I started writing a new historical fiction story as a challenge from Mausi. I have set the tale in the Baltic beginning in 1809 and it will track the events that eventually led to Napoleon's downfall after the disaster for the French at the gates of Moscow. In the process of doing the background research for the story I uncovered a fascinating side show of the history of the French Revolutionary Wars that fed directly into the Napoleonic War. It is fascinating as it was a key 'domino' in the chain that eventually toppled Bonaparte and gave rise to the British Empire.
It is fascinating for several reasons, not least because, until Napoleon succeeded in imposing a blockade on trade with Britain through the Baltic, British Trade in this area was worth more than 43 million Pounds a year. In 1809-10 the blockade began to bite and trade fell steadily until it was only 5 million pounds in 1812. The British economy almost collapsed, but was saved by the opening of new markets in the Mediterranean, the Caribbean and the Americas. In part, the disputes over who carried what to where and under what flag also led to the War of 1812 with the USA - a war which was fortunately resolved quite quickly, probably because both sides realised they had better things to do.
The Baltic Trade recovered, once Sweden, Russia and the Northern German States evicted the French and re-opened their ports and harbours, but it never again held the primary importance it had in 1809.
Equally interesting is the fact that these upheavals and the French invasions and threats of invasions also led to a series of alliances and agreements between the rulers of the Germanic Principalities and Kingdoms which paved the way for Bismarck's Grand Plan of a Unified German State and People. Prussia - once covering all of what is today Northern Poland, Mecklenburg Strelitz, Schwerin Mecklenburg, Schleswig and the Danish province of Holstein, Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringen and the Hanseatic City States of Rostock, Wismar, Lübeck, Hamburg and Bremen were all part of these early beginnings. Until 1836 the English Royal House were also the Electors of Hannover and the English Crown held onto the Islands of Heligoland
until a Treaty was agreed in 1900 with the Kaiser, handing them back to German control.
Having always been fascinated by the way in which seemingly unconnected actions and events lead to consequences and events elsewhere, this is a fascinating journey for those interested in the history of the 19th and 20th Centuries.
My story is entitled 'A Baltic Affair' and can be found online by clicking on the title. I hope you'll take the time to read the chapters posted so far and perhaps leave some feedback.
Wednesday, 4 May 2011
Monday, 2 May 2011
Gardening ...
We spent Saturday cutting things, weeding out, relaying a part of our patio and laying out the area around our "Krauter Schneckel."
It was a very satisfying day, but the work is far from finished and I will post pictures when it is.
It was a very satisfying day, but the work is far from finished and I will post pictures when it is.
Sunday, 1 May 2011
Nonentity Celebrity
I confess I have never understood the handing out of medals and honours to Civil Servants and actors. For the most part they have always been very well paid to do what they do, the main difference, of course, being that actors generally do it well and the Civil Servants ...
Friday's Royal wedding list had some strange invitees, though these things are usually diplomatic occassions as well as weddings. The strangest was David Beckham, honoured under the Blair regime for playing football occassionally at vast cost to his club and its supporters. Blair and his coterie handed out MBEs (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the Britsih Empire), OBEs and Dame and Knight of the same to all their actor chums (Labour's Luvvies) and to dustmen, housekeepers and hordes of civil servants for doing their jobs. And to the likes of Beckham.
Who paraded himself yesterday wearing the decoration on his right lapel. The moron doesn't even know which side of the chest to wear a medal...
What an insult to all the men and women who have actually earned it by doing something way beyond what they were paid to do or indeed, needed to do.
Friday's Royal wedding list had some strange invitees, though these things are usually diplomatic occassions as well as weddings. The strangest was David Beckham, honoured under the Blair regime for playing football occassionally at vast cost to his club and its supporters. Blair and his coterie handed out MBEs (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the Britsih Empire), OBEs and Dame and Knight of the same to all their actor chums (Labour's Luvvies) and to dustmen, housekeepers and hordes of civil servants for doing their jobs. And to the likes of Beckham.
Who paraded himself yesterday wearing the decoration on his right lapel. The moron doesn't even know which side of the chest to wear a medal...
What an insult to all the men and women who have actually earned it by doing something way beyond what they were paid to do or indeed, needed to do.
Saturday, 30 April 2011
A Great British Occassion
Watching the Royal Wedding yesterday on German Television (The BBC doesn't permit expats to watch thier broadcasts) I was reminded once again of why I am proud to be British and why I am an unashamed and proud Royalist.The Royals have, over the centuries of British history provided far more stability and justice than the hordes of nonentities who seek to 'lead' the nation or turn it into a Soviet Republic where, as in Animal Farm, all are equal, but the pigs and their enforcers are more equal.
