is devastating!  You do not understand that it is jealousy - you probably can't even say the word.  You just know in your little heart that you have lost your mother to a screaming, mewling, noisy doll.</span></p> <p><span>You accept this status quo for years and, as you get older, you expect it to change.  It doesn't.  As the oldest you get used to hearing the words...'As the oldest, you should know better', when your brother has done something and accused you.  By my age, you expect it to have changed.  It hasn't!</span></p> <p><span>Mothering Sunday...my brother bought my mother a large bunch of flowers...chrysanthemums...which (according to my mother) she hates as they remind her of funerals.  This is why my brother bought them, in part as a joke.  She raved about them.  I bought her two beautiful candles and a wrought iron lantern in which to display them.  They were colour co-ordinated to her flat and she always loved candlelight.  This has changed apparently, although I was not informed.  She looked at them and said sharply, 'Take them back, I don't want them and will never use them'.  I was dumbstruck.  Now, I know you might all find that hard to believe and I would like to stretch your belief further and say I was speechless!!!!!</span></p> <p><span>I was so stunned, I could only return them to the wrapper and, without another word, picked up my bag and car keys and left.  'Don't take it like that, you stupid girl', she called after me, as I left.  </span></p> <p><span>Now, it may very well be that she did not mean to say it in such a harsh manner but in any event the day had started badly.  I left home in good time fortunately, as I was due to pick her up to take her to my brother's wine bar at 1.30.  Traffic being a complete pain in this city was up to its usual crap standard and three lanes were down to one at one of its biggest intersections.  The queue went back for miles and I sat fuming in the car, whilst the car was clearly also a tad miffed and it demonstrated this via the temperature gauge...it was also a hot day here in the wooly wilds of south west Wales.  I arrived and put on a cheerful face only to be greeted with 'You're late!'  Yes, I replied bloody traffic.  She then complained that she hated being in my car as it is a high 4 x 4 and she has bad legs due to diabetes.  Fair enough but I cannot reasonably have it lowered just for her.</span></p> <p><span>We get to the wine bar and my brother is understandably busy as it is after all Mothering Sunday.  She spent the whole afternoon whinging to me that she had not spent any time with him - this despite him having taken time out to see her this morning and take her for breakfast and then having to rush back to prepare the lunches.  I sat there feeling rather foolish.  She watched TV the whole time and barely spoke with me, other than to inform me that I was still too fat and had the dress sense of a stone.  Not to worry, this is not new to me and she is probably right about the dress sense but I am a size 14 to 16 on a bad day and a 12 to 14 on a relatively good day, whilst she is a size 20 at least.  Again, nothing new.  I point out that it is a case of the pot calling the kettle to which she replies 'Yes but I wasn't fat at your age'.  Yes she was but she doesn't remember it that way.  Onward...</span></p> <p><span>She then asks my brother if he will be so kind as to take her home as she hates my car.  My brother is stunned and says he's been busy and why wont she be flexible with my car.  He helps her in and closes the door.  The journey back to hers is a stony silence except for complaints about my driving, despite this being due to pot holes.  The rest is history.</span></p> <p><span>I get back to mine and I am still stunned.  My partner is very angry on my behalf but I am too ragged to give it much thought.  Isn't it strange that even though I am used to it by now, I always optimistically expect it to be different every time I see her?  Whilst I am no longer jealous of my brother and frankly haven't been for years, she believes that I still am and ridicules me for it.  It is clear that she has a very low opinion of me as I did not inherit her dress sense but, unsurprisingly my brother did.  Do you know I didn't even tell her I was going to University until I had completed my first year exams in case she dismissed it as just another one of my 'hair-brained schemes'.  She says she's proud of me but I always get the feeling that when she says it to me it seems to stick in her throat.  When I told her I was going to do my PGCE, she snorted and said 'Earn money and stop trying to be an academic'. </span></p> <p><span>I no longer seek her approval, or try and make her like me anymore.  She clearly doesn't and, at this late stage, I don't think this is going to change.  It may be because I left home at 16 and went to live in France for many years and then to Germany whilst my brother has remained here.  They are clearly very close and I understand this.  What I don't understand is my eternal optimism that it might ever change.  Ultimately we are both too long in the tooth now for us to change our ways, although I remain flexible where she is opinionated and rigid.  She is also unforgiving of past misdemeanors, including those of my father who is no longer with us.</span></p> <p><span>Yet, as inured as I am to all this for so many years...I am still overwhelmed at the power she wields to be able to hurt me after all this time.  I know in part what has caused her bitterness at life and her unforgiving nature towards my father and I have genuinely tried to make allowances for this but she is completely indifferent to my attempts.  My brother simply tells her to get over it, it's past.  He gets away with it, no doubt through the ease of long familiarity, whilst I am still much of an outsider to the family having only recently returned home to Wales after a VERY long absence.</span></p> <p><span>My father's sin was to buy a nightclub in a mining area, which the strike affected, leading to a great loss of fortune.  For this he is unforgiven and mentioned with malice.  I say that if it was so bad, why stay together.  She replies because I loved him but I did not like him.  In the face of such logic, what chance do I have?  As a self confesssed daddy's girl, I suspect I remind her too much of him.  That makes me proud not ashamed, which is how she feels and will no longer speak or see friends that they had in common.  My father died in 1994 and I will not allow her to vilify him continuously in my presence after all this time.  Perhaps she does not like this aspect of me either.</span></p> <p><span>She does not like my lifestyle, my home, my partner or my animals (having an iguana is just silly!)  Effectively, she just doesn't like me or anything about me.  I consider this to be her problem not mine.  However, I still hope that one day, I shall find pleasure in her company.  I am conscious that time is running away from us but how long do I keep trying if it only results in my unhappiness each time?  