Recent Events

Let's see. Wednesday we had several inches of snow and because the roads did not appear to have been touched by modern engineering, I stayed home because I really doubted the Civic could handle it. I was going to wait a little and then check the roads again, but after doing some reading I fell in a deep, coma like sleep for six hours. By then it was only a hour before I would have left so I just stayed in.




It was very fortuitous, though because it was Jerry's 12th birthday. No, I didn't make him a cake, but we did a few extra walks, which he loved since rolling snow is right up there with stealing toast.

Last weekend I rented the first several episodes of the second season of "The Tudors." It was pretty grim. Nobody's happy for long, then many people get really unhappy-- especially the cook who was boiled alive for attempting to poison one of the characters. I was actually a little relieved to see Sir Thomas More go- he was more unsympathetic this season. It's hard to really get interested in the Cramner/Cromwell characters. Yes, I know about the liberties taken with history but it does make it more entertaining.

In any event, I remembered a book I had checked out of the library several months ago but didn't finish, called "The Last Boleyn," about Jane Boleyn, the wife of George, sister in law of Anne. They didn't have it or I couldn't find it at the library this week, but I found a book called "The Queen of Subtleties," by Suzannah Dunn.

On the shelf I read it as "The Queen of Subtitles," which also seemed interesting, so I didn't know it was a Tudor-related book until I saw the cover. The story is told in alternating points of first person point of view from Anne Boleyn and Lucy Cornwallis, thirty-ish Head Confectioner to Henry VIII. The latter is cited as being a historical figure about whom the only thing known is that she was the Confectioner to the king and given a nice house upon her retirement.

The Anne B. parts have a distinct, biting voice which grows increasingly bitter, written as a letter to her daughter on the eve of Anne's execution. It is not the most likeable of voices but easier to follow than Lucy's. The most interesting part of the Lucy sections are the descriptions of the various candies and treats she and her assistant are making; there is also a subplot of her infatuation with the doomed Mark Smeaton.

It was interesting right through to the end, but it was no "Autobiography of Henry VIII, as Told to His Fool, Will Somers," by Margaret George.

One cannot help but remember that a special executioner was brought from Calais for Anne Boleyn, with a particularly sharp blade for a quick and easy execution. That reminds me of my other activity, which has been watching episodes of Highlander, Season 5. Maybe it is just me, but in the first few, Duncan looks a little pale and sickly. Which is still about a hundred times better than other cast members, but it makes one wonder if he had been living in a cave for several months. I am trying to go slowly, so as to avoid any episodes with Amanda (who was much more annoying even than Richie) and not reach the one where Richie is killed too quickly. I remember being so (what is the word?) pleased when they got rid of him.