Tagged...

[fajrdrako]

Really, I was sitting around innocently, and mmegaera snuck up on me.

The rules:
a. Link to the person who tagged you. mmegaera
b. Post the rules on your blog. Posted
c. Write six random things about yourself.

1. I am wearing a shirt with a picture of a Venetian gondolier on it, and the words The Gondoliers 2002. This is from a Savoy Society production.
   
   
2. my first fandom was The Man from U.N.C.L.E., except I didn't know what a fandom was in those days. I just.. took a show, roped in some friends, and created a fandom around it. There were toys!
   
   
3. I plan to walk the length of Hadrian's Wall this year. Which means looking it uP

   Hadrian's Wall was 80 Roman miles (73.5 English miles or 117 kilometres) long.

   . Doesn't sound long, does it? Piece o' cake, normally. But I've never walked after having a broken ankle before. I wonder how long it will take. If I go the distance soon enough, I might add in Offa's Dyke (13 miles).
   
   
4. I once lived for almost a year in Crosby Hall, the palace that once belonged to Richard III, when he was still Duke of Gloucester. The dining room had boars embossed in the massive fireplace. When I lived there, it was a residence for overseas students. Now I see it's a private residence. Someone is lucky.
   
   
5. My master's thesis was called, "Genoese Involvement in the First Crusade: A Study of Caffaro da Caschifellone's De liberatione civitatis orientum". I found it fascinating.

d. Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.

I'm not sure I have the nerve! But what the heck, here goes, and I hope they forgive me: gryphons_lair, jkluge, dewline, nina_ds, angevin2 and jackarono.

e. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment at their blog.

Right.

f. Let your tagger know when your entry is up.

Right.

Comments

[chazzbanner.livejournal.com]

Crosby Hall! That's very, very cool. I had it on my list of places to visit, one year -- the books said it was open so-and-so hours. When i got there, someone met me at the door and said, oh, the hours have changed. On the other hand... she was sorting mail, and said, no one's in the (hammer beamed) hall, go ahead. So I went into the hall, and gaped, and took photos. :-)

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Yes, living in Crosby Hall was wonderful. I hadn't realized that it had recently been sold, and I think they've done a lot of renovations - probably took down the tackier late Victorian buildings, such as where our rooms were. I wonder if the modern library is still there. Probably not.

I have piles of the photos of the place from when I lived there, but I'm not sure where!

[mad-jaks.livejournal.com]

Damn I've always wanted to go to Scotland....

73 miles? At a nice gentle stroll - er 5 days? There or thereabouts.

[gryphons-lair.livejournal.com]

It's up! :)

[txvoodoo.livejournal.com]

#4 SO COOL

I think #5 is fascinating, too!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I love Scotland. Beautiful place. My favourite part of Scotland (so far) is Orkney, but it's all wonderful.

I don't need to do Hadrian's Wall all in one go. (As I will do once I get there, to the real place.) Since this is metaphorical practice, I can take as long as I want - depending on the strength of The Foot. A mile a day? Five? We shall see. When I'm in shape, ten miles a day is no big deal. But it may be a while till I'm in shape again, when it comes to walking.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Yay! On my way.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Crosby Hall was an amazing place, and a good memory. I met some really interesting people there, too. That was a great year. I loved living in London.

I'm glad you think #5 is fascinating - I am myself fascinated by the subject but I am aware that it isn't everyone's cup of tea.

[txvoodoo.livejournal.com]

Good thing you have some history geeks around here :D

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

And worth their weight in gold, every one of them!

[walkingowl.livejournal.com]

You plan to walk the length of Hadrian's Wall this year? Does that mean the actual wall itself, or only its equivalent length...? Because if you're going to Scotland to do this I'm going to be dead jealous, you know, as Hadrian's Wall is one of my favorite things in the entire world and I've never had the chance to see any of it in person.

I don't see why having recovered from a broken ankle would keep you from resuming your usual habit of walking for pleasure. Remember the story I passed on to you about John the professional clown, yes? He recovered fully from a completely separated foot, and is still working in his chosen craft. I imagine that you'll end up (as they say) as good as new, too. Back in balance, but perhaps with new perspectives on the whole situation. Or... not! [g]

[mad-jaks.livejournal.com]

Pesky ice and snow!
I'm obviously much more used to walking on my gentle Downland than the big 'tough guy' landscape of the North so 10 miles to me is a half day walk followed by a pub lunch or tea and cakes.

Really hoping you're back on both feet properly soon ♥

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

You plan to walk the length of Hadrian's Wall this year?

I thought i made it clear - I plan to walk that distance, not the wall itself.

Hadrian's Wall is in England, not Scotland.

I don't see why having recovered from a broken ankle would keep you from resuming your usual habit of walking for pleasure.

Yes. I'm just not sure how much I'll be able to do, or how soon. Trying not to pile too much on myself.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

so 10 miles to me is a half day walk followed by a pub lunch or tea and cakes.

I like the sound of the tea and cakes.

I'm not really sure what Downland is like, or whether I've walked on it. I've walked the cliff walks from Dover to Deal and from Penzance to Land's End; nice memories.

Orkney was good for walking too, because it's so flat.

I usually do flat walks locally, in Ottawa, but if I want to be more ambitious, just across the river in Quebec there are the Gatineau Hills - lots of hiking trails there.