I worry that I am being selfish and/or not understanding her issues fully.  Ultimately I guess, I will keep trying as that is my nature and maybe, just maybe, I shall find a way to deal with the hurt she causes me so that I can heal quicker after each visit.</span></p> <p><span>On the bright side, I've got two very beautiful candles and yet another pretty lantern in which to display them!  <img src="/img/smilies/grayyes.gif" alt=":yes:" class="middle" border="0"></span></p> <p><span>Blessed be all xxx<br></span></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://lunadraconis.blog.co.uk/2009/03/22/a-grumpy-post-5810063/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:lunadraconis.blog.co.uk,2009-03-21:/2009/03/22/good-grief-5804510/lunadraconis2009-03-22T00:30:26+01:002009-03-22T00:33:38+01:00 <p><span>...it has been a while hasn't it?</span></p> <p><span>I have been around and about and commented but writing a blog had been a little beyond me whilst lecturing to and being lectured at, respectively!</span></p> <p><span>Now, the lecturing is over for a whole month which should allow me some time to get on with my own University work.  </span></p> <p><span>It occurs to me that so many things have happened that I should perhaps, maybe, um...update my profile at some point.  It is way out of date, including my Post Graduate stuff and the addition of another member of the Ark, the Dog Dante...my little yellow Inferno, who is a cross between a Staffordshire Bull Terrier and a Labrador (er...we think!)  There's definitely Staff though, as he is barrel chested and has an incredibly hard head!  I know this for he has head butted me on several occasions by accident (usually stick related) and I can assure you I came off the worse (or is it worst?  Ah, grammar, I hated it in school and I'm not so fond of it now, either)</span></p> <p><span>Before I forget, happy birthday to the Walrus, Deana and freeas, just in case I forget to tell them personally.</span></p> <p><span>In my momentary lapses of study I have been surfing blog and finding all sorts of wonderful blogs AND I have made some new friends from it, so I would like to welcome them to my mundane blog for all things trivial.  Sometimes opinionated, sometimes irrational, sometimes just plain silly and whinge-y and occasionally insightful but never deliberately nasty, hurtful or unkind.</span></p> <p><span>I have no clear idea on what to write about, as frankly, I am all studied out.  The seminars did pick up eventually but they kind of remained stubborn in their unwillingness to speak out.  A learning curve for my teaching I feel.  At least now I can match the practical with the theory, which I couldn't do before.  Bonus.</span></p> <p><span>I don't know how the rest of you spent your spring equinox but mine was spent out in the garden preparing for veg, herbs and a long, hot summer, with which we have been threatened.  I have neatened up my four corners and I intend to get some sound going with wind chimes shortly.  It was a lovely day here in the woolly wilds of south west Wales and not one to pass up on the warmth of the day, decided to make the day warmer by insisting on having a barbeque - so ladies and gentlemen, I can officially confirm that I have had at least ONE barbeque this year!</span></p> <p><span>Obviously as a vegetarian, barbeques don't hold the same thrill for me as they do for you more carniverous sorts but I suppose what I like is preparing the salad stuff that always goes with the barbeque scenario.  So, whilst his hippiness was rebuilding our dry stone walls, I prepared a culinary feast.  There is large amounts left over as well, so I can take them all into work.  Fantastic, as it means I get at least another quarter of an hour lie in bed if my food for the week is already done.  A plan with no drawbacks I feel.  It is also ready prepared food for my Iguana, VerdIGris, with whom I share the vegetarian aspect of my life, along with my bunnies.  The rest of the Ark - two cats, two dogs and one hippy are omniverous.  Arguably cats are not generally considered omniverous but one of my felines is partial to Bombay Mix!  No, really, she is!  I know it's strange but it's true.  The other feline unfortunately prefers small furry mammals and is inclined to bring them here as the sacrificial offering on the altar of my doorstep - horrible thing that she is.</span></p> <p><span>I am off out for a day with mother tomorrow it being Mothering Sunday (not Mother's Day as my own mother is at pains to point out - although, I don't know she bothers telling me this as I am a pagan and it's only known as Mothering Sunday for Church goers predominantly - or is it?  I dunno)  We will be going to my brother's Wine Bar for a few drinks and then I will take her home and race back here whilst there is still some daylight to see if I can finish what I started today in the garden and then the hippy will be off to work in the evening.  So, whilst it would be wrong to say I have wasted a weekend because I don't feel that I have, it has certainly been wasted in terms of not getting on with my own Uni work but to be honest, I feel I need a rest from academia, if only for a few days.</span></p> <p><span>With that in mind, I think I shall say a goodnight to you all, as I feel it is time for bed and a good book.</span></p> <p><span>Blessed be all and have a wonderful day tomorrow. xxx<br></span></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://lunadraconis.blog.co.uk/2009/03/22/good-grief-5804510/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:lunadraconis.blog.co.uk,2009-02-11:/2009/02/11/nightmare-5554451/lunadraconis2009-02-11T20:03:29+01:002009-02-11T20:03:29+01:00 <p><span>Well, that was like pulling teeth!</span></p> <p><span>The seminars I mean...</span></p> <p><span>...started off by introducing myself - common courtesy I thought.</span></p> <p><span>Only 6 of the 14 people turned up...perhaps because the room was advertised as being on the second floor when it is actually on the one and a half floor!!!!!  It's an annex on the second floor level that you can only access from the first floor, up the stairs through a glass corridor and voila!  Good grief.</span></p> <p><span>So I get in and set up my live thingy on live.com, which acts like a databar/stick/memory thing.</span></p> <p><span>I had 3 Spanish Erasmus students, without whom the lesson would have been a complete debacle.  I had two American students and one history student.</span></p> <p><span>Only the 3 Erasmus students had even heard of Chaucer and had read him in modern English!  The history student did get into it all after a while but was quite shy.  One American student did participate but confessed to not being a good reader!  They all confessed to not being readers for pleasure at all.  How am I supposed to work with that?</span></p> <p><span>So, a two hour discussion turned into a repetative monalogue with gaps filled entirely with silence and blank looks.  