2461 Game of Thrones Season three an update on Jon Snow and Samwell Tarly

A character with whom I was able to quickly identify and with who has survived the first four epic novels of George R R Martin’s Fire and Ice series of books is Jon Snow, the assumed to be the son born to another woman than his wife of Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell, a courageous man who had helped to make Robert Baratheon King of Westeros, once seven Kingdoms, a land similar but on a greater scale than the British islands and during a time of European middle ages.

I say assumed because at the time of writing with four books read and three seasons of TV productions completed, I am not sure if the questioning about his father has been raised and certainly he does not know about his mother and with his assumed father behead by the next King Joffrey, the promise of being told appears to have ended. What is known is that Eddard brought the child to be cared for by his wife following the tragic death of his sister Lyanna Stark and once betrothed of Robert Baratheon, who adored her. She was known for being headstrong, spirited, and beautiful; Eddard's daughter Ayra is often compared to Lyanna for their similar personality and appearance The novels present Lyanna as a trigger for Robert's Rebellion fifteen years before the series; however, the characters remember details differently. According to Daenerys Targaryen, my first character of choice to write about their progress. Prince Rhaegar Targaryen crowned Lyanna as his queen of love and beauty at a tournament, passing over his wife of the house of Martell and he "later stole her away from her betrothed, repeatedly raping her and when the family protested, the King Aerys II Targaryen horrifically executed Lyanna's father and brother Brandon, the older brother of Eddard. A civil war named Robert's Rebellion ensued that eventually ended at the Trident where Robert killed Rhaegar who according to Daenerys died for the woman he loved.

Shortly afterwards, Eddard went to rescue Lyanna from the Tower of Joy in Dorne. He found her dying "in a bed of blood" and her last words were "Promise me, Ned. She was buried in the crypt of Winterfell, though the crypt was usually reserved for the Kings and Lords of Winterfell. When King Robert comes to Winterfell to ask Eddard to become his chief adviser and organiser, his Hand, he visits the tomb of his once beloved.

In the books, as was the case in the UK until perhaps the past decade a child born outside of state recognised marriage is branded and treated as different, such individuals tend to feel themselves as an outsider and second class citizens especially as they grow up and away from the security and protection of those that rear them. In this instance although Jon was brought up within the family of three sons, Robb, Brandon(Bran) and Rickon and two daughters Sansa and Ayra aged nine when the story commences and was closest of the children. I can identify with Jon in part because of my own background circumstances and also because he became self reliant quickly and held to the ideals and standards of his assumed father.

When the story begins Jon is aged 14 the same age as Robb with both adolescents already trained warriors. Early in the first book Jon is given one of direwolf pups found on a hunting expedition, choosing the albino of the litter, named Ghost, also an outsider, and the creature becomes a close companion especially when Jon accompanies his uncle Benjen, the youngest and only surviving brother of Lord Eddiard, back to the Nights Watch to become a member.

The Nights Watch is a brotherhood of men sworn to protect the seven Kingdoms from the Wildings and other more mythological creatures -the White Walkers, not seen for thousands of years who inhabit the land North of the Wall, a wall of sold ice before rock on top of which are a number of forts and castle, nineteen in total, with three manned with any size of force and from which expeditions occasionally set out to find what is happening among the hostile peoples in such inhospitable lands akin to a mountainous Artic. Benjen goes on one pf these expeditions and never returns believed killed, leaving Jon on his own. The biggest fort manned with 600 men when the epic tale begins is Castle Black.

The Watch has continued for thousands of years said to number eight millennium. The officers of the Nights Watch are often the sons of the great houses in the seven Kingdoms but the force is supplemented by thieves and cut throats forced under threat of the alternative to take the oath of allegiance and of celibacy. This is because few in the various Kingdoms except those in the North regard the Wildings as a serious threat and therefore did not see the need for maintaining a strong Nights Watch force.

It is through the involvement of on that we learn something of the structure of the Watch with the Rangers, such as Uncle Benjen, men who patrol the Haunted Forest and who are the specialist fighters. The Builders are those who maintain the forts and the wall while stewards keep the place running everything from the provision of clothing, the heating to farming, storage and cooking the meals and looking after the weapons.

All the functions are coordinated and led by the Lord Commander who is elected by all the membership with anyone able to stand although tradition has tended to appoint a Ranger. However after Jon has saved the life of the Commander is appointed the man’s personal; steward there is talk that he is being favovoured and grommed for leadership. However when he gains news of the murder of his father he decides to leave and go to their side but is brought back by his friends for his declared AWL.

When the Commander becomes concerned about the loss of men on expeditions and reports that the wildings are gathering and moving south he organises a major expedition which he leads and Jon joins and is then sent with a small scouting party and when they encounter the wildings he is ordered by the party leader to appear to betray the Watch and join them to find out what they are up to and is forced to kill the man when he is captured so there is no one to vindicate his position.

At one point he takes a young female wilding lookout captive and who is called kissed by fire because of her red hair, and is also referred as spearhead another name for warrior. Because he had captured Ygritte she is regarded by other wildings as his wife and eventually on their travel south the two have sex and become emotionally attached, although she repeatedly chides him with the expression “you know nothing Jon Snow” and this applies to all aspects of life but not his sexual performance during which he naturally behaves in ways which impress her despite beginning to recount her catalogue of past experience. He learns that the wildings are planing to invade the Seven Kingdoms to escape from the Others- the White walkers who have risen and is then forced to help an advance party make their way up the wall. He has to leave Ghost who he urges to return to Castle Rock and give the alarm.

When the opportunity arises he break free and it is Ygritte who fires arrows and wounds him, but he suspects that her aim was not as true as she was capable. He survives and returns to Castle Black when he plays a leading role in organising its defence, against he superior force of the Wildings leader Mance Rayder’s overwhelming superior numbers and during one lull he discovers that Ygritte has been killed but no by one of his arrows.

