“We are all lonely and all seek a hand to hold in the darkness. It is not the harp, but the hand that plays it.” *

by chuckofish

Despite my mid-week movie choice failure, I kept looking for something good to watch. Persistence paid off and last night I discovered The Last Kingdom, the BBC production based on a Bernard Cornwell series about Alfred the Great and the Danes. It has been around for a while, but I had avoided watching it because I thought it looked like just another Vikings sword fest. You know what I mean — axes, tattoos and man-buns.

But it turns out that it has a good script and interesting characters; King Alfred is very smart

and Ian Hart (Johnny Shell-shock in The Englishman Who Went up a Hill and Came Down a Mountain) plays his priest, which is recommendation enough to watch.

The hero of the saga is both likeable and believable, even if his clothes are hairy and his hair in a semi-bun.

In any case, it has made me want to read up on Alfred, a thoughtful Christian king in a tight spot during a very brutal period of history, who somehow found the time to make astute observations:

“For in prosperity a man is often puffed up with pride, whereas tribulations chasten and humble him through suffering and sorrow. In the midst of prosperity the mind is elated, and in prosperity a man forgets himself; in hardship he is forced to reflect on himself, even though he be unwilling. In prosperity a man often destroys the good he has done; amidst difficulties he often repairs what he long since did in the way of wickedness.”

I make no claims as to The Last Kingdom’s accuracy, but it is certainly easy to watch. Why not give it a try this weekend?

Finally a shout out to my nieces and DN who have done a magnificent job pitching in while my sister, the chief poster and driving force behind this blog, is in the Holy Land. I can’t thank them enough. They were also very tactful not to mention it when I posted a short rant about a stupid movie instead of wishing their brother happy birthday or letting one of them do it. Since I rarely know the date, let alone the day of the week, I did not realize my mistake until late it was too late. Einstein said that time is an illusion, so let’s pretend that it’s still Wednesday. Happy Birthday, dear nephew! You’re the best!

 

Sunday, December 2nd is my other nephew’s birthday! We’re all wishing Foster well as he celebrates halfway around the world in Turkey, where he is teaching history at the Bogazici University. Enjoy your day, Foster!!

*Bernard Cornwell, The Last Kingdom