The Royals have retained the respect of the nation despite the best efforts of politicians and their poodles in the media to undermine them. We have seen one political scandal after another engulf the scum that infest our political institutions and organs of state, and again and again, this same venal scum attempt to dredge up some minor misdemeanour by one of the Royals (Usually the Duke of Edinburgh or Prince Charles) to cover up their wholesale theft of democracy, taxpayers money, our ancient freedoms and rights. Annually we have seen the "cost of the Royals" dragged through the papers, but there is never a whisper of the billions lavished on the lifestyles of the MPs and their fellow travellers - the dishonest and incompetents who infest the upper echelons of the Civil Service.
As usual there have been the coterie of nonentity 'celebrities' and left-wingers whinging about the 'expense' of the Royal wedding, but none of them will ever mention the business that such an occassion generates, raising revenue for them to waste.
It is really heartwarming to see the Queen greeted by cheers and waving flags, to see the newly married couple travel in an open carriage through cheering and waving crowds and the see the precision and dignity with which the entire ceremony has been conducted. The Police have done a superb job of crowd control - essential when you have a million people on the streets. The absence of 'protesters' is also refreshing, at long last the authorities have put a foot down firmly. It was made plain that 'protests' of any sort would not be tolerated anywhere on the route.
To those who wonder why Blair and Brown were not on the guest list I have this to say. Blair is a closet republican who admired Cromwell and who offended the Queen on numerous occassions. He cut the Prime Minister's Briefings for Her Majesty from twice weekly to one - which he then shifted when it suited him. Brown is an unreconstructed Marxist and caused offence on numerous occassions with his blatant anti-English behaviour and his refusal to observe even the simplest social niceties. Both are EX-Prime Ministers. The Courtiers who drew up the guest list followed protocol and invited the PM, Ministers of State, the Leader of the Opposition and heads of the Political Parties in Parliament. Blair and Brown are a blot on our history and their legacy is the huge public debt, the overwhelming power of the Civil Service and the legions of petty socialist laws and regulations.
I'd consider laying my life on the line to defend the Royals. I'd shoot the politicians.
The Royals have retained the respect of the nation despite the best efforts of politicians and their poodles in the media to undermine them. We have seen one political scandal after another engulf the scum that infest our political institutions and organs of state, and again and again, this same venal scum attempt to dredge up some minor misdemeanour by one of the Royals (Usually the Duke of Edinburgh or Prince Charles) to cover up their wholesale theft of democracy, taxpayers money, our ancient freedoms and rights. Annually we have seen the "cost of the Royals" dragged through the papers, but there is never a whisper of the billions lavished on the lifestyles of the MPs and their fellow travellers - the dishonest and incompetents who infest the upper echelons of the Civil Service.
As usual there have been the coterie of nonentity 'celebrities' and left-wingers whinging about the 'expense' of the Royal wedding, but none of them will ever mention the business that such an occassion generates, raising revenue for them to waste.
It is really heartwarming to see the Queen greeted by cheers and waving flags, to see the newly married couple travel in an open carriage through cheering and waving crowds and the see the precision and dignity with which the entire ceremony has been conducted. The Police have done a superb job of crowd control - essential when you have a million people on the streets. The absence of 'protesters' is also refreshing, at long last the authorities have put a foot down firmly. It was made plain that 'protests' of any sort would not be tolerated anywhere on the route.
To those who wonder why Blair and Brown were not on the guest list I have this to say. Blair is a closet republican who admired Cromwell and who offended the Queen on numerous occassions. He cut the Prime Minister's Briefings for Her Majesty from twice weekly to one - which he then shifted when it suited him. Brown is an unreconstructed Marxist and caused offence on numerous occassions with his blatant anti-English behaviour and his refusal to observe even the simplest social niceties. Both are EX-Prime Ministers. The Courtiers who drew up the guest list followed protocol and invited the PM, Ministers of State, the Leader of the Opposition and heads of the Political Parties in Parliament. Blair and Brown are a blot on our history and their legacy is the huge public debt, the overwhelming power of the Civil Service and the legions of petty socialist laws and regulations.
I'd consider laying my life on the line to defend the Royals. I'd shoot the politicians.
Friday, 29 April 2011
A Year in Germany ...
