In 1807 Denmark was a neutral nation, already weakened by the British in the First Battle of Copenhagen and facing a possible French invasion to the south. This latter threat was taken seriously so that Denmark had deployed its military forces along its southern borders in anticipation of an attack by Napoleon.
Alas, when the attack came it was not the French but rather the British who were responsible. Without any decleration of war, the British launched a major assault on Copenhagen in order to seize (for a second time) the Danish fleet and prevent it from falling into the hands of the French. Obviously having decided that Denmark, in its weakened state would not be able to withstand Napoleon, the British felt justified in launching an attack from the rear against a neutral country and subjecting its civilian population to military assault. Due to the Danish army being deployed against the common enemy France, Copenhagen was relatively undefended, so when the famous British general; The Duke of Wellington, who was in those days known as Arthur Wellesley landed his forces at Køge, he met very little resistence and quickly surrounded the capital.
Some what indignant at being stabbed in the back the city refused to surrender so the British proceeded to bombard it, firing thousands of artilley rounds and Congreve rockets against the unarmed civilians, killing over 2,000 people and destroying 30% of the city in the ensuing firestorm. After this 'successful military campaign' the British sailed away with the entire Danish fleet in tow leaving Denmark weakened against the French once again. According to historians today, the British decision to pre-emptively attack Denmark was based on 'flawed intelligence'. It was apparently assumed Denmark would join France and Russian in alliance, but in fact no such alliance was being considered. If anything Denmark was a possible ally against Napoleon. Some how I think the prospect of acquiring a new fleet weighed heavier in England than having Denmark as an ally so the British did what they do best.
The Duke of Wellington is today considered one of Britains finest and most noble warriors, but like Lord Horatio Nelson, Danish history shows us these men were utterly ruthless in their pursuit of victory and completely without honour (hardly a surprise given the times in which they lived). In 1801 Nelson had threatened to burn hundreds of Danish prisoners alive if the Danish Crown Prince did not agree to a truce and in 1807 Wellington used terror tactics against a defenceless city. Nothing much changes on Planet Earth.
Today a Royal Navy ship is visiting Copenhagen and bringing back a 200 year old ships bell to 'commemorate the battle'. I guess an apology is out of the question.
Recently an online friend sent me a link to an archive site which has connections to numerous uploaded TV and movie files. I am not sure of the legality of the whole thing but I have watched several of the sci fi serials that I have missed in recent years due to living on planet moif.
Battlestar Galactica. (The new ones). I already knew a lot about these from the SF Fandom forum so I had a good idea what to expect and was thus not disapointed. I doubt I would have been disapointed even if I hadn't though since I was a fan of the series as a child but retained no illusions about it. Sure enough, the new series fails to deliver that which moif craves. Essentially this series is 'America in space' with current American social issues being hashed out in a space opera setting with a whole lot of militaristic fetishism and 'pew pew' fleshing out the tedium. There seems to be a lot of maudling self pity being reenacted on screen especially with the idea of the Cylon's being 'invisible' after having taken on human form. Frankly I wasn't impressed, this is something seen endlessly. Its 'invasion of the body snatchers' meets al qaeda and squeezed into a sci fi format where 'our brave girls and boys' can fight back! Alas, all they end up doing is having the same petty intrigue and romance drama's that characterize all other soap's. Boring. Predictable. Without humour or redemption.
Doctor Who, (seasons 2 & 3 of the new). I'm not sure why these are called seasons 2 and 3 by the BBC but they are. The Beeb seems to have decided to start a-fresh with the Doctor and this is obvious from the moment the programmes begin. Where BSG was Americans in space, Doctor Who is Brits in Space, and with a vengeance! There seems to be just as much biased nationalist perspective in Doctor Who as there is in BSG, and yet it manifests itself in a much more left leaning manner. The Doctor, who is now a Jarvis Cocker clone, tumbles thorugh time and space, and some how always seems to manage to land in London, where alien invasions and monsters threaten the human race and must be thwarted... Now, quite why London is suddenly a magnet for the intergalactic forces of evil is any one's guess, but (according to the writers of DW) it is. The bottom line is, Doctor Who reinvented is a bit naff. Long gone are the stories of adventure and mystery on distant worlds and in their place is a strange navel gazing pantomime where the Doctor acts out contemporary British morality as a sort of universal code of conduct. Its not nearly as bad as BSG and thanks to the idea of multiple writers, some of the programmes are far better than others.