When Jon first joins the Watch he befriends Samwell - Sam the first child of Lord Randyll Tarly and his wife Melessa Florent. Lord Randyll, who was regarded as one of the finest military commanders in the Seven Kingdoms and who is disappointed when the son becomes a large boy and shows no enthusiasm or ability as a warrior. Sam is kind hearted and caring and every effort to toughen him fails. When at the fourth attempt another son is born who meets father’s expectations, Sam is ordered to renounce the family name and join the Nights Watch.

Dam is mocked and bullied (with the approval of the Master at arms) for his size, timid nature and hopelessness bearing arms. It is Jon who intervenes and subsequently persuades the leadership that Sam should become a Steward with responsibility for looking after the Ravens, effective carrier pigeons used throughout the Kingdom as a postal service and also the library. In gratitude Sam is one fo those who persuades Jon to remain with the Watch when Lord Stark, his father is executed.

In the second volume Sam goes with Jon in the great expedition North of the Wall where they visit a former Member of the Watch (Craster) for information about Benjen Stark and other developments, Craster has build himself a home (Craster’s Keep) and a following, and nineteen wives, many his daughters and where it is rightly believed he kills off his sons seeing them as a threat. One the wives is Gilly who is pregnant.

It is in the third and fourth books that Sam comes to the fore in ways which are natural to him and also surprising. The TV production changes the time sequence and the second season concludes as Sam is separated from his colleagues and experiences the coming of the Others and with the Commander a small group survive using a raven to warn Castle Black what is happening. When a friend who helped Sam survive the trek back is attacked and killed Sam reacts instinctively and kills the creature using a dragonglass dagger (a volcanic rook substance) found by Jon’s Direwolf and the Wight walker dies instantly, revealing a way to kill them and earning Sam the title of Sam the Slayer. He and another manage to get back to Craster’s Keep where there is mutiny and the Commander and Craster are killed in the fighting. Samwell takes up with Gilly and her newborn child and attempts to make it back to Castle Black.

On their way Sam is again force to fight, this time Wights, not to be confused with the white walkers- the Others as the Wights are the undead created by the Others and Sam then encounters the younger half brother of Jon, Bran Stark and his accompanying band the subject of a writing later and who continue on a separate way and Sam mentions that he knows Jon and his Direwolf but is uncertain if both have survived the battles.

Sam eventually gets Gill and her child to the comparative safety of Castle Black, I say comparative safety because he finds that there has been a dramatic development with the defeat of the wildings and their leader.

Jon, despite his brave return to warn the Watch and organising the defence of the castle is accused of treachery having been reported as joining the enemy by other returning Watch officers. When his fate is in the balance the Watch is saved by the arrival of the army of King Stannis Baratheon, the brother of former King Robert and whose story will be the subject of my next writing. Stannis makes John an offer which I will leave at the moment as it spoils other aspects of the story to unfold and which also proves the impossibility of trying to write separate accounts of the story of the main characters without revealing key aspects of their individual storylines.

While Jon considers the offer, Stannis has been exerting pressure on the Watch to elect a new Commander. Anyone can put up and all the Watch vote and the voting continues until someone has the required majority which means that unless candidates pull out he voting can continue for months.

This is where Sam has a crucial role to play having explained that he has protected Gilly, that the child is not his and that he has broken his oath of celibacy, he has gained in standing because of now being Sam the Slayer, He is used as a broker by Stannis between the two main contenders pretending that if they do not drop out and chose a new compromise candidate Stannis will appoint the other to the position. As a consequence of this Jon finds himself elected the new Commander of the Watch. His Direwolf also finds his way home.

The TV series ended with Jon shot by Ygritte making his way back. I chose Jon for my second writing because while the various characters have been fighting each other south of the Wall trying to gain control of all the lands of the seven former kingdom, they face a greater danger which threatens them all, a threat greater than that posed by Daenerys, her three dragons and the army of the unsullied and freed slaves across the water, where as I said in the first piece she had decided to consolidate her position and manage the welfare of the citizens of the three cities she has taken on her travels westward. I have also focussed on Jon because in other development steps had been taken to legitimise him, as had Stannis which Jon had turned down to become head the Nights Watch with the responsibility of protecting all the Kingdoms from the forces the other side of Wall. Perhaps he will survive where others have not.

Despite the oath of celibacy broken under orders because of his role spying on the Wilding enemy, one also suspects that he will marry and who knows could that be Daenerys who I also believe will survive and have an increasingly major role in the future of the seven Kingdoms, but as I shall report nothing can be foretold without reading the books nor is anyone safe.

2460 Commissario Montalbano and the Shape of Water, the book by Camilleri

Having completed my reading of the two volumes of George R R Martin’s A Storm of Swords in his Epic Fire and Ice series, I am turning back to the Montalbano novels of Andrea Camilleri with The Shape of Water read yesterday and over night 18^th of June 2013. The TV production was shown in the UK in February of last year, nearly a year and half ago yet the story remained fresh in my visual memory as I romped through this first novel of the writer. I believe the TV production is a faithful portrayal of the work as I came to rereading what I wrote of the story at the time.

I commented that I understood” why the first book has becomes the third in the series because of the “softer” approach to criminal activity protecting the reputation of individual.” I now question this observation. I introduce the story saying

“A well known politician is found to have died in a heart attack while being serviced by a prostitute in a notorious beach spot frequented by the lowest level of whores, one of whom an illegal immigrant witnesses the arrival of the vehicle and disappearance of the female involved..” This Montalbano finds out from a former boyhood friend who runs the girls and who provides the Inspector with a list of those he believed to have traded on the night in question together with their addresses. She makes an observation that the woman who was not known to her and who appeared well dressed to be a regular was given a lift almost as soon as she reached the adjacent roadway.

“The story which Montalbano uncovers is complicated.” From the outset there is no suggestion of foul play. The man had a heart condition from which he was being treated and while it is never a good way to die, the dying being the operative word, dying during or immediately after sexual congress is generally regarded as one fo the best of ways of going if one has to!

