At the risk of sounding like a real square eyes, here were another couple of programmes which I really enjoyed at the weekend:

Firstly a documentary series called Empire of the Seas, presented by the Historian Dan Snow. Apparently it charts the role of the Navy in shaping the Britain of today. I'm not so sure I picked up on that, but I really enjoyed the historical content. And the bit that gripped me particularly was the Battle of Trafalgar.

Over the last couple of years I have been doing my family history and last year I discovered that my great-great-great-great-grandfather, one Peter Goodfellow, had actually fought in the Battle of Trafalgar! And although in my head I like to add 'alongside Nelson', that isn't strictly speaking the truth. Goodfellow was on HMS Mars under the command of a Captain Duffy. The British ships at the battle of Trafalgar fought in an unorthodox two column attack. Nelson's flagship The Victory, was in the other column...

trafalgar-map-s.jpg

Nonetheless, I cannot now hear or see anything about that decisive moment in Britain's history (21 October 1805) without feeling a sense of personal involvement. This was of course the battle during which Admiral Lord Nelson was mortally wounded.

I always think of poor Emma Hamilton and her daughter Horatia whom Nelson asked the government to provide for. They didn't and she ended up destitute, homeless and a drunk.

Another fact which makes it particularly interesting for me is that Hardy, Nelson's Flag Captain attended the Grammar School in Crewkerne in Somerset which is a small country market town, where my mother and elder sister live. It is also believed that the sails for HMS Victory were manufactured in Crewkerne, at a time when the production of sailcloth was the main industry in the town.

The second programme was called Lost Kingdoms of Africa presented very engagingly and enthusiastically by Dr Gus Casely-Hayford. This week it was about Nubia, a historic region which was situated across southern Egypt and northern Sudan. As a child I was lucky enough to live in the Sudan for about 4 years, so of course this was of great relevance to me. They explored the pyramids at Meroe, which I visited many years ago. Did you know that there are more pyramids in the Sudan than there are in Egypt?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00pq946/Lost_Kingdoms_of_Africa_Nubia/

This past weekend there was some really good telly. My mother and I were spell-bound by a Dolly Parton concert which was filmed on her recent Backwood Barbie tour. It was a mix of country, gospel, folk, blue grass and some of her more pop hits. She was at turns playful, joyful, poignant and dramatic. She made it look so easy.

One of my favourite moments was when she was talking about the song Jolene. She said it was based on a true story. 'Not long after I got married, this lil ol redhead decided she wanted my husband. Well, I fought her like a wildcat and she didn't get him. Now sometimes I look across at my husband, stretching out and snoring in that old lazyboy chair and I think to myself........ 'Where's Jolene when you need her?'!"

She came to Nottingham and I desperately wanted to go and see her, but unfortunately couldn't find anyone to go with me. The concert was followed by a documentary, which gave a fascinating insight into how people lived in the smoky mountains of eastern Tennessee. Did you know that she is part Cherokee?

Here are the things I admire about her:

She's a talented musician, not only singing but playing several instruments, all self-taught.
She is a prolific songwriter, and some of them are poetically beautiful.
I always love a good storyteller and she is that and more. Flowers and stories are two of my favourite things.
She has a very strong sense of where she came from, is proud of her roots and gives back a huge amount to the community she comes from.
She is a philanthropist, funding and putting her time into literacy and rehabilitiation programmes.

When I am feeling in need of a boost, I often go to youtube and watch Dolly and Kenny sing Islands in the Stream. I love it when she steps on Kenny's toe and says in her inimitable way, 'Excuse me Kenny!'

As I say, what's not to like!

If I were a stick of rock and you chopped my head off, today you would see the word TIRED running all the way through me.

The reasons are twofold.

Firstly a bitterly fought game of touch rugby last night. The January air was freezing, but I was, let's say... glowing like a lady.. within minutes. The average age of the opposing team was about 20, ours significantly higher. They had subs aplenty, we had one. They ran us off our feet and yet by some miracle we triumphed 4-3. What an exhilarating feeling! And what relief when the final whistle was blown.

Secondly I had a hot date with a book and it kept me up late. The book is Katherine by Anya Seton and it tells the true story of Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt. He was a Plantagenet prince and she the daughter of a lowly born man knighted for his courage on the battlefield. However she was a Total Fox and since time immemorial that single fact has helped ladies scamper up the social ladder. I first heard their love story several years ago on a family history type of programme. It was a roadshow format and anyone could turn up with their stories, and if they were interesting enough, the team would investigate. Anyway, this absolutely beautiful young Scottish girl turned up. If she were a stick of rock and you chopped her head off, you would have seen the word GENTILITY or GRACE running all the way through. Two very nice qualities I always think. This girl had grown up with stories of a royal connection and wanted to find out if there was anything in it. And there was! It turned out she was a direct descendent of one of their children. Don't you think history, when it becomes about real people is absolutely fascinating?

Here is a picture of John of Gaunt, quite a dish himself I'd say.

Oh, seems I don't quite know how to attach a pic. Here's a link instead.

http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://en.academic.ru/pictures/enwiki/74/Johnofgaunt.jpg&imgrefurl=http://en.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enwiki/33994&usg=__M4ashPQBl4o2pX8DCFt6F9_HjTE=&h=472&w=354&sz=35&hl=en&start=23&um=1&tbnid=3On6lSQUBHMHGM:&tbnh=129&tbnw=97&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dkatherine%2BSwynford%26ndsp%3D18%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26start%3D18%26um%3D1