(no subject)

[endlessrarities]

Good old BBC!  They aired The Tudors so late that I had time to watch The Name of The Rose first.  Thanks, Aunty Beeb.

I'm still in a state of chronological confusion over The Tudors.  I'd thought we'd got to c. 1542, but they were still talking about King James V of Scots  yesterday, so I'm assuming the Battle of Solway Firth hasn't happened yet.  Either that, or they haven't bothered to find out that he's dead... 

Last night's episode J and I enjoyed the Scots audience participation version, which went somewhere along the lines of:-

"I'm delighted to inform you, my dear Lord Surrey, that you've been appointed to my noble and gracious order, the Knights of the Garter."

"Er, that's pure deid brilliant, by the way, big yin!"

I'm sorry.  The Scots Earl of Surrey just sticks in my craw.  Maybe he's a cheapskate version of Brian Cox - NB Brian Cox can do a convincing English accent when he tries.  I thought actors were supposed to be able to ACT!!!!

And now, some pretty pictures.  I tour the country looking out picturesque walks and scenery, but I'm often guilty of neglecting the treasures that lie closer to home.  Yesterday, we took a walk along the valley of the River Calder which flows into the town of Lochwinnoch in Renfrewshire.  For centuries, The Calder's flow has been harnessed for use by a number of local mills.  Here's a view of the river where a weir has been built across it:-

And nearby, a little bit of industrial archaeology.  An old mill lade, now dried out and overgrown.  You can see the line of the wall to the right of the picture, highlighted by a dense growth of moss:-
 

It was a splendid short walk, which took us to a cemetery where the Dumb Proctor now stands.  And I'll introduce you to the Dumb Proctor on Tuesday, because tomorrow's the Writers' Group and I'll be rushed off my feet undergoing decontamination measures after work...

 

 

Comments

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Ah, but what would a Tudor nobleman have sounded like? It's odds on he wouldn't have spoken in anything like standard English.

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

It's a horrible thought. I translate the speech of the historical characters I write about into English for convenience sake, but they probably speak more like the average folks you get at the local train station, saying 'hoff' instead of 'half' and interspersing every single word with an expletive. (The Scots court were very fond of swearing, I believe...)

If they were all Scots it might make sense, but... It's a question of consistency!! My gut instinct is that they wanted to make Surrey sound coarse and vulgar, so they used Scots to provide the contrast with Queen's (or King's!) English.

[xjenavivex.livejournal.com]

thank you for the stroll

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

It was a very pleasant stroll:-)

[gghost.livejournal.com]

I love your tours.

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

This was quite a banal one, compared to most... If you can call medieval carved stones banal... Ooops! I gave it all away!!

[technophobe1975.livejournal.com]

My brother always makes me smile when he goes on about how "historically accurate" The Tudors is...
I just think of it as Dynasty with more wives!

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

I suppose historical fiction is just another form of fanlit! Some is better than others, some fits the original 'canon' more closely than others!! I'd much prefer to have my soap operas peopled by kings and queens in ruffs and stomachers than by unattractive muppets wearing chav fashions and waving mobile phones. That's why I'm still watching. And I'll be continuing to watch, even if I slag off (good old Scots phrase) the hapless Earl of McSurrey on a regular basis.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

another form of fanlit! Some is better than others, some fits the original 'canon' more closely than others!! I'd much prefer to have my soap operas peopled by kings and queens in ruffs and stomachers than by unattractive muppets wearing chav fashions and waving mobile phones.

Amen!!

[writeonq.livejournal.com]

So much prettiness! Looking forward to hearing more about the dumb proctor (it's not like *that* comes up in coversation every day).

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Love the moss revealing where the wall used to be. What does "lade" mean in this context (my dictionary's only giving me verb meanings).

Also, do you know if "Solway" has any inherent meaning--anything divorced of its association with Solway Firth? Why might there be a hamlet in West Dorset called Solway Ash? (Not an ancient place; probably created within the last 50 years, but still, I'm wondering.)

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

Ah, it's probably a Scots term. Does 'leat' ring a bell?

I'm not sure about the 'Solway' thing. I'm not very good with place names... If I find out, I'll tell you!

[roaming.livejournal.com]

I am always awed by rocks with running water. . . and MOSS! oh my yes MOSS! LOVE the stuff. Now if only I could get it to light up with a glow when I walk on it like it does in Avatar.

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

It's me that lights up with a glow when I slip and fall over and get embarrassed on mossy rocks...