Because of the man’s political position the establishment of presiding judge, local bishop and other interests in the province want the death quietly buried in order to protect the widow and her son but there is something about the circumstances of the death and its location that puzzles and concerns the Inspector and which rouses his natural instinct to get to the bottom of what happened.” However this is not what it seems.

“A gold diamond encrusted necklace has been found by one of two “street cleaners” who had held on to the find wanting to pawn to gain the funds to take their sick son away for specialist treatment( to Belgium whey where have a relative) which could save his life and which was urgently required.” My understanding from the book is that local doctors were unable to diagnose what was wrong with the lad so they wanted to a different opinion rather than his life was in immediate danger.

“Montalbano tracks down the cleaner and his wife through blagging his way into the home of the other cleaner who discovered and reported finding the body.” This cleaner is a frustrated writer who has made a verbatim note of the decision of the two to advise the lawyer and political associate of the dead man of their discovery and that far from having an emotional reaction to the news about his supposed friend he had told them to report the matter to the authorities, appearing disinterested. This information helps to get Montalbano on to the right track of what had happened especially when the lawyer contacts him about the alleged circumstances of how the necklace came to be lost.

“After hearing the story of the sick child the Inspector gives a receipt for the necklace on the basis that it was handed in on the day of its finding and makes sure the news of finding is out there” and ensure the information that it is in his possession gets about by telling his TV news journalist contact that he does not want any media reference tot he news that the necklace has been discovered in the same area of where the man died.”

“This has the desired effect because the lawyer political fixer of the dead man comes forward to claim the necklace with a cock a bull story about how it came be lost. ”The story is that the wife of a well known person had agreed to having a sexual experience with her husband at this well known spot but when they arrived had changed their minds and she had lost the necklace while getting in and then out of the car.

When I wrote the piece I noted that “I have not grasped some of the essential elements and I am too busy to watch the programme again.” I was not certain about the relationship between the voluptuous, as he was able to find out wife owner of the necklace, a six foot woman from Sweden and regarded as a free spirit, to the dead man. I will try and explain shortly.

“Montalbano agrees to return the necklace said to be worth 70 million lire or more, on the understanding that the finder will be rewarded with 10 million and he then advises the family to immediately make arrangements to take the child for treatment and leave as soon as the money is paid.” At the time fo writing the original piece I attempted to find out the worth of 10 million lire and at the back of each book there are notes to help the non Italian understand some references. From this the amount paid to the street cleaner is £4500 with £5 English money convertible to 11000 Italian lire.

Montalbano refuses to sign off the death from natural causes because of the growing suspicion that the circumstances of the death are suspicious in that although the man was not the kind of politician that the Inspector would want to be friends with, he was not the kind of man to jeopardise everything by having sex in the open with a casual prostitute. This is confirmed by his wife who reveals that her husband had a beach area hideaway not far from the infamous beach in question. The inspector visits finds a gun in a bedside drawer which he leaves, he also finds women’s clothing, wigs and toiletries on the premises. When the wife gains access to the photos of her husbands dead body she fuels his concern by drawing attention that her husband pants are being worn back to front, something would he not ever had done, being a fastidious person and that had he mistakenly put them on that way he would turned them round after going to the toilet, something which he had to do frequently because of medication taken in relation to his heart by pass. Montalbano concludes that he had not died at the site so why go to the trouble?

Further work reveals that there was no direct way given where the husband was known to have travelled to reach the site where the car was found until it is established first through the help of one of his staff, Fazio, that it was possible to take the car along a dried river bed from the coastal cottage although damaging the vehicle’s suspension, and which testing the man’s car also reveals a damaged suspension. Montalbano himself also take the route and this brings me to the second part of the frame up, not just to damage the reputation of the dead man, but the daughter in law of another politician.

The daughter in law and owner of the necklace which she kept in a handbag at the coastal cottage admitted having a brief affair with the dead man but had subsequently become his friend and used the cottage when he was not there for sexual encounters with her father in law. She had been effectively raped by her father in law when at a hotel attending a conference where her husband had to drop out at the last moment.

After that first time he had become obsessed insisting on having sex frequently for which the cottage was used as well as sexually pawing her at very opportunity, often in the presence fo his wife, his son and friends and other family members. He was aggressive tearing her clothes off which is the reason why she kept sets of clothing.

I cannot remember how the woman came to be effectively blackmailed to having ongoing sex with her father in law and to initially repeating the story of how she came to lose the necklace fed to her by the lawyer. What is clear is that as a known rally driver she was capable of driving along the river bed as she does with Montalbano when he takes her to the cottage to break the story she has been pressing on him. Montalbano has a further investigation of the site and the former, now walled and derelict, factory adjacent after insisting on getting a key and entering through the only entrance. Among with the rubbish he finds the handbag of the Swedish wife where her initials are still visible although there has been a crude attempt to erase them. He had gone looking for the handbag because it had not been found at the scene and his witness to the departing woman accompanying the dead man and alleged to have had sex with him, did not report to having the handbag with her as she left the scene.

Having worked out what happened he recounts his knowledge to the Commissioner after he had enjoyed two helpings of baby Octopuses the Commissioners wife. I have commented before on the love Montalbano has of good food and his critical evaluations. Earlier on asking a colleague to visit late he offers a dish of prawns which his help had prepared by his help ( sufficient for four persons) but lacking some seasoning and he also provides some pasta which he prepares for himself. The help had offered her domestic service after he had helped her son from getting into worse trouble and a more severe sentence than was likely.

We are also introduced to his relationship with Livia, who lives on the mainland and he plans to visit at the weekend as long as the work does not detain him. She has expressed concerns about the domestic help but Montalbano reassures adding that he would be surprised if he could find someone better.

Montalbano explains about the cottage and therefore would such a careful man go to a public site. He then explains about the impassable route unless the driver is skilled and that a woman was reported to have driven the vehicle adding to desire on someone part to frame the Swedish wife of another senior politician as she was known to be a rally driver.