The Daleks make numerous appearances, but they are not the menace of old. Now they have been relegated to a position of ridicule with the Doctor harping on about their weaknesses as he easily dispatches them by some trick or other. Where once the Daleks were worthy enemies now they have become caricatures of themselves with one Dalek actually developing human morals and suddenly becomng a good guy *yawn* only to be exterminated by the other Daleks. I like the new Dalek bodies and the way they were done, but the writers need to be exterminated for what they've done to the Daleks.
Firefly. Now, this ought to be another botched job, but it isn't. Essentially 'cowboys in space', Firefly actually has more originality than BSG and more consistency to its sci fi premise than Doctor Who. Some of the stories are a bit weak, and the whole American civil war in space theme was very strange, but over all the idea for the series was quite good. Humanity has decamped to a new star system which has numerous inhabitable planets and the crew of the good ship Serenity travel from adventure to adventure with an unfashionable enthusiasm that is missing from most contemporary space opera. Alas, since it was choked off after only one season (and a film to tie up the loose ends) it retains a crispy edge that might otherwise have grown stale with age. I liked it despite myself.
The Tripods. Season 2. When I was a young teenager, 'The Tripods' was one of my all time favourite shows and I'm sure I could write a lot of self analysis as to why I identified with young men fleeing the tyranny of the giant tripods. For some reason I've always been hypnotized by the notion of giant three legged beings striding the Earth and bring destruction to humanity. I have no idea quite why, though I blame Jeff Wayne (music being apowerful tool to influence young minds). I have season 1 on tape so I've seen it quite a few times, but season 2 has always eluded my grasp, until now. Watching again, after all these years, I was amazed at how much I'd remembered wrong, but also at how much I'd never percieved at all. 'The Tripods' is incredibly camp and I'm glad to say I'm not the only person to have noticed this!
Homoeroticism aside, I enjoyed the reunion with my old favourite. The acting is appalling and the special effects are a bit dated. When it was made this was the most expensive series of programmes the BBC had ever undertaken and the irony is, they never made the final season and none of the actors ever worked again.
Star Trek: Enterprise. I can't make up my mind about this one. I'd read a lot of negative press about it from various sources and I can understand why people might not like it, but I'm actually enjoying them. I'm about half way through the episodes now and so far, its been simple fun n games. There is an insular sense of 'Americanism' going on, but its not as in your face as with BSG. 'Enterprise' is not fantastic, but its okay. Its not as pretentious as some of the other Star Trek serials nor as up its own arse as Doctor Who. Best of all, its pure space opera. People in space craft having adventures. There is some moralizing but it never reaches the hysterical. The uniforms are a bit of a problem though (why does every one in the Star Trek world wear a uniform?) and the opening music is just plain awful. Apart from that its okay.
The X Files. Seasons 1 -4. I've saved the best for last. I've always loved the X files, especially the earlier seasons. I love the idea and I enjoy its execution. Both actors play their parts perfectly and the mystery's they uncover are well written, well done and thoroughly enjoyable. Despite taking place in the USA, the X Files never devolves into a national perspective. It retains a universal perspective, and I feel sure this is the main reason why it was so popular. Any and every one could watch it and enjoy it for what it was. Certainly some of the monsters were far fetched, and sometimes I yearned for The Dark Ones to appear, or the Aliens to make a move, but this never detracted from the pleasureof viewing. My only criticism of the show is its length. They dragged it on for too long. Mulder and Scully should have gotten together and the show ended some where at the end of season six.
I've reached an impasse with the Cthulhu House as I've run out of the nut wood planking I use for the internal wall surfaces and floors. I only need about ten more strips, but these must be bought from the architect college's shop and so until I next visit that shop, I've been working on a model, the parts for which I do have; 'a village store'. This model is based on a building from the movie 'Sleepy Hollow' (shown above) and when its finished, will hopefully have a used, 'lived in' look about it. The main roof will be thatched and the over hang tiled with something 'greenish and wood like'.
This is a very easy model to build since it is small, requires no polyfilla and all the wood is pine (easier to work with that nut wood). There is a small apartment on the second level with a balconey to the front. I haven't decided about the internal walls yet, but I will add a FIMO chimney I think.
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I've also pulled off the original tile roof from my half finished inn model (this is a model I intend to finish in the near future. I'd sort of lost interest in the model when the roof didn't work as intended. The plaster tiling which I'd bought online was just too heavy, messy and seems to have warped the card underlay. Since I've now taken to using the card tile method, I decided to completely redo the inn roof. I feel the inn model is just too big and important to me to leave it with a defect roof. Also, since all the other models will now have the flatter card tile look, it will make the inn more homogenous.