The other American student chewed gum, looked everywhere but at the board and did not pick up the pen once.  It was clear that anywhere else would have been better, including hell or pergatory!</span></p> <p><span>Great...so, now I am spending tonight creating a cartoon power point presentation just to get their attention.  I'm going to have to be extremely basic and go back so far I'll be in the classic period dealing with Sumatran tablets full of inventory.  I did not expect such an uneducated set of people I must be honest.  Seriously, it was like talking to a wall.  I am much downhearted at this unedifying launch into academia as a teacher/lecturer.  I got absolutely nothing from them with which to work or progress the seminar as I had hoped.  I am floundering now and don't know where to turn.  My mentor is away for the rest of this week so I cannot even discuss it with her.</span></p> <p><span>Damn, I think I'm depressed!</span></p> <p><span>I'm definitely lonely right now!</span></p> <p><span>Oh well, rough with the smooth I guess...right, back to Power Point, cartoon monks; clergy and kings!</span></p> <p><span><img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/graysigh.gif" alt=""><br></span></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://lunadraconis.blog.co.uk/2009/02/11/nightmare-5554451/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:lunadraconis.blog.co.uk,2009-02-08:/2009/02/09/blog-comments-5533404/lunadraconis2009-02-09T00:49:38+01:002009-02-09T00:49:38+01:00 <p>Some things just really wind me up! Really? Yes! Enough to warrant not using the new editor...as I just wish to vent spleen and not worry about niceties.</p> <p>What I want to know is...why do people invite you as a friend...don't bother reading your blog or commenting on it at ANY point and, when you respond to one of their posts, they ignore you completely?</p> <p>As I don't feel particularly like a collectors item yet, due to being too young to be antique and too old to be modern I am going to rid myself of these people. That way, I don't have their blogs come up as friends blogs and I can enjoy my friends who do and who comment and show interest and...stuff/things!!</p> <p>I don't use my blog as a popularity contest to amass hundreds of friends to whom I give no quality time - I'm simply not like that...explains a lot about why I have no social life then! But really, a friend is someone you listen to and have conversations with and just generally um...relate to I suppose. Or am I missing the point entirely - it wouldn't be the first time!</p> <p>I spent ages trying to compose a reply to someone whilst trying to remain objective and haven't even had the courtesy of a thanks you're crap or thanks you're great - no answer came the stern reply - so why should I bother? Even more annoyingly these have been private posts.</p> <p>Now, to quote Henry II (paraphrased of course) can anyone rid me of these troublesome people - i.e. can anyone tell me how to get them off my friends list?</p> <p>Thank you - especially to those of you who have responded!</p> <p>Tea, anyone? </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://lunadraconis.blog.co.uk/2009/02/09/blog-comments-5533404/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:lunadraconis.blog.co.uk,2009-02-08:/2009/02/08/the-dreaded-seminars-5533077/lunadraconis2009-02-08T23:12:36+01:002009-02-08T23:12:36+01:00 <p><span>So, the lectures have been on the following four things:</span></p> <p><span>1.  What sort of power and authority did books have?</span></p> <p><span>2.  How was literacy perceived?</span></p> <p><span>3.  What anxieties were there about the new technology of writing?</span></p> <p><span>4.  What different information can we gain from different kinds of sources?</span></p> <p><span>Well, blimey!</span></p> <p><span>Now, I have to expand these four items into 3 x 2 hour long seminars.  Oo 'eck!  Beginning on Tuesday.  Oh, cr*p!</span></p> <p><span>Where to begin?  Oh, please don't say the beginning or No. 1 'cos I already knows that like!</span></p> <p><span>To be glib...the power and authority of books really rather depended on the power of the author i.e. Monks and Clergy could comprehend where most people couldn't and were actively engaged in attempts to clarify many things they themselves didn't understand.   The writings of Thomas Aquinas particularly - a most interesting and forward thinking man of the cloth I found.</span></p> <p><span>What I did here was define the words power and authority.  Interestingly enough, they are interchangeable.  Hmm!  Most of Europe was pretty much illiterate in any case...so, some lowlife could pretend they could read and say anything.  Especially under the definitions of power and authority!!  I suspect this happened periodically (really?  Yes, honest!)  Course, the lowlife would have had to be able to get hold of a book, which means that as a lowlife he probably stole it anyways!  'Ang 'im I says...oh, 'old on, 'e's hypothetical!  I do get so carried away.  I have tea parties in my own head you know!  I also believe 6 impossible things before breakfast!</span></p> <p><span>Right, so, after examples I am throwing open the floor for discussion.  Problem is, I have a mixed group.  Some are doing medieval studies and some are doing English Lit.  I suspect the most reluctant to be there will be the English Lit students, as most of them will probably favour the terribly tedious Victorians or the melancholy of the Lakeland poets or the feminine writers who wrote tragic romances to fill their years of spinsterhood!  Spare me please, I know that Victorians are popular but bloody hell, they have a lot to answer for.  Unlike us medievalists who only have to apologise for the 1st crusade, which we won...oh and the second where we committed nastiness...er and the third where we were no better than the second...um and the fourth where we were pointless and ineffective, the local inhabitants by this time having got the measure of the crusaders and pretty much just pointed and laughed at us.  Goodo that's sorted then.  Oh and the battles with the er...French and Spain and oh, bugger it, pretty much everyone really.  Yes but, we didn't lose an Empire - okay, why am I having this discussion with myself - oh, yeah tea party!</span></p> <p><span>The next question is the one that intrigued me the most - how was litaracy perceived?  Now, this is very interesting as I have been researching it.  There were degrees of literacy - I don't mean university degrees but degrees of competency.  Only some could read and write, others could only read and others could only write.  It is alleged that King John signed the Magna Carta with an X, as although he was a good reader he could not form letters!  I don't know if that's true but if it is, it's interesting.  Well, it is to me and if it isn't to you I shall have to ask you to put down your tea cup and leave the table, thank you and no, you can't take some cucumber sandwiches with no crusts, or the cake, dammit!</span></p> <p><span>Anxieties about the new technology next.  