Here are some pictures taken by Joanna.
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Sunday 23 February 2014
Snowdrops
Mum took us to Welford Hall. This one is in Berkshire.
Here are some pictures taken by Joanna.
Here are some pictures taken by Joanna.
Friday 14 February 2014
Antarctica
The Cold Heaven
Suddenly I saw the cold and rook-delighting heaven
That seemed as though ice burned and was but the more ice,
And thereupon imagination and heart were driven
So wild that every casual thought of that and this
Vanished, and left but memories, that should be out of season
With the hot blood of youth, of love crossed long ago;
And I took all the blame out of all sense and reason,
Until I cried and trembled and rocked to and fro,
Riddled with light. Ah! when the ghost begins to quicken,
Confusion of the death-bed over, is it sent
Out naked on the road, as the books say, and stricken
By the injustice of the skies for punishment?
W B Yeats
Quoted in Terra Incognita by Sara Wheeler
(Corrections supplied by Uncle James)
Sara Wheeler described an encounter that I enjoyed. She said that seasoned Antarctic explorer remarked that for all the years of exploration, and discovery in the Antarctic, much of the work was meaningless. Wheeler sees this as a picture of life, set in clearer perspective in the cold vastness of the continent. So much struggle, so much courage, for so little meaning. I thought of Ecclesiastes. And then she described the sight of azure blue glacier ice, and sastrugi...and she is entranced and inspired.
Suddenly I saw the cold and rook-delighting heaven
That seemed as though ice burned and was but the more ice,
And thereupon imagination and heart were driven
So wild that every casual thought of that and this
Vanished, and left but memories, that should be out of season
With the hot blood of youth, of love crossed long ago;
And I took all the blame out of all sense and reason,
Until I cried and trembled and rocked to and fro,
Riddled with light. Ah! when the ghost begins to quicken,
Confusion of the death-bed over, is it sent
Out naked on the road, as the books say, and stricken
By the injustice of the skies for punishment?
W B Yeats
Quoted in Terra Incognita by Sara Wheeler
(Corrections supplied by Uncle James)
Sara Wheeler described an encounter that I enjoyed. She said that seasoned Antarctic explorer remarked that for all the years of exploration, and discovery in the Antarctic, much of the work was meaningless. Wheeler sees this as a picture of life, set in clearer perspective in the cold vastness of the continent. So much struggle, so much courage, for so little meaning. I thought of Ecclesiastes. And then she described the sight of azure blue glacier ice, and sastrugi...and she is entranced and inspired.
Wednesday 5 February 2014
Berlin At War
Roger Moorehouse's book is fascinating.
This what particularly stuck me I list below.
1) The takeover of Czechia was in the context of it's long standing place as the vassal of an Empire. For Germany, it was natural for a neighbouring 'superpower' to move in, just as Austro-Hungary moved in the lands vacated by the withdrawing Ottomans.
2) Hitler's invasion of Poland was framed in survivalist terms. "We need this land to survive as a nation. Poland should only exist as part of 'super-powers', such as German or the Soviet Union. What hypocrisy from Britain and France to object, given that they has invaded vast territories around the world."
3) Slovakia, newly recreated, joined Hitler as a puppet state in the invasion of Poland.
4) The argument went, "as France and Britain have declared war on us, we need to occupy Denmark and Norway for our own protection. Why not invade France? They have declared war on us so better for us to take pre-emptive steps to reduce the treat."
5) The black-outs in European city led to many more deaths due to accidents at night, and the greater ability for murders to use the cover of darkness.
6) Berliners were reassured when Hitler declared war on the Soviet Union, because they distrusted the previous pacts with Russia, and saw this as a political anathema.
7) Berliners had a number of false hopes for the end of war. Before the severe winter of 1939, a rumour spread that the war was over. Ration cards were ripped up. Also twice in 1942 and 1943, meat rations were doubled, but this was only because the retreating German soldiers were killing all livestock in Ukraine to ensure the Soviets did not have access to it as food.
8) Ruthenia, (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruthenia ) the eastern part of Slovakia, was ceded to Ukraine after the war. It is another interesting piece of Europe that I have never heard of before. And yes, it has declared independence from Ukraine.
9) Where to the Nazi's get their oil to fuel the war? Various answers. Romania, an axis ally. Also they developed synthetic oil from coal. There is an unsubstantiated allegation that Argentina supplied them with American and Venezuelan oil. Norway. I read that hitting oil depots, though seen as a necessary target, was not felt to be as effective as other targets, such as V2 launch sites.