When I was a child I caught a fleeting glimpse, Out of the corner of my eye. I turned to look but it was gone. I cannot put my finger on it now. The child is grown, the dream is gone. I have become comfortably numb.
Today was one of those days where felt very divorced from reality. Sort of far away or deep down in a cocoon of apathy ...bathed in the light of indifference. I was still functioning and able to talk and respond but my mind was a million miles away... odd how it feels so much easier to say 'miles' than 'kilometres'. Kilometre is such a clumsy word.
All around me people seem to be having quite a hard time. Friends breaking up, getting into entanglements with unscrupuous characters or suffering from illness. I know so many people who are struggling against cancer at the moment I feel almost overwhelmed by it. Is the world passing through a celestial cloud of ill omen or is it just because I'm getting to the age where death amongst one's fellows is more common? So far 2007 has not shaped up to be much of a year, but its not reached the horror of 2001 yet (probably the worst year of my life thus far).
There is good news too though. Babies being born and yet more babies on the way. I had another test done and it was negative. I at least am not dying of cancer though I sometimes feel that way. I recently read that men of my age suffer more angst than teenagers and I can well believe it, though I think I'd be happier in my mind if I were not always falling prey to illness.
When I was a teenager in the late 80's I'd serenade my angst (I liked to nurture my depressions back then) with some glorious Pink Floyd. This was in the days before 'The Delicate Sound of Thunder' destroyed my rapture. The days when I lived in hope eternal that the band would survive and create another masterpiece the likes of 'Shine on you Crazy Diamond' or 'Comfortably Numb'. Alas it was not to be. Like all good things must come to pass, so to did the genius of Waters and Gilmore. Gone now forever.
The wonderful thing about music in our golden age though is that we can remember it for as long as we can produce electricity. If only we could remember our friends in the same way. Sometimes, a song or a passage of radio play reminds me of something ephemeral. A drawing or painting I was working on when I first heard it, or in the case of Pink Floyd or the Cure, I remember the emotions I felt regarding my friend Anette Føns Andersen. To this day the music serves as a catalyst for the emotional return of that angst ridden teenage love and the sweet feeling it gives is almost as potent now as it was then. But am I mourning myself or her memory?
She's been able to dance for a long time but now the Snoos has begun to sing along with her bedtime songs and Cd's. Her favourites include the Ladybird song and 'Tango Cat'. Its fun to see how she comes in a moment to soon on the chorus or the 'special bit' where you clap your hands. Her vocabulary is coming along strongly now, with new words almost every day and she has begun to talk in actual sentences, though these do not always make much sense and other times are composed as much of nonsense as with actual words.
She's so cute now. I've been told that human beings are never 'cuter' than in their third year. That we reach a 'pinnacle of cuteness' in the brief moment when we are still too young to speak properly, but old enough to try. I can readily believe this. Freja is so 'cute' that I just want to pick her up and hug her for hours. Alas, I am not allowed to do this because she is a restless soul, always looking to play about and fiddle with things, and very stubborn. Mette says this is because she is a leo (Mette also says she does not believe in astrology, but there most be 'something in it'). Whether or not its true, is any one's guess (I guess not) but Freja Olivia is certainly a very stubborn child and has no patience what so ever. The slightest hint of a denial these days results in a paroxysm of anger. She can throw herself at the floor and begin to hammer her ankles and fists into with such anger that she appears to be on the verge of exploding. Alas, we try not to laugh at her, but she can be so over the top that its hard not to grin. Thankfully, from what I've seen of other children, she is not abnormal in this respect at all.
The above image is the Snoos munching raspberries in her maternal grandmothers greenhouse I think. It was taken by 'Unca Krigga' (Mette's brother). The below images show all three moifs eating a late breakfast and three generations of 'Kjølby girls' walking through central Århus of a summers day.
Looks like another ww1 dogfight was released this year. Going to have to find this one if I can... looks better than 'Flyboys' if this video is anything to go by
edited to add:
Ah well. If the IMDb page on this film is anything to go by then this may be another stinker...
Its still looking a bit half baked but essentially, but for a few internal walls and three windows at the back, the struture is finished. I added the turret tower last night and set about cutting the remaining tiles. This is a time consuming and monotonous task, but I usually have a film ('Sleepy Hollow' or 'Predator' are good for this type of thing since I've seen them so many times I don't need to look at the screen) running in the back ground when I do dull stuff like that as it makes the time pass easier. The tiles are made from strips of carboard (corn flakes packets and stuff like that) each cut in a haphazard fashion to break up the pattern and add a touch of pseudo realism.