The Inspector also points out if the death had occurred as witness subsequently stated why had the woman not reacted emotionally. There is also the suggestion that the when the woman went to the roadway she was immediately picked up without appearing to seek a lift or having to wait at a location where there was little passing traffic.

The man’s wife had explained to Montalbano that apart from the early years of their marriage which saw the birth of a son the couple had not continued sexual relations, moreover the husband was bisexual and has acquired and used the cottage for the purpose. Moreover it became evident from the distress of the beautiful young man, a nephew who lives at the home of the dead man and his wife that his relationship had developed what would normally be expected.

The young man had been with his uncle at the cottage when the death occurred, It was the young man who had used the neck brace he had been using to make it look as if the his lover was alive in the car, using the female clothing and a wig and it was the lawyer who been called in to help who had in turn had devised the plan to use the death to discredit his former political boss and the daughter in law of another rival politician. He pretended to be protecting her and her father in law by getting her to confirm the story that the necklace has been lost sometime before and in the circumstances when she had been there with her husband, knowing that all the clues would lead to her being identified as the prostitute. The cleverness was in persuading the wealthy and influential of the province to all lean on the Inspector to close the case knowing that he would do nothing of the kind and follow the trail that had been set and with the story coming out with its attempted cover up it would remain a scandal finishing the political careers and enabling the lawyer to step in.

Montalbano is able to piece the story together after the lawyer is also found dead and shot with the first reaction of officialdom that this was yet another Mafia shooting of a politician who they felt they would not be able control at the point when he was to have great power.
Montalbano then realises that the murder weapon is the one he found at the villa, and left it there. The nephew is then found dead having gone off the road at a bend high on the cliff side. This confirms that he had taken the revolver, knowing where it was, killed the lawyer for betraying his uncle for his personal political career and then turns the weapon on himself.

Montalbano then tells the story to his mistress Livia when he visits at the weekend as she realises there is an aspect continuing to worry him. Guilty at having left the gun at the Coastal Cottage.

He closes the case much to the delight the establishment but without disclosing or recording all that he knows.

I like the style of writer, assuming the translation is a faithful one because like me he likes to tell everything he feels someone needs know, so a sentence becomes page sometimes two. As I shall recount about the Corleone Crime network, there was, and I suspect remains a very dark side to Sicily through the creation of a totalitarian crime state built up over generations. Camilleri creates a more humorous, lighter world where the crime fighter has time to swim regularly from his beach house, to enjoy good food and to have a loving sexual relationship, but a mistress, to which he is faithful, at least when the series commences.

I wish I had commenced with this nook rather than how the series was shown in the UK with Snack Thief in which in addition to the main interesting tale his relationship change with a proposal of marriage and the intention to adopt the child“ the snack thief” orphaned boy of an immigrant., We are also yet to meet his deputy, Mimi and her behaviour of his desk sergeant who remains the station clown although there is more to him as is revealed as lives of backstories of the main characters begin to unfold. I also seem to have reversed the order in which the books were written and television with the next two, The Terracotta dogs and the Voice of the Violin, which is next.

2459 The Game of Thrones based on Fire and Ice A Storm of Swords in two volumes

The third season has ended of transforming the epic George R R Martin’s Fire and Ice, into the televised production of A Game of Thrones. This covers all of the first book of A Storm of Swords Steel and Snow and part coverage of A Storm of Swords Blood and Gold volumes three and four in the series. The television series has become mega in terms of world wide popularity including in countries such as Russia and China, winning awards including public vote BAFTA and is doing wonders for the economy in Northern Ireland where the 2014 season is being produced. I recently reported that a young woman who I had not met before engaged me in conversation while waiting for different trains at Newcastle station on the strength of my reading a George Martin volume of the series.

There is no doubt that in terms of television series A Game of Thrones ticks all my boxes and those of many others because of its spectacle, great acting and storylines. It is great escapism with moments of shock and disappointment because of the turn of events as characters who have engaged and who one wants to do well are murdered, the equivalent of Harry Potter or two of the main characters in Lord of the Rings meeting an unpleasant end at the conclusion of the first book of 4, 7, or how many more volumes Martin intends to write of his fantasy set in a middle ages Europe in terms of any historical, geographical and climatic clues. The books are also a splendid read full of vivid and detailed descriptions although creating an unease which the TV series does not. This is because in terms of all the killing, violence and forced marriages many of the key characters are adolescent children.

Because there is no evidence that Martin intends readers and viewers to read too much into his work, it remains divorced from the involvement of children in the current horrors say going in Syria when out of revenge a school age teenager is known to have beheaded an enemy, filmed and broadcast. With this note of caution for anyone turning to the books because of the TV series I will move on to explaining how I propose to summarise my experience of reading the 1182 pages plus the appendixes of the two volumes on which the third season is based and because I cannot remember all that happened only in the TV coverage I am not going to attempt to remember where the cut off points occurred in relation to the individual storylines rather than how the whole developed and in this first writing I will attempt some kind of overview as well as concentrating on my favourite of a number of favourite characters the gorgeous mother of Dragons, Daenerys Targaryen the Queen Across the Water. She is the last survivor of the House of Targaryen already a widow at the age of fourteen years.

She now resides in a land which has the appearance of the Mediterranean middle east and is attempting to amass an army to cross the water to claim control of the seven Kingdoms of Westeros, a mythical land painstakingly created and which has three distinct areas. The south where the climate is warmer and the North which continue until a great wall of iced covered rocks upon which are fortresses manned by the Nightwatch who like the Kings Guard in the South and men of other Kingdoms are required to make an oath of allegiance to die defending and performing their role celibate so that nothing can deflect them from their duty.

For the first book called A Game of Thrones, and to some extent the second in the series, A Clash of Kings, the land north of the wall remains unknown although parties of the Nightwatch go to explore and check on the state of things.

I mention the climate, something which is of great concern in my every day life as days of warm sunshine have become something of a rarity and in this fantasy land the seasons last not within a year but for years and sometimes for generations and are also associated with times of darkness in events and spirit as well as of light and joy. The first books occur during summer but with the threat winter about to descended upon them all.