It seems only yesterday that my son and I packed the last of my belongings into my car and set out to drive across England and the continent to my intended new home in Germany. It has been quite a year all told, a year filled with getting to grips with a new culture, a new language and settling myself and Madam Paddy Cat into our new home.
In between I have made some great new friends, written a textbook for the Institution of Fire Engineers and published another fiction book. I've redecorated my Study, we've started remodeling the garden, endured a really bad winter and managed to get some other work in as well. My German is improving - so I'm told at any rate - and I have to say that I now feel very settled here.
Madam Paddy Cat has reached the grand age of 21, something like 98 in cat years, and is getting a bit doddery. She watches the field mice and the birds, then flicks her tail and wanders indoors. She and the vet have developed a sort of love/hate relationship as well and she regards the various birdbaths in our garden and the neighbours as her personal drinking troughs.
We've had a discussion about this, and think a Royal Wedding is a fitting way to mark our Anniversary!
Sunday, 24 April 2011
Christ is Risen!
He is risen indeed, and the empty tomb in that 'garden' in Jerusalem is and always will be the Christians hope of life beyond this one. A life promised by Christ, the Living Word in Person.
Happy Easter to you all.
Happy Easter to you all.
Saturday, 23 April 2011
Come, Holy Ghost ...
Come, Holy Ghost ...
Come Holy Ghost, our souls inspire,
And lighten with celestial fire ...
Based upon the 13th Century poem,written by Archbishop of Canterbury, Stephen Langton, this 16th Century version is one that has moved me many times at ordinations and confirmations down the years since my own in 1962. I often wonder at the way Christians of all denominations seem to have retreated from acknowledging of the importance in every aspect of our daily lives, of this, the third ‘persona’ of the God we claim to worship and follow. Followers of Islam also believe in the Holy Spirit, but have a different understanding of His relationship to Jesus and the Father.
Islam identifies the Holy Spirit as having two functions; to ‘blow’ our souls into our developing bodies in the womb; to provide Divine Guidance to Believers - but, and this is the important distinction, they do not believe the Holy Spirit is a manifestation of God, but a Spirit sent from God in much the same way as God ‘sends’ angels. To me, this is directly contradictory to the statement in Matthew 12: 30 and 31 (See also Mark 3: 28 and 29 and Luke 12: 9 and 10).
Since, by definition, blasphemy is -
“profane or sacrilegious talk about God or sacred things:”
clearly the context in scripture is to something or someone above earthly things or beings and angels. If, as Islam implies, the Holy Spirit is nothing more than a sort of ‘super angel‘ this would, to my mind and that of Christian theologians and thinkers over the last two millennia, be a ‘blasphemy‘ in that it demotes the Holy Spirit completely. The Gospel according to St John begins with one of the most amazing, yet simple, descriptions of the Christian understanding of the relationship between God the Father and Creator, God the Son and Redeemer and God the Holy Spirit, inspiration and enlivener of us all. Jesus Himself tells the Apostles to be that He must leave them in order that the Holy Spirit may come to be with them and through them, us. John 14: 26 tells us that the Holy Spirit is the Counsellor or Comforter, the One who is with us always.
The Athanasian Creed, written in 325 AD was a response to what I consider to be ‘proto-Islam,’ the Arian Gnostic heresy which arose from the teaching of Arius, Archbishop of Alexandria (c256 - 336 AD) who argued the modern Islamic position, that God the Father was the only “Divine” element of the Trinity. In his teaching Jesus was not ‘begotten’ but made for his purpose and the Holy Spirit was simply an agent or messenger. That this clearly contradicted the teachings of the Apostles themselves then, as now, didn’t deter his supporters. Much of what is now known as the ‘pseudepigraphica’ the books excluded from the canon of scripture set by the Council of Nicea (325 - 340 AD) are treatises written by Arians and their predecessors, the Docetists (Another Gnostic breakaway from Judaism)1 against whom St John fought in his Ministry (See the Gospel and Letters of John). The Gnostics wanted to portray God as Father and Creator, Jesus as a Prophet and the Holy Spirit as an ‘agent of God’ and not, as in the Christian view, one with and equal in importance, in the Trinity which is God, one and complete.
During the course of my career as a Minister in Lay Orders (Which just means I wasn’t ordained, but had the Bishop’s ‘Licence’ to preach teach and perform many other ‘Offices’ of the Ministry), I have many times heard people misrepresent or misunderstand this relationship completely. This is a great shame, since it need not be a reality to be afraid of embracing, in fact, it is very rewarding when you do.
