Well, that's it - the Year of Blogging Dangerously is over. For everyone who has stuck by me through thick and thin for the past year, thank you. If you feel you will miss our little chats, there are several things planned for 2013. Firstly, there will be an edited version of the whole year available in a month or so as a free PDF download (which my old mate M J Trow assures me is not just a nonsense phrase but actually means something) on www.mjtrow.co.uk and also at the same address there will be 'history lessons' from time to time. If there is anything you would like my history teacher slant on, you can request it at the same address. I don't write essays, by the way, all of you Ten Pea Zeds out there - but I can do a quick potted version of anything that puzzles you. That is free as well but beware what you ask for - your question and my answer will be there for all to see on the website (although you can rest assured you will only be identified by initials!).
So it just remains for me to say thank you for your company in 2012 and in 2013 may you have all the good things you could wish for - with love from the Maxwell-Carpenters and all at Leighford High. Perhaps we will meet again in the New Year - you'll know me when you see me, I'm sure.
Monday 31 December 2012
Sunday 30 December 2012
30th December
Rasputin was murdered today in 1916 by Prince Felix Yusopov at the nobleman's house in St Petersburg. 'Rasputin' means the debauched one and he certainly enjoyed the company of titled ladies (even, it was rumoured, the Tsarina), drank like a fish and exposed himself in various restaurants. The stories of his death were much exaggerated. Allegedly, he was poisoned (in his wine and cakes), shot, bashed with chains, tied up and thrown into the frozen river Neva. When they pulled him out two days later, it was said that he still had had the strength to snap the rope.
Wow.
In other news ...
Anita Loos got it right today in the Observer in 1973 when she wrote 'I'm furious about the Women's Liberationists. They keep ... proclaiming that women are brighter than men. That's true, but it should be kept very quiet or it ruins the whole racket.'
Wow.
In other news ...
Anita Loos got it right today in the Observer in 1973 when she wrote 'I'm furious about the Women's Liberationists. They keep ... proclaiming that women are brighter than men. That's true, but it should be kept very quiet or it ruins the whole racket.'
Saturday 29 December 2012
29th December
Today in 1170, four knights led by Reginald FitzUrse (the name means, literally, bastard bear) crashed into the cathedral at Canterbury and sliced off the top of the head of the Archbishop, Thomas Becket. They almost certainly operated on the orders of the king, Henry II, who was rather miffed that his old friend Thomas had gone all religious on him (even though he'd given him the Archbishop's gig in the first place).
It is a reflection on the times, perhaps, that today, saying that Rowan Williams isn't very good as the A of C is about as vicious as it gets.
In other news ...
William Gladstone was born today in 1809. Despite spending most of his life in England, he retained an irritating Lowland Scots accent to the end (much to the annoyance of Queen Victoria, he didn't die until 1898). We actually have him taped (they all did!) on phonograph.
It is a reflection on the times, perhaps, that today, saying that Rowan Williams isn't very good as the A of C is about as vicious as it gets.
In other news ...
William Gladstone was born today in 1809. Despite spending most of his life in England, he retained an irritating Lowland Scots accent to the end (much to the annoyance of Queen Victoria, he didn't die until 1898). We actually have him taped (they all did!) on phonograph.
Friday 28 December 2012
28th December
On this day in 1904 the first weather reports were published in London by wireless telegraphy. This was a great opportunity for the Meteorological Office to get it totally wrong using a different medium.
In other news ...
TW3 (That Was The Week That Was) was closed down today in 1963 because it was an election year (no Big Brother pressure there then). Like its successor, Spitting Image, it caricatured politicians and celebrities and introduced naughty themes on our television sets. we have nothing like this now, except a procession of tawdry, foul-mouthed blokes who are referred to (for only partially obvious reasons) as stand-up comedians.
In other news ...
TW3 (That Was The Week That Was) was closed down today in 1963 because it was an election year (no Big Brother pressure there then). Like its successor, Spitting Image, it caricatured politicians and celebrities and introduced naughty themes on our television sets. we have nothing like this now, except a procession of tawdry, foul-mouthed blokes who are referred to (for only partially obvious reasons) as stand-up comedians.
Thursday 27 December 2012
27th December
Three greats of the cinema were born today but not in the same year. Sydney Greenstreet (1879) was a marvellous heavy (literally!) in noir films like The Maltese Falcon. Marlene Dietrich (1901) was a fine-boned German actress who smouldered magnificently in The Blue Angel and Destry Rides Again. And then there was Gerard Depardieu ...