I still can't decide what colour scheme to paint it, but I'm leaning towards generic stone greys rather than English country brickwork. These images show ill fitting parts, but these should disapear as I add the polyfilla. From that point on, the clean cut look will also vanish as polyfilla makes a real mess. There after comes the painting and 'weathering' which are the best parts for they bring the model to life (if one is lucky enough not to screw up the whole thing).
I was looking forward to this one because I liked the first. The idea was better and more realistic than a straight up zombie film, and thus more frightening. Personally I've never understood the fascination with zombies. The idea of a plague of fleshing eating corpses might hold up for one or two films, but for a whole genre to pivot on the idea seems to indicate something deeper and more profound than I can identify. Due to my friends collection of zombie films, I've seen more than a few and I've never really liked them. '28 Days Later' seemed to provide the same post apocolyptic ambience but without the need to suspend ones disbelief so far that it defeated the purpose of enjoying the movie.
'28 weeks later' takes place as the US military attempts to recolonise the UK and already here we run into problems. First, why are they based in the middle of London? The UK is full of area's more suited to recolonisation than the Isle of Dogs. This just doesn't make sense to me.
Second, the plot hinges on two returning children and their parents who survived the initial onslaught. Without giving too much away, I can only say that I found the notion that Carlyle's character, essentially a janitor, would have security access to the very heart of the US military's medical facility, to be a rather ridiculous.
I didn't think too much of ithis film to be honest. Compared to 'Quartermass and the Pit', this just loses itself in the blur of back ground imagery. The original concept of the first film is not really expanded upon and there is no point to this film except to dispel the 'happy ending' of the first. The hand held camera work was really annoying and the whole Green-Zone-going-out-of-control equally so. I don't know what it is about these types of films, but I've yet to see a sci fi film where military commanders are any thing but clueless morons. Military incompetence appears to be a staple of western popular culture and this film was no exception.
The story is simple enough. 5,000,000 years ago Martians came to Earth to colonise it, and apparently succeeded by geneering apes into humans. One ship crashed however, and is subsequently discovered under London in 1967 during an extension of Hobbs Lane undergroud station. The hero's figure out whats going on whilst (as usual) the politicians and military wallow in denial and try to shut down the intrepid Professor Quartermass and his friends. The film starts off slowly, builds up in pitch until finally erupting into a typical Hammer House ending.
What a great film! It feels a bit like 'The X files' but has the old school Brit sci fi ambience (I was half expecting a Dalek to appear at any moment) and still manages to hold its own against modern sci fi movies. So much so in fact that it seems a certain sombody was taking notes... a martian vehicle of some kind, long buried underground, comes to life and creates mayhem... hmmm where did I see that recently?
In many ways, this film seems to be a reworking of 'The War of the Worlds', taking the time scale between Mars' today and Mars as it may once have been into account. Instead of an armed invasion failing against the humans, Nigel Kneale (who wrote the original scripts) has the Martian invasion creating huimanity as we know it today. Its not HG Wells, but its not far off (the influence of the war of the worlds is even refered to with three legged Martians) and it knocks 'X files - the movie' into a cocked hat.
Its coming along nicely now, though I've run out of the nut wood I like to use for paneling and floor boarding. The next stages are to finish the windows (which are made of perspex etched in a diamond pattern) and then start on the masonry (which will be made of etched polyfilla). There after I hope to do the turret roof before finishing the internal walls.
I had thought of attaching a small green house to the back of the building, but given the leaded glass windows I've decided that the amount of glass in a green house would be a contradiction in style, so I've scapped that idea. I'd really like to do a building with a conservatory though maybe I'll just stick to the generic medieval period for now. I can always build a green house later on if I need one for a Rocketman game... very tempting... .
After six weeks at sea, the crew finally pulled into Dublin, just in time for a 'cultural event'. Danish TV reported on the occaision but didn't go into great details. This page at the BBC reports on the matter also.
Son the ship will be lifted from the water and placed into the Irish National Museum. The idea is the ship will remain in Dublin until next year when it will be sailed back to Denmark again. Since there are no 'cultural events' planned, hopefully next year the ship can attempt a crossing of the North Sea under her own sail... One can only hope.
I can't believe its already been two years! Every one keeps saying this, but its true. Its two years since I watched my daughter born and my life changed for ever. Awesome!