10) The account of the removal of the Jewish community from Berlin was deeply sad. The account showed the steady and measured loss of all rights. Eventually, the non-Jewish community had little contact with their neighbours. They they were neighbours no more, being moved to ghettos. Finally, the Gestapo even got Jewish leaders to organise the deportations from within their own communities. Inventories of possessions were drawn up so that bombed-out Aryans could be given stolen items, much like charity. I felt the deep sadness as the Jewish community switched out it's own light.
11) Hitler committed suicide on the 30th April 1945. It is considered that the last day of the war in Berlin was the 6th May. For the Soviets it was 7th May, because they went by Moscow time. The War continued is several places areound Europe. One place was the Dutch Island of Texel. Here the Nazis had posted a battalion of Georgian POW's. They felt they were the most disloyal to the Soviet Union. See http://www.lomt.nl/Historie_Georgiers.htm and http://www.texel.net/en/about-texel/history/the-uprising-of-the-georgians/ for an amazing history of disaster. The Georgians had to guess when to revolt against the Nazi's. The got their dates wrong by opting for 20th April. Although they killed perhaps over 800 Nazi soldiers, they were defeated by troops barricaded in strong forts. Only 228 Georgians from 793 survived. This small vinette from the end of the war illustrates perfectly the human tragedy of war.
This what particularly stuck me I list below.
1) The takeover of Czechia was in the context of it's long standing place as the vassal of an Empire. For Germany, it was natural for a neighbouring 'superpower' to move in, just as Austro-Hungary moved in the lands vacated by the withdrawing Ottomans.
2) Hitler's invasion of Poland was framed in survivalist terms. "We need this land to survive as a nation. Poland should only exist as part of 'super-powers', such as German or the Soviet Union. What hypocrisy from Britain and France to object, given that they has invaded vast territories around the world."
3) Slovakia, newly recreated, joined Hitler as a puppet state in the invasion of Poland.
4) The argument went, "as France and Britain have declared war on us, we need to occupy Denmark and Norway for our own protection. Why not invade France? They have declared war on us so better for us to take pre-emptive steps to reduce the treat."
5) The black-outs in European city led to many more deaths due to accidents at night, and the greater ability for murders to use the cover of darkness.
6) Berliners were reassured when Hitler declared war on the Soviet Union, because they distrusted the previous pacts with Russia, and saw this as a political anathema.
7) Berliners had a number of false hopes for the end of war. Before the severe winter of 1939, a rumour spread that the war was over. Ration cards were ripped up. Also twice in 1942 and 1943, meat rations were doubled, but this was only because the retreating German soldiers were killing all livestock in Ukraine to ensure the Soviets did not have access to it as food.
8) Ruthenia, (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruthenia ) the eastern part of Slovakia, was ceded to Ukraine after the war. It is another interesting piece of Europe that I have never heard of before. And yes, it has declared independence from Ukraine.
   |
| Ruthenia- or Carpatho-Ukraine. |
9) Where to the Nazi's get their oil to fuel the war? Various answers. Romania, an axis ally. Also they developed synthetic oil from coal. There is an unsubstantiated allegation that Argentina supplied them with American and Venezuelan oil. Norway. I read that hitting oil depots, though seen as a necessary target, was not felt to be as effective as other targets, such as V2 launch sites.
10) The account of the removal of the Jewish community from Berlin was deeply sad. The account showed the steady and measured loss of all rights. Eventually, the non-Jewish community had little contact with their neighbours. They they were neighbours no more, being moved to ghettos. Finally, the Gestapo even got Jewish leaders to organise the deportations from within their own communities. Inventories of possessions were drawn up so that bombed-out Aryans could be given stolen items, much like charity. I felt the deep sadness as the Jewish community switched out it's own light.
11) Hitler committed suicide on the 30th April 1945. It is considered that the last day of the war in Berlin was the 6th May. For the Soviets it was 7th May, because they went by Moscow time. The War continued is several places areound Europe. One place was the Dutch Island of Texel. Here the Nazis had posted a battalion of Georgian POW's. They felt they were the most disloyal to the Soviet Union. See http://www.lomt.nl/Historie_Georgiers.htm and http://www.texel.net/en/about-texel/history/the-uprising-of-the-georgians/ for an amazing history of disaster. The Georgians had to guess when to revolt against the Nazi's. The got their dates wrong by opting for 20th April. Although they killed perhaps over 800 Nazi soldiers, they were defeated by troops barricaded in strong forts. Only 228 Georgians from 793 survived. This small vinette from the end of the war illustrates perfectly the human tragedy of war.
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