Although it is a land of seven Kingdoms and great Houses of extended families with their castles, Knights called Ser, squires, servants and citizens much akin to what we understand as the middle ages in western Europe, two of the Houses joined forces and controlled the seven separate Kingdoms through one King, the King of the Iron Throne Robert Baratheon who was succeeded by the boy considered to be the legal heir until the information became generally available to those of the great Houses and as gossip among the hoy purloy that Joffrey, a boy of thirteen years when he became King, his sister Princess Mycella and young brother Prince Tommen were in fact the incestuous children of the twin brother of the Queen.

The Queen Cersie was of the great House of Lannister and it was she who organised the death of her husband to place her son on the throne and where she hoped to rule, for as a woman a Queen could not rule even if she and the support of the little or great council of state. She had effectively used her sex to control her twin brother Jamie and continuously plotted to outwit and side line the brains of the family, her brother Tyrion, the height challenge man we would say, but for the purposes of the writing books and TV, a dwarf, whose mother had died at his birth thus alienating from his father the most ruthless, coldly cunning of the House, the Lord Tywin and the man with the money, military power and connections to sustain the Kingship by his family members.

The twin brother, Jamie, is known as the Kingslayer because he was the person who killed the former King, King Aerys II of Targaryen, the father of Daenerys, while King Robert killed her eldest brother with her sister also murdered along with another son. Daenerys escaped with her brother who is also now dead. The Targaryens once ruled the Kingdoms with the help of Dragons, now believed extinct throughout Westeros, except for their skulls kept at the HQ of the Kingdoms at the palace castle at Kings Landing and an ancient belief that one day someone would come who would bring back the dragons out of stone. It also should be mentioned that that the Targaryens are reported to have accepted incest as a way of life and indeed the Daenerys and her elder brother are said to have played in the way of Caligula and his sister.

Joffrey who can be described as a ruthless spoilt child prone to tantrums with disastrous consequences, is challenged by three men who proclaimed themselves Kings. The first two are the brothers of the King or more accurately I should say were as the King in the Highgarden, Renly Baratheon, the younger of the brothers has been murdered at the behest of the older brother Stannis. My memory of Renly is of an essentially good and honourable man while his brother is under the influence of the Red Priestess ( she has red eyes) Lady Melisandra of Asshai of a religion with a God of Fire and with supernatural powers with shape shifting, who conjured a shadow through a conception by the King, which killed the brother while in the presence of the mother of the King of the North and also by a trusted female warrior. More of the warrior lady later.

King Stannis Baratheon has a calculating wife, Selsie of the House of Florent and they have children including a daughter who is disfigured and kept away from company. Stannis has a seafaring former pirate made up as his right hand man called Ser Davos Seaworth commonly referred to as the Onion Knight who tries to Counsel the King against precipitous action but is repeatedly out manoeuvred by the Red Priestess at every turn who claims that Stannis is the man who according to prophecy will arouse the now stone dragons back into life.

The role of the right hand man is called The Hand and is the first Minister chief adviser, organiser and fixer to the King. The right hand man for murdered King Robert had been the brother in law of the father of the King of North. When the Hand of King Robert was murdered, he visited the Lord of Winterfell in the North, Eddard Stark, whose wife Catelyn of the House of Tully was the sister in law of the former Hand.

King Robert commands Eddard who had fought with him to gain control of the seven Kingdoms to become his Hand and Eddard goes South with his two daughters, both children, Princess Sansa a maid then of twelve years who had become betrothed to Joffrey and with young sister Ayra, a tomboy then aged ten years.

After Sansa was betrothed and Ayra, escaped but in the crowd witness the beheading of Eddard at the command of King Joffrey Robb Stark when only a boy of fifteen years is encouraged by his mother and with the support of other nobles in the North to declare themselves independent of Joffrey and with Robb as the crowned King of the North. Robb has a younger brother Brandon, who becomes a cripple when thrown from climbing the outside wall of the castle and unintentionally over hearing Queen Cersie with her twin brother. In certain conditions Bran has the power to see the future. He has a young brother Rickon then only four and the children also have an elder half brother Jon, called Snow the name given to illegitimate children. John Snow is brought up as a member of the Household and to the discomfort of Catelyn and little is known about the boy’s mother with whom Eddard had a relationship before his marriage.

Jon Snow goes to the Wall as a Knightwatch guard at the suggestion of his father’s brother who has now disappeared on a exploration and checking visit north of the Wall where here are reports of disturbing movements and events and where there is lives Wildings or free people as well as in the past dark almost invincible creatures of the undead.

Early in the first volume Eddard finds a dire wolf, a large, intelligent and loyal form of wolf, creature now extinct for 10000 years mainly in the Americas. One of the creatures was killed at the demand of Joffrey, that belonging to Sansa while that belonging to Arya was sent away to save him ad his present fate is unknown while a third, that belonging to Robb is to feature strongly as that of Jon to lesser extent in the latest two volumes.

There are around 500 characters associated with the great and lesser Houses and their courts although fortunately the storylines do concentrate on the fortunes and misfortunes of specific characters and the first two volumes amounting to 1500 pages have been reported on in some length previously in terms of the first two TV series..

In terms of the quality of actors employed and the acting in general, the range of sets and locations, the numbers includes and use of the latest visual technology the Game of Thrones is without equal. However as already highlighted there is a fundamental and important difference between the books and the TV series which has to be reminded and this in the age of the principle characters Daenerys, Joffrey, Sansa, Ayra, Robb, Brandon, and the others to come is that they are children who become directly involved in the killing or being killed, as principal game players, married off and with the girls at constant threat of sexual assault. The TV series therefore has the characters looking and described as older thus conforming to the law and mores of the day.