In other news ...
The world was changed forever today in 1831 when HMS Beagle set sail from Devonport on a five year scientific expedition. On board was young Charles Darwin who would take one look at the wrinkly old critters on the Galapagos Islands and know at once that the Old Testament was just a story about Jewish folk. He immediately went into print (28 years later) with his book Origin of Species.
In other news ...
The world was changed forever today in 1831 when HMS Beagle set sail from Devonport on a five year scientific expedition. On board was young Charles Darwin who would take one look at the wrinkly old critters on the Galapagos Islands and know at once that the Old Testament was just a story about Jewish folk. He immediately went into print (28 years later) with his book Origin of Species.
Wednesday 26 December 2012
26th December
The Feast of Stephen. One of the greatest artists of all time died today in 1909. He was Frederic Remington and he specialized in scenes of the Wild West. His horses, cattle, cowboys and Indians are simply superb and he could sculpt his designs with equal skill. What a talent! Unfortunately he was only forty when he died - a great loss to the world of art.
In other news ...
American film star Richard Widmark was born today in 1914. I never saw him put in a bad performance and he was notoriously fast on the draw. Legend has it that that was why he had a damaged hand in Warlock, so that Henry Fonda could outdraw him.
Fed up with the turkey yet? I am looking forward to supper tonight with M J Trow and family, as Boxing Day supper is when they unleash Auntie Sheila's Pickled Onions on the world. Yum.
In other news ...
American film star Richard Widmark was born today in 1914. I never saw him put in a bad performance and he was notoriously fast on the draw. Legend has it that that was why he had a damaged hand in Warlock, so that Henry Fonda could outdraw him.
Fed up with the turkey yet? I am looking forward to supper tonight with M J Trow and family, as Boxing Day supper is when they unleash Auntie Sheila's Pickled Onions on the world. Yum.
Tuesday 25 December 2012
25th December
All right, let's get this over with. Christians will tell you that Jesus is the reason for the season (i.e. the celebration of the birth of Christ on this day 2012 years ago). Actually, of course, they are almost certainly wrong. Until the 5th century, some people celebrated the man's birthday in January, others in May, others with the Feast of the Epiphany. In 440 a synod of the Church pinched the old Roman midwinter festival (already an excuse for a holiday) and claimed it was 25 December. There is no historical justification for this and so those who bemoan the fact that the whole nativity thing is disappearing from Christmas and we all just use it as an excuse to eat and drink too much and watch excruciatingly awful TV, is not surprising, really.
In other news ...
The Florentine monk Giralomo Savonarola got a bit shirty today in 1497. While everybody else was watching the Queen's Speech or yet another chance to see all 438 ghastly episodes of Downton on the tele, he accused the Pope of corruption and Leonardo da Vinci of sodomy.
Come off the fence, now, Savvy and tell it like it is.
Despite this somewhat unseasonal post, I would nevertheless like to wish my follower the very warmest compliments of the season. Nolan, Metternich and Mrs Carpenter-Maxwell all join me in hoping you are having a splendid Christmas, with as many presents as you wanted and more turkey than you could possibly eat in a long day's march. Taking a leaf out of my old mate M J Trow's family book, we have bought Nolan his first guitar, which is sounding not too bad at all from the sitting room. By all accounts if he takes to it it will lead to a life of penury for us as more and more sophisticated instruments become necessary, but if music helps him grow up into half the man Tali Trow has, then it will be money well spent.
God Bless Us, Every One!
In other news ...
The Florentine monk Giralomo Savonarola got a bit shirty today in 1497. While everybody else was watching the Queen's Speech or yet another chance to see all 438 ghastly episodes of Downton on the tele, he accused the Pope of corruption and Leonardo da Vinci of sodomy.
Come off the fence, now, Savvy and tell it like it is.
Despite this somewhat unseasonal post, I would nevertheless like to wish my follower the very warmest compliments of the season. Nolan, Metternich and Mrs Carpenter-Maxwell all join me in hoping you are having a splendid Christmas, with as many presents as you wanted and more turkey than you could possibly eat in a long day's march. Taking a leaf out of my old mate M J Trow's family book, we have bought Nolan his first guitar, which is sounding not too bad at all from the sitting room. By all accounts if he takes to it it will lead to a life of penury for us as more and more sophisticated instruments become necessary, but if music helps him grow up into half the man Tali Trow has, then it will be money well spent.
God Bless Us, Every One!
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