Friday, March 20, 2009

And so my cherubim, once again we wend our way into the weekend, and for the first time this year I am packing up my kirtles and spear in order to spend the next couple of days hitting people in woodland somewhere near Gatwick, hurrah!
Everyone needs a way to relax, and for me the best way is to release my pent up stress by skirmishing in forests whilst dressed in my Viking gear before heading back to the hall for a most excellent banquet* during which plenty of ale and mead has to be quaffed*
And all the preparation and planning for this weekend started me off thinking.
Would I really have liked to live back in the ninth century?
True, there was a lot of disease and violence, but after spending time in a replica Viking village where all the cooking was done over the fire using my fabulous cauldron, and days were spent creating things such as cloth, clothing, and jewellery and preparing food from scratch, I found myself enjoying the really simple life.
If I ever get my time machine working again I'd like to give living with real Vikings a go, but if I really could travel back in time with only one choice of time destination, would that be my choice?
Given the chances of catching something horribly life threatening (such as a sword through the stomach) I decided that maybe a gentler time would be preferable, and gave some consideration to around a hundred years ago around where I live now, just so that I could see how my stomping ground used to be.
I also wondered how things would have been in London during WW2, but the possibility of getting bombed also put me off a tad.
And so I finally decided on when and where I'd like to spend some 'time', and it would be London, circa 1973.
I was too young to appreciate it the first time around, but I have many happy memories of how things were before computers and mobile phones were everywhere, and you weren't bombarded with constant advertizing telling you how to live your life.
When I was little there was far more freedom, and I'm lucky but also very sad that I'm one of the last generations of children that know what it was like to be able to head out on your bike with friends in the morning, and not head back home until it was either dinner time or it began to get dark without parents panicking about you getting murdered or kidnapped or worse.
The music and fashions back then were more 'fun' than any other time I can think of, and apart from worrying about being blown up by the IRA, there was much less violence and seething hatred like we encounter all too much these days, or that's how it seems to me at any rate.
I know there were skinheads and punks going around saying that they hated the rest of the world and Anarchy was the only option, but nowadays the hatred and violence is far more insidious and you don't know where it's hiding.
That scares me.
So anyway, apart from being a well-to-do Victorian lady, to quote Sandi Thom, I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair.
What about you lot?
Where would your time machine take you and why?

Oh, and before I get back to my packing, don't forget to have a fabulous weekend, whatever you get up to!

ttfn!

X

*I know it's going to be excellent as I'm the one who's cooking it!
**Like drinking, but a little bit more gets spilt.