So, just why do the Gospel writers lay such stress upon the dangers associated with ‘blaspheming against the Holy Spirit?’ Firstly, of course, they firmly believed that Jesus was the Son of God, God Incarnate through the agency of the Holy Spirit, who caused the Virgin Mary to conceive Jesus. John makes that very clear, Matthew skates around it a bit (He was, after all, writing for a Jewish audience, probably in Jerusalem) and Mark omits it altogether as he assumes it is a ‘given’ as does John. Luke, the outsider, meticulously researched the whole story and records it in detail.
Nor is this the first reference to the Holy Spirit at work in the Bible, He occurs in Genesis, Exodus, Judges, in both books of Samuel, Psalms 51 and 139, in Isaiah and Ezekiel. There are many more references in the Gospels, Acts, and the Letters as well. In Acts it is clear that the writer knows the Holy Spirit to be God in person acting in the world through His selected followers. He is the ‘Agent’ of Christ, the Creator and Inspirer of the Church, the Unifying force driving through all our factions and divisions and above all else, the real power behind our witness in the world.
You cannot effectively witness to God’s love and grace, or teach His Gospel message, without the authority and inspiration of the Holy Spirit. He is the very core of our Faith in Christ the Redeemer, He is our inspiration in worship and in our actions when dealing with one another. He is the very Breath of Life in our lives and, perhaps, in every living thing. He is very much in our waking, in our sleeping, in everything in between and, yes, at the end, in our dying. When we suffer, He suffers with us, when we rejoice, He rejoices in us. This is what Islam has not understood. In Islam the term is simple another way to describe the Archangel Gabriel, and to the true Christian, that is a blasphemy...
How do we, as mere humans, even begin to understand the concept of a God who is in everything, of everything, everywhere and every when all at the same time? In truth, only in a very limited sense and in a very limited way. Jesus hints at this problem for us and the Holy Spirit is sent upon us to guide, to nurture and to lead those of us who are willing to accept our ignorance and follow in Faith, toward the great light that is the fullness of God.
Thus, only by accepting and embracing the Holy Spirit can we truly follow Jesus and then we must add to our prayers the final verse from ‘Veni Creator ...’
Teach us to know the Father, Son,
And thee, of Both, to be but One;
That through the ages all along
This may be our endless song,
Praise to thy eternal merit,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen
NOTE: This is written as a part of my Lenten Study. It has proved a very interesting subject.
NOTE 2: Gnosticism was a form of Hellenic-Judaic philosophy that began around 100 BC to 100 AD with the blending of Philosophy from the Greek schools and Judaism. Simon Magus (See Acts 8:9) is often described as a ‘proto-Gnostic, though the Sadducees may well have followed another form of this philosophy. In 1945, the collection of books known as the ‘Nag Hammadi Library was unearthed and gives a wonderful window into the origins of much of the Quran and the misinterpretation and misunderstanding that led to the development of the Gnostic philosophy.
Come Holy Ghost, our souls inspire,
And lighten with celestial fire ...
Based upon the 13th Century poem,written by Archbishop of Canterbury, Stephen Langton, this 16th Century version is one that has moved me many times at ordinations and confirmations down the years since my own in 1962. I often wonder at the way Christians of all denominations seem to have retreated from acknowledging of the importance in every aspect of our daily lives, of this, the third ‘persona’ of the God we claim to worship and follow. Followers of Islam also believe in the Holy Spirit, but have a different understanding of His relationship to Jesus and the Father.
Islam identifies the Holy Spirit as having two functions; to ‘blow’ our souls into our developing bodies in the womb; to provide Divine Guidance to Believers - but, and this is the important distinction, they do not believe the Holy Spirit is a manifestation of God, but a Spirit sent from God in much the same way as God ‘sends’ angels. To me, this is directly contradictory to the statement in Matthew 12: 30 and 31 (See also Mark 3: 28 and 29 and Luke 12: 9 and 10).
Since, by definition, blasphemy is -
“profane or sacrilegious talk about God or sacred things:”
clearly the context in scripture is to something or someone above earthly things or beings and angels. If, as Islam implies, the Holy Spirit is nothing more than a sort of ‘super angel‘ this would, to my mind and that of Christian theologians and thinkers over the last two millennia, be a ‘blasphemy‘ in that it demotes the Holy Spirit completely. The Gospel according to St John begins with one of the most amazing, yet simple, descriptions of the Christian understanding of the relationship between God the Father and Creator, God the Son and Redeemer and God the Holy Spirit, inspiration and enlivener of us all. Jesus Himself tells the Apostles to be that He must leave them in order that the Holy Spirit may come to be with them and through them, us. John 14: 26 tells us that the Holy Spirit is the Counsellor or Comforter, the One who is with us always.
