Ladies and Gentlemen of the Forum, My Lord Fenton, Fleet Admiral Lemmey, Bishop Techno,
It may have come to your attention that this year is the 700th Anniversary of the glorious Battle of Bannockburn.
BBC Scotland are showing a two parter with silky haired Neil Oliver and fellow man in a trench Tony Pollard. It couldn't be seen in England, but you can see it on the BBC iplayer at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p01lyy75/the-quest-for-bannockburn-1-day-one (http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p01lyy75/the-quest-for-bannockburn-1-day-one)
Includes the immortal line that a schiltron was basically a "spikey fence".
Cool,
Thank you sir!
Good stuff
I met Neil Oliver at the either the first or second Bannockburn reenactment a few years ago
Nice bloke
Quite a good documentary, Neil Oliver seems like a cool guy. The technology used makes me wish their bring back the battlefield programme with Dan and Jon snow, because as awesome as they were, they already look incredibly dated!
Also, having played around these areas as a child it'll be interesting to see what they discover.
Quote from: fsn on 05 June 2014, 08:35:25 PM
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Forum, My Lord Fenton, Fleet Admiral Lemmey, Bishop Techno,
It may have come to your attention that this year is the 700th Anniversary of the glorious Battle of Bannockburn.
Perhaps more importantly. It will be the 501st Anniversary of Flodden, and the 258th anniversary of Culloden. What is it with all this "Round Number Fascism" these days? ;) :D :-\
Mollinary
I think the knife's in far enough, Mollinary. :D
;D ;D ;D ;D
Quote from: Hertsblue on 06 June 2014, 07:27:58 AM
I think the knife's in far enough, Mollinary. :D
We'll....... Possibly! ;)
Day 2 now available ...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b046rjhw/the-quest-for-bannockburn-2-day-two (http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b046rjhw/the-quest-for-bannockburn-2-day-two)
I'll have to wait until we get the next PC.... :(
I expect it won't be available to view by then.
Cheers - The Bishop
On a trip round Scotland recently I was able to spend some time at the National Trust for Scotland's new Bannockburn Visitors Centre, details at http://battleofbannockburn.com/ on the outskirts of Sterling.
I remember visiting the site some years ago now but a new visitors centre has just opened ready for the 700th anniversary celebrations. The centre features a 3D projection 'experience' where you can walk around the main display space with your special glasses on and the 3d presentation goes on all around you with the characters appearing to move out from the screens, across the room in front of you and then onto other screens around the room. Quite fascinating. There are other areas where you can 'interact' with various characters from peasants to Lords to learn more about their lives.
Also there is a 'Battle Game' room where up to around 30 visitors participate and are guided through a wargame by a member of staff (or Battle Master in their jargon!) to replay the battle. No dusty figures and crummy terrain here though as this is achieved through a computer moderated 'game' with a projection system onto quite a large table that the players surround. Sort of a 'Medieval: Total War' feel to the game and as a 'wargame For Joe Public' I thought it was very well done and also had quite some interest for me as a gamer of the period too.
Not a cheap day out (but I would say fair value) if you're visiting as a family group but with free entry for National Trust members such as myself it was a bargain (though I did spend quite a bit in the shop, but resisted buying any of the bits of reproduction armour in there!).
If you're in the area pay a visit. I don't think you'd regret spending a few hours there.
Peter
Great link thanks for posting :)
Am I missing something here though? who's this other bishop chap that's appearing on the forum:
QuoteCheers - The Bishop
QuoteBishop Techno,
Is this going to be the start of a minor Religious war, hence know as Bishop Bashing or Bashing the Bishop ;)
Jason(The only Bishop on here)
Steady that man !
I think fsn's confusing me with someone else.....He was imagining me as the Borg Queen a year or more ago.
(Probably the pills..... again. ;) ;D)
Cheers - Phil
Got to agree with Mollinary on this. Once the knife's in take a sledgehammer to it. Funnily enough, until this independence thing blew up, I hadn't thought of the Scots, Picts, Caledonians, Strathclyde Welsh, Northern Northumbrians, Islesmen or anyone else north of the Tweed as being any different from the rest of us. Now I just find them intensely irritating.
Since most Scots are decidedly anti independence I find your attitude a bit odd; perhaps those of us who regard ourselves as British should stick a little closer together and eschew the sort of 'them' and 'us' sectarianism that seems to be creeping into this debate. A time may come when 'we' will need to defend our country, values and culture against 'them', better together, politically and in spirit.
Quote from: cameronian on 12 June 2014, 04:12:57 PM
Since most Scots are decidedly anti independence ...
Not my experience at all. I'm pretty sure that if the referendum were restricted to those of my friends and acquaintances eligible to vote it would come down the the vote of a single person one way or another.
As a set of sweeping generalisations, based on nothing more than my own limited observations, younger people tend to be pro-independence and older ones more pro-union while the "haves" tend to be pro-union and the "have-nots" are more likely pro-independence.
It will be an interesting* referendum however the vote pans out.
*Possibly in the "may you live in interesting times" sense!!
60 - 40 against, I'd lay money on it. AFAIK the polls show the younger voters and women being prominent among the significant 'anti' groups.