I begin my first update with my favourite character The Queen across the Water.. It should be remember that this adorable young woman was effectively sold by her brother in marriage to the war lord of the nomadic Dothraki tribe of warrior huntsmen in exchange for using his forces to help regain his position as King of the seven Kingdoms of the land across the waters, Westeros. The two “pretenders” aided by a knight guardian adviser Ser Jorah, who secretly coverts the girl, have been beholden to the rulers of lands presented as Mediterranean North African always sunshine, with deserts and walled cities. The flaw in the deal between the brother, the adviser and the Dothraki war lord is that his men have a fear of the sea and therefore he and they are unenthusiastic about immediately setting off to invade Westeros. Presented first as a Genghis Khan type of figure her husband proved to be a kind and considerate man who dies despite her turning to dark arts in an attempt to save him after her brother is killed with her blessing because of his inadequacy and treachery. His death is the first to reveal that many of the characters we come fo admire and hope to do well is to be eliminated, thus making predicted outcomes a challenge..

Daenerys undergoes a transformation after being in the great flames of the funeral pyre of her husbands body and appears to become immortal and to grow in wisdom and military guile.

Throughout the epic todate there is reference to the age of Dragons where on the mainland only their skeletons remain, but on her wedding day she is presented with the last known three dragon eggs by her adviser and through the ordeal by fire they are hatched and begin to grow. And during this series are able to breathe their fire and destroy but it will be several years before they can be ridden and directed to create havoc in battles.

Having acquired three ships from her exploits in the in the second season she sets said for a kingdom of slave masters who have created a great army of warriors who have been turned into eunuchs and then trained as fighters. Pretending not to understand the language of the slave masters she puts up with his insults appearing to accept the strongly edited translations and much to the horror of Ser Jorah appearing to offer one of her dragons in exchange of all the able bodied trained warriors over ten thousand in number. What she does not disclose until the deal is agreed is that dragons select those they will serve and the dragon taken as part of the deal immediately turns on the Slave master leader and kills him with fire and as the deal has been agreed Daenerys now has control and command of the army. However she makes the point that in new deal world no one can be a slave and therefore they are given the option of going off as free men or serving as her army and to a man they chose her, the Mother of Dragons as she become known and all the other slaves and their families are freed and decide to join in the quest so that now she has the responsibility for an ever increase population in their tens of thousands.

This is the first of three cities and their people that Daenerys confronts with her growing forces during the two volumes of A Storm of Swords.

She has to use all her skills in outwitting men on reaching the second walled city and she enlists the attention of a young warrior who beheads his two confederates including the leader who tells her to submit or he will take her and then pass onto his men for their use and pleasure. By the time she reaches the third city she is having to overcome her emotions and desire for an adult relationship. She considers using both Ser Jorah and the young warrior with lustful eyes but contents with a female servant.

She is also saved from an individual personal attack by a knight who has sought her out and who once protected her father but was forced to accept duty with the man who has killed her father and other family members before she had escaped with her brother.

When Ser Jorah points out who the new arrival is her first reaction she is horrified but decides, subject to a test, to keep him at her side. He retaliates against Ser Jorah by revealing that throughout the exile of Daenerys and her brother the Court at kings Landing had been receiving reports of their whereabouts, some hundred reports if of more and that the source fo these was Ser Jorah Mormont formerly Lord of Bear Island exiled for slaving. This he admits saying he had been promised being able to return to Westeros one day, but as a consequence of these reports the attempted assassinations on her were made.

In order to minimise the loss fo life and because the growing population of followers as well as army of the Unsullied need food and water, she decides that Ser Jorah and Ser Barristan Selmy, formerly of the Kings Guard to King Robert should attempt to enter the city through the sewers and open the gates to allow her forces to take the city with the minimum of bloodshed. This is successful and with now responsibility off a third city to have responsibility she makes an important decision. First she effectively pardons Ser Barristan and decides to keep him with her but she cannot forgive Ser Jorah and banishes him from her side.

The decision she takes arising from finding that having given people their freedom many have wanted to become slaves again to the households of the wealthy where they will lead a better life than fending for themselves She decides to put on hold her ambition to take an army across the water to reclaim her father‘s crown and concentrate on managing her growing realm to ensure the people are well provided for. While the dragons Drogon, Viserion and Rhaegal are growing, can fly freely and breathe fire it will be three years before they can ridden and until then their use is therefore restricted. It has occurred to me that the prophecy quoted by the Red Priestess applies to Daenerys and not to King Stannis and that perhaps she does know this!

2458 It is going to be a great year for Durham County Cricket Club but not sure about England

It had proved a week of mixed fortunes as the weather breaks in showers and chill reminiscent of April had not April also been much colder and unpleasant. I have been touched by memories of summer blues time past, of being on the outside of experience which I believed others were enjoying. There was also couple of hours negativity overwhelming on Thursday evening after a disappointment. Walks along the sun drenched banks of the Tyne were already distant memories.

The “live” experience highlight so far has been Durham last grasp win against Warwickshire yesterday evening in the County Champion. Three major TV series came to the season finale with the most significant season three of a Game of Thrones, the television of the epic Fire and Ice series of novels and which will be subject of a separate writing. I am continuing to read the second novel A Storm of Swords, the fourth in the series overall, completed late on Sunday night as the TV series has included some parts and not others.

There have been some unexpected dramatic and even shocking events during the TV production and even more so in the second novel as there has been in the impressive Sky Arts channel series Corleone, a dramatisation of the real history of the Cosa Nostra of Sicily and which fitted well into the writings and TV dramatisation of Inspector Montalbano and along side the two other recent series set in Rome and Milan. I was not sure what to make of Da Vinci’s Demons with the early manhood of Leonardo and his dealings with the Medici family as well as with Rome ad the relationship between the Medici family and Rome. Season 10 of NCIS comes to an end and I am sure it will not be long before Vegas does so as well. Replacing them is a third season of the Borgias and two episodes of Mad Dogs out of the third season four have been enjoyed. The BBC has started its own epic of times past, royal machinations and magic in The White Queen| based on the novels of Philippa Gregory “The cousins War” but the gulf between the TV series and Game of Thrones and I suspect the novels, is immense. I shall watch though. I hope to cover all the programmes in some depth.