Right, I have a problem with this as writing was going on well before the medieval period so it can hardly be called new can it?  Perhaps it should be better asked - what anxieties were there about the peasants being able to read?  As the Iron Duke of Wellington pointed out when trains were being invented - I don't think this is a good idea - the peasants will be able to move around!  Bless.  He'd be delighted with the state of our current transport system.  Far from moving people around, it's a game of statues!!</span></p> <p><span>Different information from different sources?  Flippin' 'eck.  They were prolific writers - they wrote about laws, histories, biographies, moral interpretations, plays, instructions, romance and chronicles.  Once they started it seems you couldn't stop 'em.</span></p> <p><span>Discuss!!!<br></span></p> <p><span>So, lots to talk about then...now if only I could submit my blog as a lesson plan I would be most chuffed!</span></p> <p><span>I know where I'm going with this...now all I have to do is put it authoritatively and powerfully into a semblence of order!</span></p> <p><span>In the meantime...More tea vicar?</span></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://lunadraconis.blog.co.uk/2009/02/08/the-dreaded-seminars-5533077/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:lunadraconis.blog.co.uk,2009-02-07:/2009/02/07/belated-birthday-wishes-5524801/lunadraconis2009-02-07T13:21:17+01:002009-02-07T13:21:17+01:00 <p><span>...to my very good friend and debating partner here on blog...timsuzi</span></p> <p><span>Apologies for not having sent it sooner but it's been a little manic with micro-teaching, interesting debates with you and ABE and preparing for my lecture seminars next week...oh, it's all go here in the woolly, snowy, wild west of Wales.</span></p> <p><span>HAPPY BIRTHDAY TIM</span></p> <p><span>XXX<br></span></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://lunadraconis.blog.co.uk/2009/02/07/belated-birthday-wishes-5524801/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:lunadraconis.blog.co.uk,2009-02-03:/2009/02/03/micro-teaching-2-woot-5497597/lunadraconis2009-02-03T10:18:22+01:002009-02-03T10:18:22+01:00 <p><span>Okay...here is what she said<img src="/img/smilies/grayshy.gif" alt=":." class="middle" border="0">..</span></p> <p><span>General comment on preperation:</span></p> <p><span>Lesson plan is clear and shows logical progression.  You need to make sure your objectives are more precise.  (<strong>Bugger, need to work on my phrasing perhaps!</strong>)  Well prepared handouts and music also used (<strong>true, I put on some lute music to transport them back to the 'Court'</strong>)  Main activity is a debate.</span></p> <p><span>9 - satisfactories (could do better then!)</span></p> <p><span>General comment on presentation:</span></p> <p><span>Clear introduction - good use of music in the background to give students a feel for the subject (<strong>yes, that's what I thought!</strong>).  You introduced the subject very well and your enthusiasm for your topic is evident in your teaching.  Students divided into groups to study aspects of Church/Eleanor and then debate the issue.  You circulated well among the group and checked understanding.  Debate is well received by the students and everyone participating.  Recap on work and conclusion somewhat brief. (<strong>Yes, the time got away from me on that one...cos they were asking me questions, which I thought was the object but obviously not in 20 minutes</strong>).  A very interesting session.  Well done.</span></p> <p><span>2 - satisfactories.  10 - goods and 3 very goods.<br></span></p> <p><span>Woot me!</span></p> <p><span>The verbal comments were really nice.  She said it would be fantastic to have continued the debate and to see how it progressed.  She said she was entirely caught up in the subject as well and almost didn't watch the clock.  Innit nice?  She said a debate had been a bit of a risk as it could go either way but to be honest they all got into it really well.  Hence the time running away with me. The comments from the group were also very nice and one person said that she loved the way I taught as my voice was interesting and had a really nice lilt.  She said I put feeling into my readings and inspired interest.  She said I had renewed her interest in History.  Aha, my work here is done!</span></p> <p><span>As for the rest, I will have you know that we currently have blizzards here and I have decided that my life is worth more than a day's pay, so I have phoned in.  Even the dual carriageway just up the road is slow and there is no traffic at all passing my front door - so being the inveterate coward that I am and the fact that I work in the woolly wilds of Wales and whilst I do have a 4 x 4, I don't want to get halfway to somewhere and either have to abandon the car or turn back again.  Best to stay in the warmth and drink coffee whilst watching the snow and making tch! noises periodically.</span></p> <p><span>The pack seem to love it although the cats are unimpressed.  The bunnies are extra warm due to the blanket of snow, which has even managed to build up to about 3 inches on the open wire of their run - go figure!  I won't bother mentioning the Iguana who is happily boiling under her hot lamp!</span></p> <p><span>So, on that note and micro-teaching now over, I shall concentrate on my University seminars on medieval literature which starts next week.  Three seminars a week of 20 young people whose minds I can manipulate *cackle*  Oh the power...<img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/090twisted.gif" alt=""><br></span></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://lunadraconis.blog.co.uk/2009/02/03/micro-teaching-2-woot-5497597/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:lunadraconis.blog.co.uk,2009-01-28:/2009/01/28/right-you-lot-5465530/lunadraconis2009-01-28T20:59:07+01:002009-01-28T20:59:07+01:00 <p><span>...could you ALL please stop being so interesting...I'm not getting ANY work done you know!</span></p> <p><span>Humph!</span></p> <p><span>Control, luna, that's the key...SWITCH OFF THE BLOG...*whimpers*</span></p> <p><span><span>Bye, bye everyone, bye bye!</span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>Noooooooooooooooooooooo, can't do it - might miss something interesting <img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/smileys60.gif" alt=""></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/graysigh.gif" alt="">.......back to Eleanor of Aquitaine and my debate writing.  Tch! <img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/icon_lalala.gif" alt=""></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>I can do this, I can..................................I'll just shrink it and pop back now and again...yes, that's it.........................