Its been a very quiet birthday. One might even say dull but Freja doesn't have a notion of birthdays yet so she's not bothered. She just wants to watch Pingu. Mette made fruit kebabs and cake for the kindergarten and Mette's grandparents have been by. Unfortunately my mother has not been able to come by but Freja has been to visit Gwamma several times in the last fortnight, and I guess thats almost as good.
I've decided to shut down my political blog since I no longer have the interest in it I had. I'll probably do this within a week or so. Some of the links will be returned to this blog but others will be discarded.
'The War of the Worlds' is probably my favourite book, though if I am honest, this is probably as much due to Jeff Wayne as it is to HG Wells. The book itself a classic of science fiction perhaps the classic work of the genre and a story which has been adapted quite a few times, though seldom with any success. The earliest adaptation was Orson Wells radio play which famously spooked some of its audience who did not understand they were listening to a work of fiction. How much truth there is to this story I can't say, but its amusing with hindsight to think any one could have believed the Martians were landing in America. Every true fan of The War of the Worlds knows that the Martians land in Woking! I've heard the radio play several times and its got a certain flair to it. Orson Wells gets credit for actually making the radio play which is something the BBC, who really ought to have made this into a really good radio play decades ago, have yet to do. Quite why they have neglected this book when one listens to some of the crap they've dramatized in the past is beyond me. They've even done other HG Wells stories, but just not this one. . Unfortunately, the geographical misconception of the Wells radio play appears to be the dominent factor in subsequent adaptations of the book since it was repeated in the 1953 film by director Byron Haskin. As TWOTW adaptations go, this one is actually one of the better, for although it takes some broad liberties with the story, and adds an unhealthy portion of religion into the mix, it still manages to create a good vibe regardless. Its redesign of the Martian fighting machines as walking on legs of energy is interesting, though lacking the style of the originals. . . 1977 saw Robert Hardy reading the book for an abridged audio production and although this is the original, its not very satisfying. Good old Ray Harryhausen considered a film, but either couldn't get the cash for it or didn't have the time. Its a shame because he was a good film maker and this short piece shows his thinking: .
. I should interject that there have been other adaptations of the book, lesser efforts and fan productions which I'm not including here since they don't really merit the same level of attention. . Jeff Wayne's 1978 musical version of The War of the Worlds then shattered the silence and this is where a young moif entered the picture for the first time. Listening to a friends copy of the album on and old cassette player, at night under a street lamp outside my home in the UK, my hair rising on end at the thrumming bass line and Richard Burton's voice describing in lurid detail the heat ray on Horsell Common. I've been listening to this album, for years now, and I've bought it on cassette, vinyl and now CD (naturally I have the 100% remastered collectors edition). Despite the years and the format, this remains the best adaptation yet. Jeff Wayne's career as a musician never seemed to get past his master piece. He tried to do other similar projects, but they were strained efforts, not worth listening to at all. I have 'Spartacus' starring Athony Hopkins and Catherine Zeta Jones, but its never left its box but once or twice since I bought it (on offer). Below is the original video which was released along with Jeff Waynes 2 record TWOTW Album, I saw this on Top of the Pops as an eight year old and the impression of the man with the glasses turning and staring stayed with me for thirty years until I found the clip again on You Tube. The second film is a fan version of the first. .
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. Wayne eventually returned to TWOTW and in the last years has been touring with a concert show. A CGI film is said to be in the making, and it is due to be released within the next year or so. Every so often details slip from the studio and are shown on You Tube... I have not been able to find the original video footage of the Martian fighting machine from the upcoming film, but below is a video which incorporates it. The second film below it shows an introduction animation from the Jeff Wayne TWOTW computer game which generated the impetus for the return of Jeff Wayne's TWOTW and the realisation that a full CGI film might be possible. I'm well impressed with how Jeff Wayne and his team have managed to keep to the spirit of the books even whilst playing about with the various concepts. .