Enjoyed the third carton of hot and spicy chicken wings in four days and the first can of coke over the same period which regretted taking as I am sure it had contributed to the recent weight gain and I have not needed to get up so often at night during the same period. Sustaining a harsh food and drink regime is not possible at present as much some salted peanuts as the day begins to draw to an end while listening to the Isle of Wight festival on Absolute radio. I will break off to play some games in the front living room as part of half an hour of additional exercise in partial atonement. Had a good session but then undid the food work by eating the rest of the peanuts. Eat an Ice cream, the first of the season at the Durham 40 over game against Scotland on Sunday but the real weight shifter was the carton of fatty chips and batter on the Saturday evening at the amphitheatre. I have taken to egg salads along with prawns, smoked mackerel and quiche, but I have cut out the snacking. I have enjoyed some small cherries at £2.50 a pound and butterscotch whip over recent weeks but there has been less toast bread and jacket potatoes but one negative has been the three home baked roles filled with pate and olives or cheese and pickles

Last Tuesday I visited B and Q on as well as checking out the on line availability of Water barrels and reserved the remaining 210 litre barrel on line going to collect it around 9 on Wednesday to claim the 15% discount and leaving the house before going off to the cricket. It is placed by the drain pipe to the garage roof but I need to clean the guttering which will take some effort having already cleared the earth and other muck which clogged the wooden structure.

I also need to clean the sun roof to the garage which also improves the light to the kitchen. Ideally it needs someone to go onto the roof to undertake a proper clean. I will try and use the steps and a broom from both ends over the coming week, weather and resolve permitting and see how much can be cleaned that way. I will need to bore a hole in the wood before the present guttering down to a drain for a new extension to the barrel. I have arranged for a water meter to be fitted with the worked expected over the next two to three weeks but having filled the barrel I have bought myself some time although I will need to use water for the cleaning so Ideally the work needs to be undertaken before the meter installation. I will place containers on the ground to collect rain but getting these clean and ready also requires work.

I have taking a reading for the gas and water meters and sent these off on line which will result in the annual statement of use and having not received an offer from the local authority group purchase I will use a compare the market type of site and then consider a change. I have deferred changing the telephone and internet use to BT to gain the new BT sports channels free.

I enjoyed the cricket for the main part attending on two of the three days of the County Championship game between Durham and Warwickshire. The weather was atrocious and there was doubt from outset that we could get a result.

The wicket was placed to the east of the ground where the development of the additional permanent seating for the Test match against Australia meant that passage from the Members gate at Lumley was not possible until late on Friday afternoon. The work has progressed with the foundations for the new stand extended up to the first bank of the green seats although later that day we learned that this bank is also being replaced. The seats are from those used on Horseguards parade for beach football, 7000 in total with 500 permanent with bat and other facilities to bed completed death after the Test match as the additional seating with be at the back and removed. The capacity for the match will be 15000 with the take anticipated to be over £1m for the first three days.

I attended my first Members evening in the lounge after the first day’s play was completed and pressed about the new developing confirming that the latest development that the new entrance and proposed conference stand behind the Lumley end wickets was no longer an immediate option or the hotel. The club had gained a loan European grants of £1.7 million but this was for the full ground development projects of some £20 million which they had been unable to raise although the grant money remained available. The floodlights projects was also in abeyance in part because of the lack of demand for the floodlit game and it was not yet a requirement for hosting International matches.

There was some questioning about the use of the Castle View Lumley lounges in the new extension with the possibility of use for member when not required but not as an alternative to the existing facility. Interestingly he debacle about the changes to the Members room was not raised. There was a moan about the £80 for the Test match which is to be a one off because of the Ashes and other financial considerations. Apparently some of the original Durham County members before the move to first class cricket were given a £10 life membership offer and I seriously considered the original County Life Membership rate for elders when I became eligible but I was not wedded to remaining in the North East at that point.

Most of those attending the meeting were familiar faces to me and there were those concerned at the new season prices although the Gold Membership deal remains a great offer costing for the all inclusive home games around 46 days of cricket for £88 compared to £80 for a day at the Ashes Test.

Because of the conditions and location of the wicket I made my way to the middle tier of the Durham stand to watch Durham bat first having won the toss. Later the Cricket Director said that the players never knew how a wicket would perform at the ground from match to match and wicket to wicket unlike many other ground where a side could be selected for the conditions.

Stoneman after some remarkable performances was out without scoring. Jennings made a careful 33, Borthwick a more adventurous 36, Smith 46 and Stokes 61, all can be said to have got themselves in before getting out with the explanation that the ball had started to swing. When Collingwood went for 1 and the Colonel for 0 the side was still short of their first batting point with seven wickets down. Spirited defence by Richardson 26, Wood 22 and Onions also 22 saw the total reach a respectable 267 and 2 bonus points.

Warwickshire fared no better with 19 for 0 at the close and 116 fro 7 but again the tail rallied doubling the total to 209 giving Durham a lead of 58 and with 40 on the board at the close this mean 100 for 0 when I went off to the cinema for a showing of the Audience at the Cineworld Bolden having elected to listen to match on the radio while watching the England’s innings in their second 50 over world championship tournament. When I return from what proved an aborted performance, full of disappointment and frustration I was horrified to find that Durham had collapsed to 147 for 8 with the Colonel getting a pair Jennings 11, Borthwick 2 Smith 4, Stokes 5, Collingwood 7 Onion 8, Wood 3. It was only Stoneman 83 and Richardson 55 who along with 11^th man Rushworth not out 11 who brought Durham to a respectable 198 with 42 run last wicket stand which I watched on Friday morning. However as I saw well wrapped and expecting a rain interrupted day, the odds had dramatically changed in favoured of Warwickshire. The Durham innings had ended don a bad note when Richardson was caught by Jarvid, according to the crowd while standing on the boundary rope which brought memories of Nottinghamshire’s Hales cheating several years ago which I witnessed at close hand. In this instance there was no one immediately overlooking the spot but there were a sizeable number of people in the Durham Stand close by who had an overview. Whether he was standing over the line and then moved just inside to take the catch is the only reason I assume he did not admit the 6 runs. Only he and his closes colleague appeared to celebrate with the rest of the Warwickshire fielders and Durham batsmen remaining in position.

