Sunday 16 May 2010

1929 Robin Hood forms a coalition and becomes an outlaw

Saturday 15th May 6.10 am and I am home after an unpleasant journey but six days of rewarding experiences. including what I still hope is going to be a new politics which will transform British Society during a period of considerable economic difficulty and personal financial cut backs. I will write about political developments when I have sorted myself out and organised priorities.

Having joined Twitter I must also begin to learn to think and write in 140 word and space sentences designed to communicate the thoughts and feelings of the moment. Given my objections to the headline culture, I have decided to use in relation to political shows that are being watched.

Instead of recent attempts to write about single subjects at length I am reverting to timed notes as I catch up after two trips in three weeks and where because of what was happening during past the week, I have concentrated on watching events unfold, thinking and reading about their significance as well as attempting to make effective use of the opportunities of being in a different city.

06.15. The computer is slow again but I will return to going on line and printing out emails and news reports from the past week but deal with them on an individual basis rather than collectively. I will get the car out of the garage at 8 and check the plants. It is a bright sunny day but chill. I musty decide whether to use Twitter to explain myself to others or use to comment on others, particularly on live programmes as I watch them. ( Later I worked out that the slowness is caused by the disk filling up and for some reason has not been defragmenter for over a year . I did this on going to bed in the early hours and now seems to have got better).

06.36 I have set up Twitter on the Desktop and found that one of my two followers who joined me yesterday has already departed.(Later the other has left me too)

08.30 It is two hours later and frustrated by the snail pace e of the desk top I have taken the car out of the garage and checked the plants, watering one the hanging baskets as the other baskets and plant containers were also satisfactory. I must remember to use some plant food. I have unpacked the large case and put away my suit, remaking the bed at the same time. I have washed myself and the accumulations from the trip, containers, flasks and such like and then set up the lap top in an interesting new layout, using a small table from front room for the lap top and a key board, together with the usual lower table on which it is usually placed immediately next to the TV for watching the i players including the Met Opera. I am using this table for the mouse and a can of coke. The only limitation to this set up is that there are only three USB points so with one for the mouse, one for the keyboard and one for the printer I can not use the separate sound system although when later I may want to catch up programmes I will not need the printer so can do a switch then. The advantage of this set up is that I cab sit on the sofa with the table right height to work and if wanted work from the large screen TV. The folding chair can be packed in the carrying case again.

I have to laugh at myself many times. Having set everything up I then found that I was unable to print as having pressed print a Microsoft office 2007 install set up menu came into operation and this continued after restarting. I then realised that the printer was set for the Office printing system. Why this is so is a mystery, one of several recently which I shall cover more in a moment but everything is now OK having realised the nature of this particular problem and will set about printing catch up as the next activity before back over aspects of the past week. I have used the laptop to print out before but obviously only when using Firefox as I discover later as the options including one of the two Brother printers. However, for some reason, I cannot use the Brother on Windows Explorer. I must find out why but after the weekend.

14.20 Since last writing I have completed going through the newspapers purchased during the past week, the post delivered while away and finished printing out material identified while away, enjoyed lunch, commenced washing and drying clothes and generally sorted what needs to be done into some order of priorities. The lunch, a bacon roll became a crispy bacon roll as I came back to start writing and forgot the rashers were under the grill. I then had to turn off the smoke alarm. It was good to know that this still works as I have forgotten to test recently.

19.30 Just enjoyed some amazing performances from the five semi finalists in Young Musician 2010. The 16 year old Pianist is extraordinary and a rare talent who apart from her musicianship is powerful, passionate and intense in her playing which is completely self absorbed but also communicates with the audience. The female flute player also young with the same qualities although not so extrovertly while the violinist at 13 may alienate some views with his determination and self confidence but it is also remarkable, regardless of his age. The final is tomorrow with the three performing a concerto with full orchestra and will take precedence over the cricket final if it clashes, which I have checked and it does. What with Andrew Marr and other political and discussion shows in the morning, the Monaco Grand Prix Early afternoon and the cricket at four and Lewis at eight the day is organised for me along with a whole roast chicken for lunch.

Gosh it has become cold again and I will need to put the heating on and finish my evening meal which comprised two pork steaks with tinned tomatoes and beans and rice pudding, forgetting to sprinkle some cinnamon. I have enjoyed my food over the past week,

Last Sunday I had roast chicken with an excellent vegetables followed by a chocolate pudding with chocolate sauce. On Tuesday a gammon steak with egg followed by apple crumble and custard. On Wednesday I had a Baltic chicken curry, with a Naan bread and Papadum, accompanied by a pint of diet coke for just under fiver at the Yates Lodge in Nottingham city, an interesting two story building with arched roof supported by metal girders. On Thursday I enjoy a good plate of large long sausages and onion gravy with mashed potatoes at Clumber Park, where the onions and potatoes were grown in the walled kitchen garden which I also viewed. On Friday it was unlimited salad at Pizza hut also for just under a fiver but the unlimited diet coke was an additional £1.99.