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. After Jeff Wayne's album, there was a long period of inactivity on Mars (there was a long running American TV show based on the 1953 film, but the less said about this monstrosity the better). In 1996 Roland Emmerich presented the world with 'Independence Day 4' which is said to have been a loose, modern rewriting of the story and which had a certain flair to it. I'm not a big fan of the film and frankly, when it came out I didn't even realise it was based on TWOTW at all. . Finally, 2005 saw the release of three new movie adaptations of the book. These had been in the pipeline for years previously, with at least two of them being postponed due to 9/11. Steven Spielberg directed the most famous of the three and considering the money and influence he commands, did a pretty poor job. His Martians weren't martians, his heat ray wasn't a heat ray and his film spent more time on Tom Cruise arguing with his children than with the invasion. It was a highly frustrating experience. Every so often, gorgeous tripods would make brief appearances, spreading terror and mayhem in spectacular fashion only to be replaced by two squabbling brats and their clueless father. And then Tim Robbins makes his appearance the whole boat just sinks. Naturally the Spielberg film takes place in contemporary USA. . . The worst part about Spielbergs adaptation was, even though it was pretty poor, it was still the better of the three. The second adaptation was a 'straight to DVD' release directed by David Michael Latt, starring several unknowns and Jake Busey and also taking place in contemporary USA. The only aspect of this production worth noting is the interesting eight limbed fighting machines with tank turret heads (they're supposed to have three legs). . . As bad as this one is, its still light years ahead of the third TWOTW adaption to be released in 2005. . This was the one that I was waiting for. This was the film that was billed as being true to the original book, of having CGI comparable to the Matrix and of having the ambience and style of 'Saving Private Ryan'. This was Timothy Hines film. . IT IS THE MOST APPALLING NIGHTMARE OF A FILM I HAVE EVER SEEN. . You're probably thinking now, he's just exagerating because he was disapointed, or, there's worse films for sure. Yes, there probably is, but I've never seen them.- This really is the most horrible, badly made, badly acted film I have ever seen ...and it never ends! It goes on for hours and hours with the main actor in his ridiculous fake moustache trudging about an American landscape pretending to be in the south of England. Every so often cardboard cut out fighting machines lurch into view and the 'actor', some guy called Anthony Piana (this is the only film he is listed as having been in on IMDb) tries to act and fails. Not only does he fail, but he fails spectacularly. Judge for yourselves.... .
A year or so back, I acquired Timothy Hines 'War of the Worlds'. At that time it was the only 'amateur fan film' I had bought on DVD (and I only bought it because it was an adaption of War of the Worlds!). I doubt Hines would accept being called an amateur but that film was so dire he deserves nothing better, I've only seen it the one time.
Now here is another 'amateur fan film' on DVD. This one is shorter (45 mins as opposed to Hines's, 3+ hour yawn fest) almost certainly filmed on a smaller budget, filmed in a black and white 1920's style, silent! and yet 99% superior.
Its not a stunning work of cinema that will blow your socks off. In fact, unless your a Cthulhu cultist, or have a soft spot for film noir it might not appeal to you at all. But as the work of a group of amateur enthusiasts, this film is genius. Using black & white and going for a period feel has pulled off what Hines so horribly failed to do. Suddenly the panto style special effects don't matter. Its the actors faces, the heavy contrasts and the dramatic music that make the impressions. The story is taken straight from the books
There are some weak moments certainly. Some of the special effects are terrible; the sea, the ships and the stop motion Cthulhu leave much to be desired (I would have used traditional animation for Cthulhu and I never would have shown him in his entirety since he goes from being a lurking terror in the shadows to a writhing mass of plastecene). There are also some great moments too. The swamp is really well done and the city of Cthulhu prior to his appearance is ...okay.
The Sultan of Al Haqb has been marauding the Greek islands for years. Careful to have avoided angering the larger naval powers in the past, his pirate fleet has now grown so large in size and strength that he has grown recklessly bold. After having defeated a local Ottoman squadron, he has sailed up into the Adriatic sea to avoid pursuit whilst falling upon helpless European merchant shipping.
In Venice however, the Doge has been informed of the Sultans plan by his vast network of over seas spies and has dispatched none other than the great Capitano Mecano in a powerful squadron to bring the pirate heretic to account!
The two sides meet on a glorious August morning, the sun is blazing and the sea is calm. Each side starts at the opposing end of the table and roll for initiative.
Player One: Capitano Ercino Mecano 1 Galleas, 1 Grand Galley, 2 Galleys, 1 Gun boats & 1 Boats
Player Two: Castracani da Barbiano 1 Grand Galley, 2 Galleys, 1 Gun boats & 1 Boats
Player Three: The Sultan of Al Haqb 1 Grand Galley, 2 Galleys & 2 Boats
Player Four: Sheik Yusuf bin Yalah 1 Grand Galley, 2 Galleys & 2 Boats
This was a spur of the moment game to test our naval combat rules and I didn't have time to build additional models. I had expected only two of us would play it, so I wasn't too worried since I had enough galleys for a 2v2 game, but then the number increased to four players so I had to flesh out the forces a bit with the heavier grand galleys and some boats.
