PEACE & LOVE

banke holidaye mondaye
we take hannah to kenilworth castle for the arvo
kennelworth is a romantic civil war ruin
vandalised like so many other english fortifications
by cromwellian forces intent on discouraging uprisings
the place is full of history and herstory
constructed and embellished
by such mediaeval luminaries as king john
john of gaunt
and robert dudley
earl of leicester and unsuccessful suitor of elizabeth i
who turned her nose up
at the first potato brought into britain
ungraciously spitting it out of the window
into the castle court
what a fine sight the place must have been in its heyday
with the castle ramparts still intact
and its great mere flooded
to defend the western approaches
and keep the seige engines at a distance
it being banke holidaye
there are ranks of white tents
staffed by fine gentlemen and comely wenches
dressed up in mediaeval garb
they demonstrate contemporary artisanship
stained glass window making
and boiling up ink from ground oak apples
vinegar and rusty nails
a none-the-wiser woodle takes part in a kiddies' battle
as a member of salisbury's private army
the english send the auld alliance packing
with the french and the scots in disarray
some of the kids get a bit too excited
and start thwacking each other with their sticks!
afterwards there is a dramatic reconstruction
of a real attack on the castle
involving an attempt to abduct the earl of gloucester's wife
on the flimsy pretext of her being a suspected witch
soldiers in broad helmets and opposing colours clash
giving and gaining ground
grunting aggressively as they brandish their staffs
volleys of arrows arc menacingly through the sky
loud explosions echo around the ramparts
the air is thick with dense gunpowder smoke
the whole thing is very convincing and well done
as we excuse ourselves
before the grisly execution of the prisoners
a passing wag spots my sweatshirt
with its 'peace & love in the world' inducement
'now that's not the best thing to be wearing today, is it?'
he chuckles