Quote from: Bishop Lord on 12 June 2014, 07:00:00 AM
Is this going to be the start of a minor Religious war, hence know as Bishop Bashing or Bashing the Bishop ;)
The Dark Lord has much disapproved of the consensus within his followers. The "Aztec schism" has died somewhat, the "Mongol conspiracy" was actually a force of unity, and the furore created by the "Centurion ascendancy" only troubles the older members. As we know, the Dark Lord thrives on Chaos so has decided to sow discord amongst his followers. Accordingly, he has loosed an insidious evil upon the world. He has whispered in the ears of sleepers who have awakened and are set to rent community asunder over the words of the Noble Barker, and the lesser ones - Dickens and Shakespeare. It is rumoured that even the Blessed Featherstone may be embroiled in this rift.
Accordingly, he has raised his faithful retainer, Techno, to be the first female Borg Bishop of the "Cult of the Word". This revelation he whispered to Bishop Techno, but he's getting on a bit and his hearing is not what it used to be, and so in short the Cult of the Word's leader is quite unaware of his mission. This is perplexing to the Dark Lord, as he was hoping by now that there would have been some pamphlets and possibly some rousing preaching by now, possibly leading to strong words and maybe virtual fisticuffs in the bar.
The heretical "Society for the Preservation of good writing; being brevity and the use of fine wordsmithery for the induction and continuance of discourse" ("Sftpogw;bbatuofwftiacod" for short) is massing for a discussion forum to decide upon a panel to consider proposals for the elevation (by democratic means or not) of a leader, or panel or leaders, after which they will swiftly crush the hated Cult of the Word. The Sftpogw;bbatuofwftiacod is inviting tenders for consultants to advise on the means of collecting opinions from the discussion forum. However, come spring, or perhaps early summer 2016, those dratted Cultists are going to see some stern memos, and perhaps a fist waving.
Watch this space.
In the meantime, Bishop Techno is looking for a young actress with the stated intention of recreating some old jokes.
Speak up !!.......I can't hear a thing. :P ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Eh? Précis please?
Two Bishops in a bar; one says to the other "You know, I've never met an actress!"
The other retorts: "Me neither!"
Some photos from the Bannockburn event last weekend. Best bit was when Edward II was accidentally heard over the tannoy system complaining of a free spirited horse - "this flippin' thing. It's flippin' run away with me!" (Only he didn't say flippin').
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3892/14392084487_f123603e1a_z.jpg)
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3920/14575161911_076c31fcd9_z.jpg)
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5509/14575163321_b2d602ce9a_z.jpg)
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3912/14391867398_dc7937dfcc_z.jpg)
Cor, those wobbly spear shafts give hope for some of my mangled figures lances etc :D
I think the chap bottom right, 2nd photo escaped from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail". He doesn't even have a head on his spear.
I think closer inspection of that "spear" may reveal it's a quarterstaff! (or summat)
You think?
Quote from: toxicpixie on 05 July 2014, 11:54:13 AM
Cor, those wobbly spear shafts give hope for some of my mangled figures lances etc :D
I'll say....If I, or my colleagues, made something like that on a wee man.....We'd never hear the last of it ! :P ;) ;D
Cheers - Phil
More plausible than any thrusting arm anyway.
The dude is pretty well equipped, with lots of armour. Surprised he couldn't afford a spearhead... Or maybe all his dosh went on the tin plate?!
Techno - dont worry, my thumb-fingered dexterity soon means they end up like that anyway, half the time!
Fantastic! Another re-enactment of Flodden.
Quote from: FierceKitty on 05 July 2014, 01:37:31 PM
I think closer inspection of that "spear" may reveal it's a quarterstaff! (or summat)
To me it looks like the end of the "spear" was prepared for a spear head. Perhaps it has come off in all the excitement ;)
Isn't that Richard Clarke of Too Fat Lardies holding the pointless spear? I am sure there is a joke here, but I cannot bring myself to look for it!
:D ;)
Mollinary
Saw the end of what I assume was 'part two' on BBC 2 a couple of nights ago.....
Wish I'd realized it was on, before I found it 'by accident'......Rather good !
Cheers - Phil
Quote from: FierceKitty on 05 July 2014, 01:37:31 PM
I think closer inspection of that "spear" may reveal it's a quarterstaff! (or summat)
There used to be a spear head on there. There was a few of us on the English side knocked some spear heads off when they got a bit too close. But otherwise it was a really enjoyable event.
Were you there, Friend Genom?
Wonderful event. I saw the first run through, did the others go with fewer mishaps?
Yeah I was there fighting on the English side for this one, other than one of the riders falling off his horse on the 2nd or 3rd battle of the Saturday, (The horses didn't like all the people and the Jets flying overhead but they were much calmer on the Sunday) it all went pretty well otherwise, we did some minor changes as the weekend progressed but that was more to get better positioning on the battlefield and for the final fight. There was a lot of foreign fighters there who had some trouble with all the commands being barked out in a Scottish accent.
The re-enactment guy, Charlie Allen from Clan Ranald, was the German holding the Romans head at the beginning of Gladiator, he also plays bagpipes in the band Saor Patrol. A multi talented bloke 8)