The game went fairly well. I was player two and my friend Palle player one. Oleg was player four and Rasmus was player three. Oleg and I have more experience and enthusiasm for naval battles, so it was fairly balanced. The Venetians, being a state pitted against pirates, had a heavier force, but not I thought overwhelmingly so.
It turned out however that the imbalance was enough to see player three annhilated in the first half of the game. Each side started with a traditional galley line (that is to say in a line abreast of each other) in two seperate squadrons. Both Arabians had placed their commanding ships in the centre of their squadrons lines.
The Venetians were also in a traditional line comprised of two squadrons, but had been more astute and placed their flag ship galleas in the centre of the over all force. This was possible because the Venetians had the advantage of an additional grand galley (they also had the two gun boats, but these weren't of much use). Both sides attempted to out flank the other, but since Venetians galleas was in the centre of their two squadrons, it could move to engage either of the Arabian players at will. This it did when player three moved into attack my squadron. I held back and the galleas tipped the balance in our favour (I also had a nice run of sixes at the right moments). The game was quickly over after that, though the second Arabian squardon had managed to hang on and its great galley even fled off table escaping the carnage.
We've run several European ship skirmish battles over the last year but we've not paid much attention to galleys yet. Galleys and ships are very different since they fight in different ways. Galleys can row into the wind and have only weak guns pointing forwards where as ships move by virtue of the wind and carry a great many guns along their flanks. Ships are generally bigger, much tougher and far more dangerous, but galleys can give them a nasty surprise. So far we've yet to run a mixed game, but I think this will be the next naval skirmish we do. The trouble with that is, by the time ships came along, galleys were all but obsolete and there isn't much scope for pitting them against each other. A galleas is a very large and powerful galley. I've written about them previously here.
The rules held up and there was less quibbling than usual, which is nice. I think our naval rules are quite good, just as long as one stays within the historical boundries.
They took me by surprise! I thought they'd cross the sea to Ireland and follow the coast south but instead the ship moved out into the Irish Sea and is currently at rest at the Isla of Man. I haven't heard or seen anything much from the ship except the antics of the crew in the various stop over points so there hasn't been much to relate. The ship must be coping though since they haven't sunk, but apart from some problems with the rudder oar and the sail earlier in the voyage, things have been very quiet.
I've been thinking about building a 28mm scale replica of a similar Viking warship, though probably not Havhingsten. If I did build it, it would have to have bloated dimensions in order to faciliatate the figures bases, so the ships 'deck' would likely measure 60 x 9 cm amidships with the over all length of the ship being about 66cm. A bit too big to ever be used. The idea for these models would be skirmish games aboard the various ships and we already have two large ship models not being used...
The alternative would be to build a smaller, long ship, maybe 45 x 8cm amidships. Which ever I decided upon it would still have to wait until several other models are completed....
Its finally summer in Denmark. That is to say the sun is finally shining, the torrential rains have stopped and people have flocked to the beaches to bath in the UV. It hasn't meant much to me. I'm pretty fucked up at the moment with sporadic internal bleeding and the return of the pain just above my left testicle which had gradually faded away. I've been on to the doctor of course and he's refered me to the surgical dept of Skejby hospital. My appointment is in two months time. The joys of 'free' national health care! . Yesterday I went to see my mother in the hospital. It didn't take much to do it, but I hated every minute of it. My mother seems to be getting on okay, but my phobia of cancer, the pains I have in my groin and my active imagination wouldn't leave me alone. Thankfully the Snoos was on hand to keep my mind distracted and I was spared the ordeal of sitting in the room where my mother was lying (with two other cancer patients). Still its not all depressing. Granted I am broke, ill, my mother is hospitalized with cancer and I'm not really able to get out an enjoy the sun as I could just a few months ago. At least the itchy skin/burning hands thing has gone.
Yeah... its hard to maintain my shining personality in the face of life's trials but Freja will be two years old in a weeks time so its not all bad. We're holding an 'open house' this year. Last year was a big party, but this year will be more subdued. Chocolate and buns, a traditional Danish birthday thing. Hopefully all four grandparents will be in attendence. . Next year, when she is old enough to actually know what its about, I anticipate a real kids party (I'm already trembling at the prospect) with all the screaming and food fighting one associates with multiple partying three year olds. . And now, to 'cheer you up' after that somewhat maudling post, here is some music I like:
I'm not much into rap these days but I've still got a soft spot for the Beastie Boys, not least after their third and fourth albums. .