On Friday afternoon I went to see the latest Robin Hood film with the first recorded in 1912 followed by Douglas Fairbanks in 1922 and Errol Flynn in 1938, version still shown on channel TV. Shaun Connery and Audrey Hepburn appeared in 1976 and Kevin Costner in in 1991. There have been animations and comedy versions as well as made for TV. In Britain there were TV series in 1953, and over several years in the 1950’s with Richard Greene, and in 1975, 1980, 1997 and from 2006. This time it is the turn of Director Ridley Scott and actor Russell Crowe , in a version intended to part of two or three films on the alleged events leading to the signing of Magna Cater after the assassination of Robin Loxley on his way back with the Crown of King Richard who has been killed on his way back to the England after the last crusade.

Russell plays Robin Longstride, a mature bowman who has fought the wars to and from the Crusades and after witnessing the death of his king attempts to make his way home across the channel before the rest of the army join in the search for boats. Accompanied by Little John, Will Scarlet and co, he then witness the killing to Robin Loxley, the Knight of Nottingham in the Ambush and swears to return to the man’s father the sword which the son borrowed without permission. The sword bears an inscription which appears familiar to Robin, although his recollection is unclear. He also encounters the assassin played by Mark Strong who in turn notes Robin without either knowing who each other is or should be who are !

Robin and his men assume the identities of the killed knights to return to England on the ship arranged to bring back the King, and on arrival in London he presents the crown to Richard’s mother played by Eileen Atkins who replaced Vanessa Redgrave who withdrew from the part following the death of her daughter Natasha. The mother crowns the weak brother of Richard, John, as the new King. He is about to reward Robin for his service until learning he is of Loxley, whose father owes taxes.

In the meantime we have learnt that Sir Godfrey, played by Strong is not only a close associate of the King pretending to be his friend but is plotting with King of France for an invasion to bring Britain or parts of it under the French. Sir Godfrey also identified Robin as a danger and orders his death and those of his friends.

In Nottingham Baron Loxley is blind and ailing and the estate of several thousand acres is being destroyed by the pressure of taxes from the monarchy for the Crusades and by the corrupt church. The estate is being managed by the wife of Loxley, Marion, who was only briefly married before her husband joined the crusades. On the death of her husband and his father the estate becomes the property of the Crown and will lose her home and means of livelihood. Thus when Robin returns with news of the death of her husband, the ailing Baron, played by Max Von Sydow, proposes that Robin plays the part of her husband to secure her position, and in exchange he promises to tell Robin about his father and background. Once playing the part of the returning knight Robin is taken by his unwilling and celibate new wife around the estate and he finds that the church is now represented in the community by Friar Tuck, a man of independent thinking and means using bees to make Mead which he sells to make an independent income, They join forces and steal back the grain on its way to church at York which they immediately plant in the fields. Robin then learns that his father had drafted the first form of Magna Carter which a number of Baron had agreed, but his father, a stone mason, had perished because of his beliefs and actions.

Meanwhile John’s alleged friend Sir Godfrey had replaced the former chief adviser King Richard and his mother and unknowing to the new King has set about destroying villages, taking taxes and abusing the women and killing anyone who objects on behalf of the King as a means of angering the Barons and causing a civil war. He is aided by 200 French troops secretly landed but the troops have been seen by a agent of the former chief adviser and he arranges a meeting with the Barons yet to be attacked in the Midlands and North.

Marion‘s father in law is killed, she is taken prisoner and the community imprisoned and about to be burnt to death but Robin returns with some forces to save his wife and the community having persuaded the Barons to join forces with the King to repel the French on the promise of Magna Carta. The King has been persuaded that by his wife, persuaded by her mother in law, that Sir Godfrey is a traitor and the King agrees to the demands of the Baron for a Magna Carta if they are to join forces with him against the French.

He then goes off to join the King in a spectacular battle with the French in which he also kills Godfrey the traitor who in turn nearly kills Marion, who has followed with a group of teenage orphans running wild in the Forests of Sherwood after their fathers have not returned from the Crusades. There is a spectacular battle with 1000 archers on the cliff top while the cavalry attacks those already landed from both ends of the beach.

The French King abandons the invasion as troops celebrate the victory recognising the part played by Loxley rather than the King. He outlaws Loxley and anyone who helps him and also reneges on his promise for Magna Carta. Robin and Marion take to the forests of Sherwood with the now merry men and orphans and thus the legend begins.

01.30 Having watched Hesling a Gothic blockbuster It is time for bed and I will end this writing with check tomorrow morning and then continue with a piece on the new Politics.

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