Hooptedoodle #474 - as you were

 Today's developments in Washington have caused a change of heart here.

There is nothing I wish to discuss further about that unbelievable kindergarten show, and - reluctantly - I now feel that my previous post was both ill-considered and inappropriate. With apologies, and my thanks to everyone who contributed, I've decided to pull it. My personal boycott will quietly continue, but I do not wish to dignify what is going on over there by paying attention.

Good luck to you all. 

William Lawes (1602-45) - don't shoot the pianist

 Something a little different this morning. I like to make small collections of music appropriate to the historic periods which I wargame - nothing overly serious, just mood-setting stuff.

This started about 10 years ago, when I put together a couple of CDs of Napoleonic marches (a stirring addition to tabletop warfare, though you have to stand ready with the off switch when it begins to do your head in). This is an interesting way to unnerve an opponent...

I tried to extend the idea to the War of the Spanish Succession, but was immediately challenged by the fact that bands didn't actually march in step at this period, so any formal "military" music is mostly music containing sound effects which parody warfare - typically composed by Lully and Delalande and similar, for the entertainment of Louis XIV and his guests at gala dinners. There were regimental bands, but their main duties involved playing concerts or festive music.

Thus it is no surprise that the ECW presents the same problem. There is contemporary "soldier" music available on record, much of which consists of ribald drinking songs. I was pleased to come across the work of William Lawes, a native of Salisbury, in Wiltshire, who spent most of his adult life in the service of Charles I. William was a composer, lutenist and viol player who produced an impressive portfolio of sacred and courtly works.

 

William Lawes

 

William survived the Siege of York, and seems to have spent his time with the Royalist army. Charles had him seconded to the King's Lifeguards (possibly to keep him close to the monarch, and out of harm's way); Lawes was killed at the Siege of Chester, in the rout following the Battle of Rowton Heath.

Here is a sample of his music for small groups - if you are interested, there is a fair amount online, much of which is very pleasing. This has been one of this week's better surprises.

 

Hooptedoodle #472 - Odd One Out?

 Naturally I am not clever enough to understand this stuff, but a friend sent me this idea. No prizes, it goes without saying...

Which of the following places is the odd one out?

* SUDETENLAND

* UKRAINE

* GREENLAND 

* PANAMA

* GAZA

 

There are probably various different answers, but as far as I know Gaza is the only one which has been considered for annexation as a theme park

 

...and Just One More

 While I had my head in eBay I also spotted a Tey Potteries building from my old wish list, so I bought that as well - very cheap - these must not be trending now.

This one is Oliver Cromwell's house, which I believe is in Ely (is that Cambridgeshire?).

It amuses me to have my battlefields and siege towns sprinkled with National Trust properties from all parts of the UK. I don't know that much of the ECW took place in Oliver's actual garden, but the house will be useful for 17th and 18th Century scenarios in various parts of Northern Europe. MSFoy's Rent-a-Landmark Productions at work.  

Another Ornament - Sulley Ceramics

 I don't buy many of these now, but I have a soft spot for ceramic buildings - especially churches. To make certain there is no misunderstanding here, I happily confirm that these are ornaments, such as you might find on your grandmother's bookcase; I like them because they have a nice, rather rough charm, and introduce a welcome organic touch into my battlefields, with their eternal silly hexes. They appear to me, in fact, as being like real buildings, an impression I do not get from plastic or MDF kits.

This new one is not another Tey Potteries creation (I have quite a few of those, but I find their churches are generally disappointing); it is by Sulley Ceramics, and it is the church of St Michael and All Angels, Brantham, Suffolk. Sulley are fairly hard to come by at reasonable prices - the principal potter/artist was Marjorie Barton, who passed away in 2021 - an interesting listing of her churches is here, if you are a collector or simply a resident of Suffolk. There is an interesting history of Sulley's here.

 

Complete with the regulation two coats of matt varnish, to tone down the potter's glaze (heretic), the church of St Michael is ready for morning prayers (or the little-known Battle of Brantham)

Unlike the Tey Britain in Miniature range, there is some variability in scale with Sulley products; if it is a miniature of a big church, the scale may be a tad smaller, to keep the footprint within the bounds of grannie's bookcase. This particular one is somewhere between 10mm and 15mm scale, which works nicely with my "one size down" policy for buildings for 20mm figures. My ECW troops would certainly have to stoop a bit to get in the door, but the overall size is about 7" long, 4" high, which is fine.

Each of my 20mm toy soldiers represents 33 real men anyway, so the whole set up is just a massive compromise!