<br></span></span></span></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://lunadraconis.blog.co.uk/2009/01/28/right-you-lot-5465530/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:lunadraconis.blog.co.uk,2009-01-25:/2009/01/25/abe-s-post-and-some-further-wafflings-5447051/lunadraconis2009-01-25T23:20:30+01:002009-01-25T23:20:30+01:00 <p><span>Well now, I have been reading ABE's post and a few of the comments thereon.  It kinda just happens to be going along with what I am doing at the moment with medieval queen Eleanor and the 2nd crusade<br></span></p> <p><span>My partner, the hippy, bought me a book the other day entitled 'Holy War' by Karen Armstrong.  (The hippy is nothing if not vigorous in MY research!!)  <img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/grayrazz.gif" alt="">  The book sets out to debunk the 'romantic' notion of the Crusades and asks why it had all kicked off in the first place.  In my own personal opinion and it's the same conclusion that she expounds - is that it was nothing more than an exercise in greed for the Western Church and the ultimate control of the Levantine Basin.  Whoever controlled the Basin, controlled all known sea trade routes!  Oh, how much money and how much power???</span></p> <p><span>Part of the introduction of the book says that '...<strong><em>in reality they [the Crusades] were a series of rabidly savage battles carried out in the name of Christian piety to advance the power of the Western Church.  Their legacy of religious violence is felt today as the age old conflict of Christians,Jews and Muslims persists</em></strong>'  </span></p> <p><span>She goes on to say that there are constant reminders of that period left in the ruined castles and forts that still exist today and that...'<em><strong>The Crusading theme seemed to me to be somehow germane to both the modern conflict and the uneasy relationship that has existed over the years between Judaism, Christianity and Islam, the three religions of Abraham</strong></em>'  She also says that those who live in the shadow of these Christian edifices, will never forgive the West for those Crusades.</span></p> <p><span>So, not much chance of the three tribes forgiving each other then, for whatever perceived slight exists.  Therein lies the problem to any solution - ABSOLUTELY NO FORGIVENESS.  What then is the point of even trying?  The point as I see it is that: - isn't forgiveness a basic tenet of all these world religions?  Are they not disobeying some Divine Law by refusing to 'turn the other cheek?'  Or, do they act on the 'eye for an eye' principle?  You see, this is where MY basic problem lies with the Bible.  It's incredibly contradictory.  Just my opinion.</span></p> <p><span>Now, despite being a pagan, I believe in god - what I don't believe is that 'HE' business.  Let's face it, whether the Jews, Christians or Muslims like it or not - it's only women who can create.  Not that I believe god is 'SHE' either.  At this point I could be positively 'Amazonian' about the whole thing and say that men are pretty much redundant in that - we have 15 generations in sperm banks, we have vibrators (and therefore don't have to look our best!), we earn our own living and can buy our own drinks.  Case closed!  Just kidding!  I mean, where would I be without my best friend and book buyer?  <img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/graybigrazz.gif" alt=""><br></span></p> <p><span>Let's take the scene in the Garden of Eden - god created man from earth or clay.  He saw that it was good and created woman.  Fine, let's work with that one.  From what did he create woman?  Adam's rib - correct?  So, not from his ankle, or his head.  The way I see it therefore is that god created woman from Adam's side, to be by his side as an equal - not from his foot where she could be considered subserviant, nor from his head where she would be above him but from his side - 50/50.  This is another failing of interpretation.  Early Christians, Jews and Muslims have always treated women as second class citizens.  Time to wise up methinks.  In some respects, Christians have already done this, fortunately.  The more un-orthodox Jews and generations of Muslims born in the west have also done so.  Right, so religion can and does move with the times.  This means that those who belong to those religions can ALSO move with the times.  If they are tolerant of the changes in their religions, why not expand the whole tolerance ideal?  Obviously, there is some problem with 'cross' religion tolerance but to whom is it a problem?  Surely not god.  I would have thought it would be pleasing to god.  I further suspect Abraham would be a bit chuffed too.</span></p> <p><span>Seems to me that the problems in the Middle East are not so much to do with religion and faith after all then.  Well, it can't be can it, if they're all denying their basic principles - so it must be about something else.  The hippy and ex-Jew is constantly at pains to remind me that it is ISRAEL and not the Jews.  I am constantly riposting why do all Jews say as greeting 'next year in Jerusalem'?  Obviously it means something to ALL Jews then and not just those who live in Israel.  Jerusalem means just as much to the Muslims and Christians, who also live there.  </span></p> <p><span>It is therefore inevitable that someone is going to have to take a first step in forgiveness.  Centuries of fanatic hate is not going to go away in seconds but as a wise man once said, every journey starts with a single step.  Maybe the new world order in the USA can make inroads as it is unlikely to come from the source, blinded as they are by generations of tit for tat exchanges on the principle of an eye for an eye.  The history of the area is a melting pot of inaccuracies, interpretations, misinterpretations, anomalies and just downright lies but it is EXACTLY all this that any peacemaker is going to have to take into consideration.  You cannot arbitrarily dismiss thousands of years, like the high handed act of the UN in 1947 has already proved.  </span></p> <p><span>Ultimately, the west don't have the answers to the Middle East problems but maybe, we can make suggestions to help them find their own way and to encourage them to find acceptable solutions, as a way of making amends for our part in their history.  What we simply cannot do any longer is demand compromises as we did before.  We have no business there other than to send aid and any other humanitarian assistance they ask of us.  They have to find their own way in a spirit of forgiveness and tolerance - after all, that is what god asks of all of us so why should location be an excuse for disregarding god's wishes?  </span></p> <p><span>Unless of course, it is genuinely no longer about the will of god and is more about the will of man instead!  In which case, there are no grounds for using Biblical precedent as either an excuse or legal standing.