The Athanasian Creed, written in 325 AD was a response to what I consider to be ‘proto-Islam,’ the Arian Gnostic heresy which arose from the teaching of Arius, Archbishop of Alexandria (c256 - 336 AD) who argued the modern Islamic position, that God the Father was the only “Divine” element of the Trinity. In his teaching Jesus was not ‘begotten’ but made for his purpose and the Holy Spirit was simply an agent or messenger. That this clearly contradicted the teachings of the Apostles themselves then, as now, didn’t deter his supporters. Much of what is now known as the ‘pseudepigraphica’ the books excluded from the canon of scripture set by the Council of Nicea (325 - 340 AD) are treatises written by Arians and their predecessors, the Docetists (Another Gnostic breakaway from Judaism)1 against whom St John fought in his Ministry (See the Gospel and Letters of John). The Gnostics wanted to portray God as Father and Creator, Jesus as a Prophet and the Holy Spirit as an ‘agent of God’ and not, as in the Christian view, one with and equal in importance, in the Trinity which is God, one and complete.
During the course of my career as a Minister in Lay Orders (Which just means I wasn’t ordained, but had the Bishop’s ‘Licence’ to preach teach and perform many other ‘Offices’ of the Ministry), I have many times heard people misrepresent or misunderstand this relationship completely. This is a great shame, since it need not be a reality to be afraid of embracing, in fact, it is very rewarding when you do.
So, just why do the Gospel writers lay such stress upon the dangers associated with ‘blaspheming against the Holy Spirit?’ Firstly, of course, they firmly believed that Jesus was the Son of God, God Incarnate through the agency of the Holy Spirit, who caused the Virgin Mary to conceive Jesus. John makes that very clear, Matthew skates around it a bit (He was, after all, writing for a Jewish audience, probably in Jerusalem) and Mark omits it altogether as he assumes it is a ‘given’ as does John. Luke, the outsider, meticulously researched the whole story and records it in detail.
Nor is this the first reference to the Holy Spirit at work in the Bible, He occurs in Genesis, Exodus, Judges, in both books of Samuel, Psalms 51 and 139, in Isaiah and Ezekiel. There are many more references in the Gospels, Acts, and the Letters as well. In Acts it is clear that the writer knows the Holy Spirit to be God in person acting in the world through His selected followers. He is the ‘Agent’ of Christ, the Creator and Inspirer of the Church, the Unifying force driving through all our factions and divisions and above all else, the real power behind our witness in the world.
You cannot effectively witness to God’s love and grace, or teach His Gospel message, without the authority and inspiration of the Holy Spirit. He is the very core of our Faith in Christ the Redeemer, He is our inspiration in worship and in our actions when dealing with one another. He is the very Breath of Life in our lives and, perhaps, in every living thing. He is very much in our waking, in our sleeping, in everything in between and, yes, at the end, in our dying. When we suffer, He suffers with us, when we rejoice, He rejoices in us. This is what Islam has not understood. In Islam the term is simple another way to describe the Archangel Gabriel, and to the true Christian, that is a blasphemy...
How do we, as mere humans, even begin to understand the concept of a God who is in everything, of everything, everywhere and every when all at the same time? In truth, only in a very limited sense and in a very limited way. Jesus hints at this problem for us and the Holy Spirit is sent upon us to guide, to nurture and to lead those of us who are willing to accept our ignorance and follow in Faith, toward the great light that is the fullness of God.
Thus, only by accepting and embracing the Holy Spirit can we truly follow Jesus and then we must add to our prayers the final verse from ‘Veni Creator ...’
Teach us to know the Father, Son,
And thee, of Both, to be but One;
That through the ages all along
This may be our endless song,
Praise to thy eternal merit,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen
NOTE: This is written as a part of my Lenten Study. It has proved a very interesting subject.
NOTE 2: Gnosticism was a form of Hellenic-Judaic philosophy that began around 100 BC to 100 AD with the blending of Philosophy from the Greek schools and Judaism. Simon Magus (See Acts 8:9) is often described as a ‘proto-Gnostic, though the Sadducees may well have followed another form of this philosophy. In 1945, the collection of books known as the ‘Nag Hammadi Library was unearthed and gives a wonderful window into the origins of much of the Quran and the misinterpretation and misunderstanding that led to the development of the Gnostic philosophy.
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