Tudor Crossword

The first born had to create a Tudor Crossword.  So in solidarity I created one as well.
Here is mine.

Across

1. This state of America was named after Elizabeth

4. The Virgin Queen

6. Mary I was known as this for her burning of protestants

7. Henry VIII elder brother

8. Henry VII was of this house

Down

2. The changes to the Church in England brought about by Henry VIII

3. Lady Jane Grey reigned for this many days

5. Henry VII married Elizabeth of this house

6. The last battle of the War of the Roses, where Henry Tudor became king, was the battle of these fields

9. The house of Tudor was followed by this house

Rule of Kitchens

If a cook is working in a kitchen and another person is in the kitchen, that person will always be standing where the cook wants to be.  Also, when the person moves, it will be to the next place the cook needs to be. 

The Time Traveller’s Wife

I watched the film adaptation of Audrey Niffenegger’s book ‘The Time Traveller’s Wife‘ yesterday.

It was with slight trepidation, since it is a book I like and I had heard the film had received bad reviews.

I like the film to.  It is a close adaptation.  It does not use all of the material in the book, but that was going to be inevitable, and it does cover the essentials of the story.  It changes a few things, but not majorly.  Of course, Henry and Clare looked nothing like I imagined them, but that tends to be par for the course.

Looking it up on Wikipedia one review apparently said:  "Though it may satisfy fans of the novel, The Time Traveler's Wife's plot contrivances and illogical narrative hamper its big screen effectiveness". Metacritic, 

Well I am a fan of the book and I am satisfied with the film.

Compulsory Maths

Maths is useful, and many jobs or further study demand you have at least a C in Mathematics at GCSE.  But not everyone gets a C (or above).  There are some pupils about whom their school believes they will get nowhere near a C (or above), believing this from them being 14 or younger.  Why insist on them spending several hours a week for 2 years studying maths?  Surely there is a better use of their time.

I love maths, but I dislike it being forced on those who have neither the aptitude or ability for it.

Samson and Delilah

I am currently reading the book of Judges and am confused by the story of Samson and Delilah.  I think there must be something missing.
Delilah asks him the source of his strength.  He tells her that if anyone ties him with seven fresh thongs that have not been dried, then he will become as weak as any man.  So when he is asleep she ties him up like that with Philistines hidden in the room.  But he lied and still has all his strength.  This happens several times, with him spinning some yarn about what will take his strength and her doing it to him the next time he is asleep.  So it should be obvious that he cannot trust her with the true secret of his strength.  Yet he does.  She, as all the other times, does it, he loses his strength and the Philistines capture him.  Why would he do that?  It just seems to me that there is something missing to this story, since I do not understand it, the way Judges tells it.

A Good Omens, Anathema Device moment

My father recommended a book to me when I was in my late teens which I only recently got around to reading. One of the main characters shares my name.  When I was partway through reading it, dad told me he had been influenced by the book when choosing my name.  I would be dubious, since in the book it is spelled differently.  Except this is my father, who's spelling leaves something to be desired.

Sunshine

Jodie Foster is excellent in 'The Silence of the Lambs', yet Anthony Hopskins dominates the few scenes he is in. I was reminded of this the first time I read Robin McKinley's 'Sunshine'.  'Sunshine' is the story of a young woman, called 'Sunshine', who has an affinity for sunshine that gives her power over vampires.  She is an interesting and appealing character and her story keeps the pages turning.  However, whenever the vampire Constantine enters the story he dominates it.
Constantine is one of the reasons I like the book.
Another is how Sunshine's favourite fairy tale is Beauty and the Beast and how she tells the story to children making Beauty a strong and proactive heroine.  Beauty and the Beast is my favourite fairy tale, partly because it is not a love at first sight story, where the basis for love is she is pretty and a princess and he is handsome and a prince.  It is also a story where it is easy to tell it with the heroine being strong and proactive.  Try doing that for instance with 'Sleeping Beauty'.  It is possible: McKinley did it with 'Spindle's End' I am trying it with a story I am working on, but I am changing the plot, as did McKinley.  The other reason for Beauty and the Beast being my favourite fairy tale, is the influence reading an adaptation called 'Beauty' when I was a child.  It is an adaptation also written my McKinley.