Workshop Booze Up VII - New Year, Same Plague, Same Booze Up, Deja Vu

[Jubal]

Happy Christmas to all of you folks who celebrate Looking forward to seeing some of you on the 29th!

[dubsartur]

Unfortunately I am working on the 29th.  Fortunately I will be earning money on the 29th after 3 years of unemployment! 

[dubsartur]

Correction: I am working on the 31st not the 29th, but I am seeing a friend tomorrow so if I can drop in it will only be for a few minutes.

[Jubal]

Well, would be nice to see you briefly if you can make it, but if not, don't worry

[Jubal]

Happy New Year, Exilian

[Tusky]

Happy new year? 🎉

[Jubal]

And a regular title change. Quite a limited one this time...

[Glaurung]

In today's news, I decided to take advantage of the current lovely weather in southern England, and have a day out combining a trip to the coast, lots of history, and some hill-climbing. The chosen destination was Dover Castle. It's a historical palimpsest - perhaps more so than any other single historical site I can think of. It started as an Iron Age fort; the Romans added a lighthouse (still standing) and the Anglo-Saxons a church (reconstructed by the Victorians). The Normans added some typical fortifications, and Henry II and successors built a great square keep and surrounding walls. After that were further periods of construction and reconstruction, corresponding to the defensive needs of successive eras of warfare, right up to the Second World War.

I last visited in 1990, when parts of the site were still (!) in military use; I think the final military withdrawal was only in 2014. I can highly recommend it: the views all around are impressive, and the history is fascinating.

Oh, and the hill climbing: Dover town centre is almost at sea level; the castle is on a hill-top at well over 100m above sea level, and the tour of the keep involves a climb up to the roof, which must be another 20m further. Lots of unaccustomed exercise for this fenland dweller!

[Pentagathus]

Dover castle is definitely a place I'd like to visit, is the reconstruction and decoration still ongoing or was that just for a temporary display?

I've been in Zambia for the last couple of weeks, was very good. Saw some stuff, did some things, ate some foods. 10/10 would go again.
Unfortunately there were no direct flights from here and the traveling has left me pretty knackered, and my mum caught covid shortly after I left and then possibly fractured her ankle just before I returned, so there isn't much rest for me right now. Back to school tomorrow too.

[Glaurung]

Dover castle is definitely a place I'd like to visit, is the reconstruction and decoration still ongoing or was that just for a temporary display?

The reconstruction I was thinking of was all historical - changing it from a medieval castle to a Napoleonic-era artillery fortress, and then digging out an extensive network of tunnels in the First and Second World Wars. There's one medieval tower that's currently closed for maintenance works, but otherwise I think everything that English Heritage (the owners) intend to have open is open.

Also I was wrong on the dates: the final military withdrawal from the castle was in the early 1980s. 2014 was when the church within the castle ceased to be the "garrison church" for the local military forces. My previous visit was in 1990, and I'm fairly sure some parts of the site were still inaccessible then.

I've been in Zambia for the last couple of weeks, was very good. Saw some stuff, did some things, ate some foods. 10/10 would go again.
Unfortunately there were no direct flights from here and the traveling has left me pretty knackered, and my mum caught covid shortly after I left and then possibly fractured her ankle just before I returned, so there isn't much rest for me right now. Back to school tomorrow too.

Zambia sounds interesting - what did you do?
Sorry to hear about your mother - I hope she gets better quickly.

[Pentagathus]

I was visiting someone there so spent a lot of time with her in Lusaka, just seeing some of her haunts and did some coupley things. We also took a trip to Livingstone and did some more touristy stuff, got sprayed by the sprays of Victoria falls, took a short cruise on the Zambezi, went for a game drive etc. Got bitten by mosquitos. All good stuff.

[Jubal]

Ooh, I didn't realise you'd got a human to do coupley things with now - congrats, and I'm glad you had an interesting time! I've never been to sub-Saharan Africa (furthest south I've been is Tunis, which is about as not-south as Africa gets). And ditto what Glaurung said, hope your Ma is better soon.

I've not been to Dover Castle either for that matter: I am however doing some travelling next week which I'm trying not to be terrified about (mix of travel + social anxieties wrapped up into one).


Meanwhile today I finished a first draft of my PhD thesis. There's still a LONG way to go with it, but it's a milestone of sorts I guess. I've been feeling really rough lately: hoping next week's travel gives me a bit of a break and gets me feeling marginally more human.

[Gmd]

Congrats on the first draft! Imagine that will help you relax a bit.

[Jubal]

Hello from Venice! I really should haul myself out of bed to go explore the city, though on the other hand I'm also monstrously tired at the moment.

[Glaurung]

Hello from Cambridge! Rather less exotic, alas.

Yes, I would suggest getting out of bed: an espresso and a walk around in the open air might help with waking up, and you can always head back to your accommodation for a nap/siesta after lunch