Early in rhe Warwickshire second innings the skies darkened and the promised rain looked as if it would fall, but the sky coming from the west was much brighter and it looked that if it did rain in would prove a brief shower. Nevertheless the Warwickshire players sized the umpires decision and walk off but the Durham players remained with the Captain hoping to persuade the umpires that the conditions would quickly change. The umpires continued their walk to the pavilion, the pitch was covered but the delay was around half an hour and the match then continued uninterrupted for the rest of the game until one side became the victors.

Durham had the first success when Chopra and Porterfield were out at 26 and when Troughten at 56 and Westwood at 74 the game was swinging in Durham’s favour. This was view was reinforced when Ambrose went at 127, Clarke at 131 and Barker as 146 ( for 7) There was hen a very uncomfortable period when the dreadful Jarvid ( I trust the Durham crowd’s sight) with Patel slowly built up h core to a potential winning position until Jarvid went caught Borthwick off ions for 55 having stayed at the wicket for two and a half hours. Patel went three runs later for 50 but then Wright and Rankin appeared to steady and slowly moved towards what would have been a legendry last wicket victory when Stokes had Rankin leg before wicket and Warwickshire were all out for 245, giving Durham a potential Championship winning victory by 11 runs. And moved Durham to head the championship before Yorkshire completed their win to lead with 8 matches played 4 wins and 117 points while Durham are second with the same position and 108.5 points.

With the closest sides all drawing Durham kept their position with Sussex who they are to play twice 100 and Middlesex who they play Lords 97. Notts have a game in hand are on 80 which with maximum points still leave Durham ahead and hen Warwickshire, Surrey, Somerset and Derbyshire at the bottom. We play Derbyshire twice so Durham’s game at Scarborough could prove in effect a championship decider. The glory days could be here again.

Today Monday 17^th June 2013 the news has reached tat Surrey have sacked their Director of Cricket and first team coach with Alec Stewart taking over this confirming my impression that the home supporters want Championship success above all else despite the financial and commercial success of the club through hospitality, sponsorship and the holding of International events.

I had written Durham off from getting to the semi finals fo the 40 over competition because of the loss at home, and at Hampshire, but they now head the table with 8.75 points after humiliating Scotland bowling them all out 91 with Collinwood ending the innings getting 3 wickets for 5 runs off 1.3 overs. Onions 3 fro 26 and Wood 3 for 23 also did well. Durham appeared to have no problem in gaining the required runs in 12.5 overs going for a good run rate which could influence the outcome at the end of the league matches.

A lose look at table reveals that every club bar Scotland who have zero points have a chance of being top team after all their matches have been played. Hampshire’s game at hone against Derbyshire on Tuesday evening is important and if Derby win and then win against Scotland they will head the table with 10 points from the same number of games as Durham, and if Hants win they will also go ahead and have a game still in hand. Durham play Hants at home on Saturday in a must win game whatever happens. I shall be at the European Games at Gateshead. However with 12 games in total to play, they league is about half way. Notts with 6 wins from 6 games and walking away in League one as they have a game in over next placed Northants with 9 points. Somerset and Gloucestershire are doing well in the third division with Gloucestershire 11 points from 7 and Somerset 11 from 8 and at present one of these two look a good bet for the best placed fourth semi finalist making a Division win by Durham imperative.

England were disappointing against Sri Lanka in their second of three games in the Champions Trophy after creating a reasonable total of 293 with Trott 76, Root 68 and Cook 59 but where Morgan 13 Butler 0 Brennan 4 and Broad 7 failed to capitalise on the great start push the total to over 325. It was Bopara with a magnificent three sixes two fours, two fours and a two who added 28 runs in the final over who set the challenge. Unfortunately England’s bowlers on a good wicket could find no extra life or twist Sangakkara 134 who sealed are fate reaching the total required in the 47^th over and with seven wickets in hand. It all depended on the last match at Cardiff where rain threatened a no play which would have seen England out of the competition, Fortunately the rain stopped and then held off to enable a 24 over match against New Zealand. England made a good 169 although early on with Cook hitting sixes (64) a total of 190 or more seemed possible/. Again some fo the lower order batsman failed to connect in the way hoped. With the visitors 14 for 2, 48 for 4 and 62 for 5 they looked home cut and dried. However a good fight saw a much closer encounter with England winning after New Zealand could only reach 159 form 8.

Australia had to reach 254 runs in 29 overs to have a faster rate and get the fourth semi final spot. If they get the runs then New Zealand go through and not Sri Lanka who are they are playing. Going for the runs Australia lost wicket and when the 9^th went at 196 it seemed all over. Just when it looked as if Australia would win and send New Zealand into the Semi final they were all out so that as heading group India will play Sri Lanka in the second semi final with England leading their group playing South Africa on Wednesday at the Oval.

Andy Murray won at Queen Club again after missing out on the French open because of injury although he never has done well at the clay courts there. He lost the first set came back to win the next two in am march which was unable to start on time because of rain.

The interesting but as yet unconfirmed news is that Joe Kinnear Newcastle manager who had to give up the job because of a heart attack is coming back as Director of Football responsible for brining in new players. However the club are yet to make any statement.

I have a comparatively quiet start to the week, with writing, some exercise and watching the cricket today. Tomorrow I need to go for some shoes but on Wednesday there is the Opera relay from Red Square. I should have seen the Audience with Helen Mirren last Thursday but they failed to get the sound working again so I walked out and rebooked for a second showing. Unfortunately only when i got home I found that it clashes with the Euro Athletics on the Sunday. I will judge what to fo depending how week the Opera from Red Square goes on Weds and the Athletics on Saturday. There is the important semi final game involving England which will also take place on Wednesday with a 10.30 start