</span></p> <p><span>Just a few thoughts and opinions but certainly no answers *shrugs* <img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/grayno.gif" alt=""><br></span></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://lunadraconis.blog.co.uk/2009/01/25/abe-s-post-and-some-further-wafflings-5447051/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:lunadraconis.blog.co.uk,2009-01-24:/2009/01/24/eleanor-of-aquitaine-further-notes-to-self-5439786/lunadraconis2009-01-24T20:21:52+01:002009-01-24T20:21:52+01:00 <p>Pioneering feminist and renaissance woman OR<br>Wilful wife and mother?</p> <p>Eleanor is portrayed as 3 things (if you have ever heard of her, of course!)</p> <p>1.  Wife of Louis VII of France - The Capetian line<br>2.  Wife of Henry of Anjou - Angevin/Plantaganet line (Henry II) of England<br>3.  Mother of Richard I Lionheart and John Lackland (Magna Carta) - Plantaganet line</p> <p>but, she was so much more...</p> <p>The contemporary and later (vaguely) scholastic writings about Eleanor portray her as the latter, yet...in history you are taught to view the writings of contemporaries as slightly suspect with their own agendas.</p> <p>The contemporary writings of which I speak come from the Church, abbots and self-styled chroniclers.  They were men and generally, the only gender taught to write or pretty much anything else for that matter!  One must therefore think carefully about what they say.  The Salic laws - laws dating back to the time of Charlemagne and which were determined by the Church - were designed to take as much power away from women as possible i.e. the laws of inheritance and the differences between private and public power held by women.  Good grief, it is alleged that the Church even tried to limit the power women had over their husbands in 'pillow talk'.  Humph!</p> <p>Eleanor was a passionate campaigner (to the annoyance of the Church) against women being used as bargaining tools for political power.  Fair enough but to JUST say that is missing the big picture as men were also used to the same effect.  The game of thrones was heterosexual!!</p> <p>In fairness, the Church faced a bit of a dichotomy - women represented both the fall of man i.e. Eve AND Mary, the mother of Jesus - problem!  How to reconcile the two??  Well, you can't ... so, in time honoured fashion it was made up as it went along.  Agreed, there was much debate about how to handle a woman - witness the song sung by Richard Harris about Katherine Hepburn as Henry II and Eleanor in the film A Lion in Winter but no REAL satisfactory conclusion was reached.  Note:  women who gave birth to boys, were not allowed to attend Church for about 6 months after the dirty business of birthing BUT women who gave birth to girls were not allowed in for a year or even two after the event.  Which begs the question of what they did when it was twins of the male and female variety (as opposed to any other variety of course!) <img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/icon_crazy.gif" alt=""></p> <p>As I see it, the problem with Eleanor was this...she WAS educated, her father made sure of that.  So, a liberal man then - displeased the Church enough to have been excommunicated 19 times, along with his father before him!  He was a man who LOVED women and once said that if he had not been a Duke he would have made ample money seducing women!  Hmm!  Let's not go there...  <img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/blueeek.gif" alt="">  He was a troubador and spent large amounts of time writing romantic songs and serenading unattainable women...apparently, that was the point, so he is clearly the author and solely responsible for the whole unrequited love scenario - wonderful.</p> <p>Eleanor was brought up in the courts of southern France and was heiress to the Duchy of Aquitaine, at that time the biggest land holding in France...being as 'France' consisted of er...Paris and a small outlying area - yes, <img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/grayyes.gif" alt="">  truly.  Brought up in the courts of love and where women were the equal of men, taking part in political discussion and writing and playing musical instruments - hunting, hawking and archery - it's no wonder that as a relatively naive 15 year old, full of life and impulsiveness, she was vilified when she got to the stuffy French courts that were run by the clergy; her poor husband Louis (being the second son) had been brought up for a life in the Church and had never known anything other than a life of solitary time in prayer and reflection.  Instead of seeing her as a breath of fresh air, she was considered almost to have been the anti-Christ and the Church spent no time whatsoever in trying to turn her into a 'private' wife and mother.  A legacy that remained until the early 20th century and the suffragete movement.</p> <p>Despite all of this imprisonment of mind and character and constant lectures on her duty to produce, Eleanor remained feisty and was once quoted as saying, to Abbot Suger, when he condemned her for not producing an heir - that it is quite difficult to conceive when one is married to a man who spends more time on his knees in prayer than he does in bed with me!  Quite so, unless he was hoping to reconcile the two faces of women with the seeming wantonness of his wife and aspiring to an immaculate conception and Virgin birth!!  She did some time later provide him with...oh, no   <img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/grayno.gif" alt="">...a daughter!  Marie.  However, it should be pointed out that there is absolutely NO doubt that Louis quite simply adored Eleanor and this also displeased the Church who were no doubt concerned about her influence on him - and frankly, rightly so as it turns out.</p> <p>Louis was NOT a good king, where Eleanor was politically savvy and erudite, Louis retreated to the comforting arms of his closest advisor Abbot Suger.  He trusted Suger more than he trusted Eleanor and she was not a little put out by this - as you would be!  She was beautiful, vivacious, young and BORED.  She tried to bring the warmth and the happiness of the southern courts to Paris but she was hampered and denied at every turn by the Church.  Ironic when you now consider that Paris is supposed to be the city of lurve!</p> <p>When Louis, without consulting Abbot Suger responded to the Pope's request for aid to mount a second crusade, Abbot Suger was horrified that the Queen would be left in charge of France (remember of course that France was a third of the size of Aquitaine, which she had continued to govern most successfully and with no problems thank you very much).  Imagine therefore the look on his face when he found out that far from being left behind as he had dreaded, Eleanor was going with! </p> <p>You see, Eleanor had at her command over 1,000 troops, which she would only promise to the cause if she commanded them.  Being the Duchess, legally only she COULD command them.  So, what was the Church to do?  Ignore the offered troops because it would mean a female commander or accept the troops as additional weapons agains the infidel?  Suger, decided that in order to hang on to the might of Aquitaine, allied to France, he could and did ignore the fact that she was inconveniently female.  