The White Queen

I have just started reading the "factual" book too Deedaa after The Lady of the Rivers (Jacquetta of Luxembourg mother of Elizabeth Woodville) )as I was curious to know more about Jacquetta in particular. I keep googling Henry VI (health) to see what was actually wrong with him and trying to work out who is who!!

I'm half way through The Lady of the Rivers but why was it not the first book in the cousins' war trilogy?

Watched the second episode last night. Have decided to treat it as complete pretend - like Robin Hood.

All a bit like the sixth form play isn't it. Am unconvinced by Elizabeth's ruthless streak. She would, though, conform to ideal beauty of that time, because of her colouring. I never did like the magic in the book (you're amazed aren't you, that I didn't like the magic )

Yes gracesmum one wonders whether Henry VI was suffering from a mental illness, or was it the effect of being thrust onto the throne at a year old? Henry V must have been a hard act to follow even if you'd got all your faculties and being hagridden by Margaret of Anjou must have been the final straw.

It is odd isn't it. What on earth was it? He is described as being asleep a lot. But he must have taken fluids and food or he would have died fairly promptly. No drips in those days. And all those spontaneous remissions.
Psychiatrists used to talk about a stage of "fuge" I think, - a kind of deep psychological withdrawal.

I have seen it referred to as "generic "insanity, a catatonic state, or deep depression". It is known that he inherited mental illness from the grandfather, King Charles of France. I believe he was force fed but there must have been a level of consciousness or he would have gagged on it. I wondered if it was a stroke, but the mental illness was a known fact too.

Perhaps he just couldn't / didn't want all the responsibility and infighting of kingship and sank into a deep depression.

gracesmum I expect grace is enjoying The White Queen as much as my trio. So nice to see greyhounds in their rightful place .

Knew I'd spelled it wrong. But it doesn't sound quite the thing.
No doubt those intimate with the US Psychiatric diagnostic categories could come up with a label or two.
I think there is only so much force feeding you could do before the invention of rubber tubing isn't there? And it was pretty violent in the days of the suffragettes.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fugue_state

I see that the main reason they couldn't have been flying Harris Hawks is because they are an American species or did Edward IV discover America and not bother to tell anyone

And don't dare call it a Harris Hawk to a falconer; they're actually Bay Winged Hawks.

The only falconer I've talked to at length about them had just had hers stolen so didn't care what we called him as long as she got him back. Sadly,I've not heard that she did. There do seem to be a lot of them called Harry Very handsome birds though!

If I was the producer of The White Queen I might be a bit worried to find that the most interesting part of it was the hawks

And the lovely garden at Grafton (wherever they filmed it)

Grafton manor is long gone apparently. But there is a village called Grafton Regis between Mk and Northampton and it was around there somewhere. Must look out for the garden if it is shown again - perfect opportunity for garden pedantry "They did not have those flowers until Tradescant brought them back from Virginia"!!! You know the sort of thing

The farmhouse we used to live in was used for a TV drama starring Amanda Burton. I was invited to go back and watch the filming and was amused/annoyed to see that they had totally altered the lovely garden. The lawn was turned into a fake kitchen garden like a Chelsea Flower Show stand - you couldn't see the pots. There was an established veg garden the other side of the path but No! That's where they wanted the washing line with a false lawn underneath. They stuck a summerhouse where we used to park our car so they could unload it easily I suppose. There were only two rooms filmed inside - the kitchen and one of the bedrooms. They were almost unrecognisable.

The family living there were paid a tasty fee to move out for a week but goodness knows what they went back to.

Obviously chose the wrong garden didn't they.
My worst one in a film was in the cringe-worthy one on Beatrix Potter. Not content with directing Renee Z to play it just like Bridget Jones character they plonked out-of-season garish plastic flowers in front of the lake district cottage.

I noticed a Borzoi (Russian Hound) in last nights episode I am not sure if they had reached our shores at that particular period. Will investigate further.

Beautiful dog though.

Perhaps he was rescue dog! They didn't think twice about farming their kids out to be socialised by others so maybe they did it with their sighthounds as well.

That one looked like it was coming along nicely.

I haven't seen many Borzoi 'in the flesh' but when I have they've taken my breath away [even more so than wolfhounds, if that's at all possible]. What I love about them [sighthounds, that is] is that, for all they're hunting dogs, theyre so gentle and sweet natured. Also sighthounds have been far less 'tampered with' over the years which has left them less vulnerable to mental or physical problems. I haven't caught up with the last two episodes of The White Queen, but will do so even if it's just to see the dog [I don't think they would have had them in this country at that time either; it's things like that in historical programmes that irritate me ].

It was the peaches. Even if you were king, I don't think he could have found a box of peaches "for May day". However much you loved your queen.

Agree with you whole heartedly about sighthounds Tegan. When I was a youngster I knew a woman who own two Borzoi they were so regal amid the Heinz 57s that most of us owned (and loved). I believe that like greyhounds only the nobility was allowed to own them in their case Russian. I haven't got time to investigate further at the moment but will do.

It's normally goats that annoy me. A medieval city with a peasant leading what is obviously a modern shiny white Saanen when it should have been a very hairy Old English goat. Haven't seen it in The White Queen yet, but I'm sure it will come.