The Stanley Cup: Guess Who’s The Great Grandaddy

All ice hockey fans, especially Canadians, are aware of the famous Stanley Cup, awarded to Canadian amateur ice hockey teams from 1893 onwards (American teams now also participate). The cup is known variously as Lord Stanley’s Mug and The Holy Grail of Hockey. And yes, the Lord Stanley in question is, in fact, a direct…

Smaug’s demise and the medieval springald….

Before I start, you will have to forgive my ignorance of medieval weaponry. What I know could be written on the head on a pin. But here goes anyway. Most of us have seen the Tolkien films concerning Hobbits, Lords of Rings, orcs, elves, dragons and so on. And most of us will remember the…

Gawain and the Green Knight, Hollywood style….

Gawain and the Green Knight has been given “the Hollywood treatment”! See this article. You can also read about the film here and here  It’s directed by David Lowery and stars Dev Patel and Alicia Vikander. Well, having now seen it, I fear that if the anonymous author had too, he’d be taking serious steps…

Further travels in enemy territory: Oxford

Oxford (Oxenford) is obviously a compact and historic city although visiting specific buildings at short notice is difficult at present. Christ Church Cathedral (England’s smallest for the largest diocese) and the Ashmolean Museum (currently organising a Rembrandt exhibition) were unbookable whilst the Pitt-Rivers Museum didn’t open until September. I went for the Bank Holiday weekend…