This is a tricky one. 99% of Serpieri's work is pornographic in nature and not really appropriate to this blog. Even these images could be a bit dodgy to some people, but there you are, hopefully, no one is going to faint.
Serpieri has for a long time been one of my personal favourite figurative artists both because of his accuracy and his 'line'. My tutors at art school used to talk about an artists 'quality of line' all the time and, unless I seriously misunderstood the lesson, then I can't think of any draughtsman who even comes close to Serpieri. His genius lies in his cross hatching which he uses to describe the form of his subject perfectly. Fortunately for me, he likes to draw voluptuous females where his long curving lines are most effective. I've emulated this style myself for years, so much so that its informed my own method of drawing. Alas, I'm not as good at drawing the human figure as Serpieri is, and frankly, I'm not as obsessed with the female form... at least, not to draw... I'm also heavily influenced by Kurt Trampedach's line which is far looser (read messier) than Serpieri's.
I first came across Serpieri in the late 1980's when I was at boarding school for a year. Coming home for week ends I'd often have to wait to catch a connecting bus in the city of Randers. One day I wandered into a book shop where a copy of 'Morbus Gravis Vol 2' caught my eye. The cover image of Serpieri's main character Druuna was what caught my attention, but it was the beautiful style of the drawings that held it. I didn't have the money to buy the album then, but several years later I finally tracked it down. Since then there have been numerous other albums released in the series but as time as passed Serpieri has all but abandoned the original story and spun off into highly personal dreamscape where he explores numerous sexual themes. Frankly, the Morbus Gravis albums are a bit sad. The style is still as beautiful as ever, in fact more so as he polishes his line with each passing year, but it feels wasted. Pearls before swine and all that. Its too bad Serpieri doesn't seem to do much beyond the pornographic because his line lends itself to the classical.
DR (Denmarks national TV service) have been showing programmes in the last few days regarding the construction of the ship and its been interesting to see these, some of which I'd already seen. So far they've not reached the stage of reporting the actual journey though so details have been scarce on that aspect of the project.
Over all I've been getting a sense that the Viking Ship Museum has allowed itself to be manipulated by various personal and exterior interests to its stated aims in building the ship. DR's programme's don't really ask any impertient questions, but there is a sense of 'cheating' surrounding Havhingsten. Its not so much in the actual ship building, though I've heard rumours that its not as accurate a copy as it should be, but rather in prostituting the ship to cultural and political agenda's for maximum economic gain. I got this impression strongest from the way the ship was dragged across the North Sea so that it wouldn't miss its deadline arrival in Dublin, but even something as apparently innocent as the ships name now seems suspect. It strikes me as being a bit tame that a war ship would be called something as romantic as the 'Sea Stallion from Glendalough'. Its been repeated endlessly that the original ship came from Ireland, as if the Irish had built it and I suspect the Irish aspect is being talked up to get as much political capital for (and funding from) the EU.
Still. When all is said and done, I'm glad they built it. It may be an ill built media whore of a ship , but its still the largest replica Viking war ship ever built and it can't be denied, it looks great! As you can see on the map above, the crew have moved south through the western Scottish islands and are now approaching Ireland. I anticipate they will arrive there, weather permitting, tomorrow (Friday).
Th Cthulhu house, due to its design and shape is inspired by the houses which were often shown on the covers of the Call of Cthulhu rule books, though my model is slightly less grandiose:
That was back in the days when Call of Cthulhu was a fairly popular role playing game. I haven't heard of any one playing it in a long while now, but I suppose a few old gamers dust it off now and then. They eventually made it into a computer game but from what I understand, its nothing but a shoot the zombies type affair.
So far I've made the frame for the first two floors of my model and next up will be the frame for the roof and upper turret. This time round I'm not going to use the same roofing tiles as with the inn. These were made with a mold I bought from Hirst Arts, but the end product is heavy, unweildy and has warped the underlying structure so badly that the whole affair fits so poorly together now that I've half a mind to pull it apart and remake the entire roof.
I've also been applying polyfilla sculpted brickwork to my city wall elements (see below) and these are now 90% rendered. I'm really looking forward to painting them., but thi swill have to wait until I've completed the second tower I have planned, thus all my city wall elements will share an overall colour scheme. I think its safe to say I enjoy rendering models even more than building them. Adding the final 'weathering' is the most fun of all.