So...</p> <p>en avence...Eleanor got her way.  Deciding to take <strong><span>absolute</span></strong> advantage of this victory over the stodgy, mysogenistic clergy, she and 300 other ladies of the court, including many other queens, dressed as Amazons in armour, donned also the white shift with the red cross, mounted horses and travelled through France recruiting and raising money for the cause on the way.  A pageant indeed.  One can only imagine the horror on the faces of the clergy!  <img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/graysmilewinkgrin.gif" alt=""></p> <p>Skirmishes, ambushes and in-fighting en-route depleted the force that arrived in the Holy Land.  Once there, she met again with her Uncle Raymond and she must suddenly have felt more at home for probably the first time in 13 years.  Many of the westerners who lived in the Holy Land had adopted the way of life, with silks and perfumes and exotic victuals and artwork and Eleanor was once again in her element.  She and her uncle grew close and, of course, Eleanor being Eleanor immediately became the source of gossip because of the closeness between her and her uncle which was naturally frowned upon by those clergy present.  Such demonstrations of familial enjoyment was indecent and so there must be more to it.  It was later written that Eleanor MUST have been having an affair with her uncle!  She may have been liberal but was she really that liberal?  I suspect there is no real answer to that. </p> <p>Eleanor was also an extremely accomplished tactician and agreed with her uncle that the best way to proceed was to capture another city (Edessa) as a fallback before going on to Jerusalem.  Louis however, who could not have been unaware of the gossip was having none of it and demanded that she attend to her wifely duties and bow to him.  Oh, dear. <img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/graysigh.gif" alt=""></p> <p>Eleanor pointed out the wisdom of her tactics but Louis as always bowed to the superior knowledge of the Church, because of course, they were supreme commanders of armed forces!  Military history today conceeds that if Louis had listened to Eleanor's advice, the second crusade would not have been the complete and utter failure it was.  Ultimately, Louis unwisely kidnapped Eleanor from the court of her uncle and proceeded to Jerusalem where they were effectively outnumbered and outsmarted.  Now there's an opportunity for I told you so if ever I saw one!!  Unsurprisingly, after the event, the failure of the Crusade was dumped squarely on Eleanor's shoulders, blaming her presence and her loose morals NOT on the stupidity of the advice given to the king and his patent ineptitude at commanding!  The end of the Crusade saw the ignominious retreat of the Franks.  Eleanor and Louis sailed for home separately, the Crusade and their marriage a failure.  Eleanor was horrified to find out she was pregnant and the failure of all else in her life was compounded by the birth of yet another daughter, Alix.  <img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/icon_censored.gif" alt=""></p> <p>Eleanor was by this time approaching her 30th birthday and probably felt that she had given the marriage a fair go.  She applied to have the marriage annulled.  Church said no (best Catherine Tate voice please!).  She tried again, this time on the grounds that they were actually cousins.  This time it worked.  Louis accepted this, as he was probably as fed up as Eleanor by then.  She allowed him custody of their daughters, provided he returned to her, unconditionally, the lands of Aquitaine.  Unusually, Louis agreed, having faith that she would be a good overlord to his kingship.  A BIG mistake that he would come to regret.</p> <p>Eleanor was, as has previously been pointed out, not a fool.  She full well knew the dangers of being the wealthiest woman in western Christendom and that she was open to kidnap, ransom and even forced marriages.  So, she retreated to her home in Aquitaine and cast around, determined that this time it would be for love.  She had already met and fallen in love with Henry of Anjou (one of Louis' greatest opponents and second biggest overlord of Normandy) by this time.  The future alliance of Aquitaine with Normandy now effectively in the hands of the English King, eventually led to Louis downfall.  Eleanor and Henry married six weeks after her annullment, in secret, as technically, being a vassal overlord,  Eleanor would have needed the King of France's permission - bit difficult I would imagine with him being her ex an' all and of course, with the alliance of two of the greatest land holdings in France, it's unlikely that he would have said - oh, yes my dear, do go ahead!!  As a further poke in the eye to poor old Louis, five months later - yes, quite,  <img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/graybigeek.gif" alt="">  she produced a son, William - and continued producing offspring until the last one John was born when she was 43.  Note:  this was the average lifespan for most medieval women, so theoretically she should have been on her death bed not child bed!!!</p> <p>By the time John was born, Henry and Eleanor had grown apart and unlike Louis, Henry was a philanderer (quaint innit?)  She had no problem with his private affairs but objected when they became public.  Things came to a head when Eleanor discovered that Henry had tried to seduce Richard's fiancee.  Oops!   <img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/rolleyes.gif" alt="">  Outraged at this (Richard being her favourite) she incited all her sons to rise against their father.  This is considered to be a BAD move on her part!! (Best Hitchikers voice please!) The coup failed and she was captured in her attempt to escape back to Aquitaine with her children.  Henry imprisoned her for the next 13 years and she was only released on his death by the then King Richard.</p> <p>When Richard went off to the third crusade, she acted as regent but returned to Aquitaine and the courts of love.  She continued to be active in the lives of her sons and outlived Richard and nearly outlived John.  Eleanor died at the age of 84, an unheard of age of that time.  Two years previously she had crossed the Alps to go and get her grandaughter.  She eventually retired to the abbey at Fontevrault when she suffered ill health and where after a full and amazing life she died peacefully.  She is buried there between her husband Henry and her son Richard.</p> <p>Note:  the fashions of courtly love invented by Eleanor's grandfather and father were perpetuated by her and became the Chivalric Code by which all knights of worth were expected to abide.</p> <p>The stories of Eleanor and her courts are the ones that gave rise to Arthur and Guinevere by writers such as Chretienne de Troyes, a noble at the court of her eldest daughter Marie and Geoffrey of Monmouth in Britain.  It is alleged that Henry was flattered at being compared to such a warrior king of the Britons!