[mad-jaks.livejournal.com]

The North Downs ends at Dover in the east. I've not been further east than Dover myself but I can't imagine the countryside is that disimilar.
I live on the South Downs so countryside around me is very like this image on Wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Downs) :D

[josanpq.livejournal.com]

My master's thesis was called, "Genoese Involvement in the First Crusade: A Study of Caffaro da Caschifellone's De liberatione civitatis orientum". I found it fascinating.

I did not know this. Any chance at a read?

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Sure, you're welcome to read it any time you want. If I can find it. I think I know where it is.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

How beautiful! That's incredibly lovely county. Actually I think all of England is incredibly lovely and I'd like to take just a year to walk around and through it. Or two years.

[mad-jaks.livejournal.com]

If you ever get round to it there's a bunk reserved for you here any time :D

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Big grin. Give me a little time to save up money for the plane, and I'm there. There for sure!

[walkingowl.livejournal.com]

Ah, I see. And, no, from your phrasing here it was not clear (to me). Then again, I don't use words the same ways that a lot of people do, so -- sorry I missed your meaning.

Hadrian's Wall is in...! Well, lady, depends on which direction you come at it from, right? [g] My mistake.

I think you can do the entire distance, but of course you won't be there by, say, June 1. You'll do it when you can. Maybe I'll get myself bicycle during the spring sales now going on, and ride it with you?

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Well, lady, depends on which direction you come at it from, right?

I'm not sure what you mean - England is on both sides of the wall. You could, I suppose, approach it from the North Sea - but that's still not Scotland!

You're getting a bicycle? A real one? I thought you said you had nowhere to ride one. That would be very cool.

[walkingowl.livejournal.com]

England is on both sides of the wall? Didn't it originally mark the boundary between Roman Britain and the barbarians to the north -- that would be, your own people the Scots? (I'm smiling as I say this. Because I know you have a sword and can use it on me. Not to mention a long-reach pterodactyl finger!)

Yes, I am seriously looking into getting a bicycle. I have realized that my road, here, is pretty level because it follows the course of a small stream. Therefore, I won't have any knee-killing hills to deal with if I ride here. It is about two miles long, from the main road to my place (and right after that, it ends in a T-intersection with another road, a very, very rural one), so I could get some good back-and-forths in with minimal worries about cars sharing the road.

Yes. I think it would be a good thing to start to do again. I miss being a bicyclist.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

England is on both sides of the wall?

Uh-huh.

Didn't it originally mark the boundary between Roman Britain and the barbarians to the north

It marked the northern frontier of Britannia. Britannia and "England" are not in quite the same place.

that would be, your own people the Scots?

I'm not sure the Scots were there yet. I think they were still in Ireland in Roman times, but I'd have to look it up to be sure. There would be Celts north of the wall, yes.

know you have a sword and can use it on me. Not to mention a long-reach pterodactyl finger!

But I am a fierce Celtic pacifist!

[walkingowl.livejournal.com]

Britannia and "England" are not in quite the same place.

Somebody moved it??? Gad, and I wasn't paying attention!

I'm not sure the Scots were there yet. I think they were still in Ireland in Roman times, but I'd have to look it up to be sure.

Ah, right. "Scots" and "the people of Scotland today" -- also not totally synonymous.

There would be Celts north of the wall, yes.

And these would have been the natives of the land, the original natives? Or maybe not. Here I'm thinking that "Celtic" means the people in those islands who carved the stones and made up the stories -- basically, that my Welsh ancestors were Celts. Were they? Now I'm not sure of anything. I mean, England has moved!!

But I am a fierce Celtic pacifist!

Indeed you are! And that is not a contradiction of terms, not in the slightest. At the same time, shouldn't you be showing some of this fierce Celtic conviction in the form of woad decorations? Woad isn't permanent like tattoos are... c'mon, venture the thought: what would you draw on yourself?

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Somebody moved it??? Gad, and I wasn't paying attention!

Those Romans. Can't trust 'em an inch.

these would have been the natives of the land, the original natives? Or maybe not. Here I'm thinking that "Celtic" means the people in those islands who carved the stones and made up the stories -- basically, that my Welsh ancestors were Celts. Were they?

Yes. "Celt" is generally used to describe the people who lived in most of Europe and spoke the Celtic languages - ancestors of Welsh, Cornish, Irish, Breton, Scots Gaelic, Manx, and so on. Yes, they are probably the people who put up standing stones and made pictograms and so on. But the history is obscure. See "Irish legends" and lots of northern archaeology for the details. I think the Picts were very cool - but that's only because they still existed very late in the era and Bede wrote about them.

what would you draw on yourself?

Calligraphy.

[filkferengi]

mmegaeras are sneaky like that.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

So I discovered!

[walkingowl.livejournal.com]

Calligraphy, huh? If I show up with some genuine woad pigment, I'm going to hold you to that. Get a Byron quote ready (short one, I hope, for your sake). Hee.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Should I be quaking with fear?

[walkingowl.livejournal.com]

Should I be quaking with fear?

No, I was kinda hoping for giggling.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

That too.

[nina-ds.livejournal.com]

Done. (http://nina-ds.livejournal.com/55545.html) And the Free Willie post is up here (http://nina-ds.livejournal.com/55126.html).

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Excellent!