Rock Me, Amadeus

Thursday, 17 October 2019, 12:05.Reading time less than 1 minute.

It was (apparently) in Vienna that Elizabeth Bathory – The Blood Countess – started her murderous career. FALCO…Lindsey Davis Doch ihn liebten alle Frauen LOL

Page 4

Monday, 14 October 2019, 6:20.Reading time less than 1 minute.

And the crowd goes wild. She did it! Stupid Barbarians. Black Death?

Transoxiana

Monday, 14 October 2019, 4:40.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Watershed of the Oxus River in the 8th century, showing Transoxiana and its principal localities to the northeast. New Word of the Day from page 3 of my latest source. Of course, I had to look it up. GoodOldWiki : Transoxiana Will she make it to page 4? That is the question!

Scots in Russia

Friday, 11 October 2019, 14:57.Reading time less than 1 minute.

In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries Scottish merchants spread in hordes all over Prussia and Poland as traders, but few ventured further east to Russia. In the reign of Ivan Vassilievitch (The Terrible) the English spirit of adventure- which had formed The Society for the Discovery of Unknown Lands which focused on Russia for trade […]

Family History

Friday, 11 October 2019, 10:33.Reading time 1 minute.

Every family has a history. Stories are handed down, generation to generation. We love it because we find a great sense of connection to something bigger than every-day-us. But how much is truth and how much is myth? My family has the Admiral. You’d think I’d be proud and giddy but… …I’ve been trying very […]

Ivan Samuilovich Greig (1776–1802)

Thursday, 10 October 2019, 15:48.Reading time 2 minutes.

This is the Admiral’s son who fled to China and was never heard of again. So says Wikipoodia. But why go to China? Skewbald/Piebald/Pegaya. From NC: PIEBALD HORDE When was ‘ancient Chinese history’ written and who by? It appears that in the XVII-XVIII cc., in China, under the Manchus, a great deal of history […]

Burntisland, Fife

Thursday, 10 October 2019, 12:22.Reading time less than 1 minute.

I’ve spent today with Mary Somerville. Although she was born in Jedburgh, she spent her childhood in Burntisland. There are lovely descriptions of this small town in her biography. Wiki : Burntisland Why is this relevant to anything? Well. For one – I’ve always loved the name Burnt Island despite it not being […]

Mary Somerville

Thursday, 10 October 2019, 7:37.Reading time 1 minute.

Wiki : Mary Somerville Someone has stolen my family. AGAIN! I’m getting agitated now. Mary was a famous 19th century female scientist and polymath. She married one of the Admiral’s sons and had a boy by him called Woronzow, I have a copy of Mary’s biography written by the daughter from her second marriage […]

Traitor or Hijack?

Thursday, 10 October 2019, 5:20.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Two sentences from two different sources are showing me the way. From NC talking about 1775 : Most likely that following their defeat the remnants of the royal court at Tobolsk and its faithful troops fled to China, where they were warmly received by the Emperors of Manchuria, the distant relatives of the Hordian czars […]

Kronstadt

Thursday, 10 October 2019, 4:27.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Kronstadt Naval Cathedral built 1903 (?!) Yesterday I decided to explore the Russian part of my DNA through my ancestor, The Admiral. What a bloody stupid idea that was! Apparently him and his son were both appointed governor of Kronstadt. BTW – they followed in the footsteps of another Scot – Thomas Gordon. Yup. […]

Clan Gregor

Wednesday, 9 October 2019, 13:11.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Coat of arms of the Russian family Greig I have an ancestor who played a major part in the Russian Navy. He had the same name as my Grandad and my Dad. Who’d’ve thunk?

Clan Gordon

Wednesday, 9 October 2019, 12:55.Reading time less than 1 minute.

coat of arms of the Marquess of Huntly, Chief of Clan Gordon Blazon: Quarterly 1st Azure three boar’s heads couped Or langued Gules (Gordon) 2nd Or three lion’s heads erased Gules langued Azure (Lordship of Badenoch) 3rd Or 3 crescents within a double tressure flory counter-flory Gules (Seton) 4th Azure three fraises Argent (Fraser). Crescent Moon?

The Ravens of Dinefwr is the first in a series of novels-in-progress set in the early 12th century. It follows the dispossessed members of the South Wales House of Dinefwr from their origins in Deheubarth to the centre of the known world, Jerusalem. Come and be my fellow Far-Farer. Come travelling and unravelling with me through Wales, Norway, Ireland, England, Scotland, France, Russia, Constantinople, Italy, the Balkans, the Holy Land. Come and Far-Fare through every degree on my 12th century compass.