</p> <p>When Eleanor was regent for Richard and John usurped the throne alienating the barons and making silly laws,  Eleanor with a small band of soldiers and a lady in waiting, travelled the country, righting the wrongs John had committed, against the poor.  She did this incognito for fear of reprisals and she was described as wearing a robe n' hood!  19th century writer Walter Scott in Ivanhoe turned her deeds into those of a famous male and we all know what a pain HE was to the Sheriff of Nottingham, don't we children?  (Probably apocryphal but I liked it, I liked it!)</p> <p>So, back to the question...was she a pioneering feminist and renaissance woman OR a wilful and disobedient wife and mother?</p> <p>OR BOTH?</p> <p>Hmm!</p> <p>It could be argued that what Eleanor began resulted in further Church laws for the suppression of women as thinking, intelligent beings, little more than baby producers and definitely less than the sum of their ahem...parts!  Women continued to be used as pawns but so did men and that continued almost to the Victorian era.  There was definitely an impishness and stubbornness behind her refusal to conform but wilful?  She was passionate about the role of women and, in such a position of power, she could perhaps have done more to alleviate it.  If her father had lived and she had remained with him longer, would their combined strengths and belief in women have resulted in 'emancipation' sooner?  If Eleanor had been allowed just a little luxury of home in her dreary Paris castle on the Seine where the stench must have been horrendous in summer,  would she have proved more malleable to Church control?  Brought up educated and intelligent in relative freedom and with equality for women is it any wonder she rebelled against the constraints imposed upon her by mysogenistic clergy, who couldn't decide whether women were saints or sinners even in their own polemics and rhetoric laden papal correspondences and discussions?  So, if the omnipotent men of biblical proportion could not decide on the role of women, what chance did a mere woman have?</p> <p>Right, now I have all this down in writing, I have to edit to bullet points and get a discussion in class where one takes the view of pioneer and the other wilful, which means bare facts unladen towards either side.  Can it be done I ask myself?  Rhetorically of course - 'cos if ANYONE has read this far, my advice would be go have a large alcoholic drink or six <img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/saddrunk.gif" alt="">  Think I just might get one meself!  After all it is Saturday night and I'm stuck here doing this!!!!!!</p> <p>Cheers [hic]</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://lunadraconis.blog.co.uk/2009/01/24/eleanor-of-aquitaine-further-notes-to-self-5439786/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tag:lunadraconis.blog.co.uk,2009-01-22:/2009/01/22/note-to-self-5421241/lunadraconis2009-01-22T01:01:34+01:002009-01-22T01:04:29+01:00 <p><span>...and it really is.  Why is </span>it not private then I hear you ask?  Well, 'cos selfishly I like to bounce ideas off my friends in blogland occasionally.</p> <p>Firstly, I am perfectly well aware that in some instances you will have NO idea what I am talking about.  Fine, 'cos sometimes that makes you better for me (see, selfish again).</p> <p>Prepare...</p> <p>for rambling notes....</p> <p>Comparisons:</p> <p><span>Medieval History  </span>                                                                       <span>Myth and Legend</span></p> <p>Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine                       Arthur and Guinevere<br>Bernard of Clairveaux                                                                Merlin<br>Knights Templar                                                                         Knights of Round Table<br>Crusades                                                                                     Quests<br>Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem                                                   Holy Grail<br>Legends of Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table      Mabinogion - very OLDE WELSH(E) LEGEND                                        Written by Chretienne de Troyes c. 1130-ish                        Black Book of Carmathen, White Book of Rhydderch, Red Book of                                                                                                                   Hergest (written c.9th century)<br>(4 Books)                                                                                      (4 Branches)<br>Courtly Love                                                                                  Damsels in Distress</p> <p>Just some jottings...feel a Masters Degree coming on...shame I'll never be able to afford it...sponsorship anyone?  Just kidding.  And don't get me started on the Cathars, Simon de bloody Montfort and the Albigensian Crusade...OR...Rennes le Chateau - should have written that book before Dan Brown! </p> <p>It's just that I was doing some research and chatting with partner and these similarities somehow became apparent.  Like BT says, it's good to talk <img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/smileys21.gif" alt=""></p> <p>However, now that I have seen it written down, it's not going to work for a micro-teaching session of only 20 minutes - 20 years perhaps but DEFINITELY <span>NOT</span> 20 mins <img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/icon_wth.gif" alt=""></p> <p>Also I am listening to lute and harp music...and I just get transported...I have definitely lived through the medieval period in a previous life!!!  Which probably explains the fact that I am an ageing gothic rock chick; why my study is lit with candles in wrought iron floor standing candelabras; why I have tapestries covering the walls, from floor to ceiling; medieval pictures all over the small blank walls; black lace and black silk on the windows and dragons everywhere...or not!  Could just be mad!</p> <p>Wibble.  On that note, best take my remaining Canadian Rye and now very melted ice (so...water then) and take meself orf to bed...which is sadly NOT medieval, being a boring wood and wrought iron work job, admittedly king size but just lacking in the 'je ne sais quoi' department...oh I know, there's no canopy to stop the medieval rats falling on my head...that'll be it!!!</p> <p>Slightly tipsy note taking over...must away as the elves are calling...</p> <p>Good night all and</p> <p>if you got this far...award yourselves a medal <img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/graybigrazz.gif" alt=""></p> <p>Blessed be all xxx  <img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/graysleepw.gif" alt="">  <img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/graysleep.gif" alt=""></p> <p> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://lunadraconis.blog.co.uk/2009/01/22/note-to-self-5421241/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>