Most hilarious and worrying thread of the week
Scot now living in Slovenia. #ScotsAbroad Semi-retired internet consultant, chess player and administrator, landscape photographer, guitarist, Dorothy Dunnett commentator. http://www.dorothydunnett.co.uk
469 followers 100 following 1,946 posts
view profile on Bluesky
Most hilarious and worrying thread of the week
Excruciating. Brings to mind an old UK public information advert about Reginald Molehusband, the worst car parker ever. Must check if it's on Youtube.
Yes, the signal that the thaw is complete. Music has returned to him. But even yet he wants to return to Russia - the despair of his situation was not tied to the other despair of, losing the child.
Dr Grossmeier it was. And of course it's contrasted by L playing after Blackfriars when "Adam lay for a long time listening, his eyes wide in the dark to music which, without opium and without alcohol, Lymond had never allowed within his hearing before."
Just an educational trip to study Hospitaller's techniques in modern medicine. We just happened to pick up a blond child on the way...
Ice cream salesman. I was 15 and met my first girlfriend there.
My latest cartoon for @theguardian.com books. p.s. I have a new book of cartoons out soon: www.tomgauld.com/comic-books-v2
Was there perhaps a thought, maybe even an unconscious one, that said "Maybe she's right, I haven't laughed for a long time, and she caused it". Or maybe I'm just an old romantic ;-)
And just maybe the key that unlocks the possibility even of that lies minutes earlier when he's play-sword-fighting with Nicholas and he laughs, and P declares she's never heard him laugh before.
One might even speculate that it might occur between the first "Bravo" and "Languish lock in L"
I'm not arguing that you're wrong, just that there is a very short amount of time available, and if it happens it's part of a very fast sequence of events.
See also the preceding passage where lies a hint. "Of its (the journey's) significance he himself had no inkling when he set out, relaxed by the company a trifle more than was usually possible..." He has no warning - it all happens between leaving in the barge and returning with her.
first time as they indulge in wordplay, so if he gives himself permission it's in that very short period before the stands fall, and after that the thoughts on the way back in the boat rapidly develop to a wave of reflexion and admiration that is then engulfed by an emotional breakthrough. /4
2/ encounter he learns she is politically astute and has learned languages and culture and makes connections. But that meeting ends badly and he has a severe headache. It's only in their second meeting that he flirts a little and then they are off to Blackfriars, where he relaxes properly for /3
She is awesome, of course, but not the awesome young girl, growing up fast, that she was in Istanbul, despite all the polishing she received in the Seraglio. He knows nothing of her development since, and has barely thought of her till he discovers her to be in danger at Berwick. At their first /2
Ha, she'd run rings round him, and little does he know she has a poniard and knows how to use it! (The benefits of a seraglio education 😉)
so true. Thank you for posting 🏴🏴
Indeed. Funny that he wants to possess a wife with friends in Scotland.... Shouldn't he reject her as a collaborator? 😉 Maybe he patriotism is a bit fake.
True, his weird ideas of chivalry don't allow real life complexities. L supports an enemy in CM when he's working for France, but in RC he's working for Russia, who England are trying to develop trade with. So at that point it's personal.
I suspect he hates L just because he's an obstacle rather than because L later treats him badly. I think he falls for P on that first meeting at the start of RC and that colours his attitude from then on. He fails to see he's being tested at Berwick because he's already biased against L.
Should all be down the snooker hall misspending their youth 😉
Yes! And until he starts to think about how unsuitable a match they are because of his family anxieties which we've recently discussed, that feeling of joy is what really stands out so beautifully. DD's lead up to that moment shouts joy, and that why we love it so much. But she not finished with us!
Yes, theirs was a meeting of minds, of music, of language. Great fondness indeed, and great respect and admiration, but he wasn't yet capable of anything stronger.
being delighted at her and entertained for the first time in years. The rushing tide of recognition and then emotion must be completely overwhelming.
Elizabeth, Courtney's papers, arms deals, bluffing ML - that he really has barely had time to compehend P's development. Still thinking of her as Kate's daughter who he's sworn to protect, yet seeing suddenly all these hints of brilliance. He's not thinking of love at all, let alone with her, just
Yes it's such an unusual situation. He's been ice-bound for a couple of years, totally preoccupied with Russia and Ivan until developing the friendship with Diccon. (Notice the little mention to Kate that he wondered if P was in love with Diccon.) Then lost him and now emeshed in various plots -
After all, you don't flirt with Guzel, you discuss politics with deep understanding. Apart from Kate there's only really been Christian, and that's seems so very long ago now.
Interesting take. Yes, the emotional awakening coinciding with the first real opportunity to interact with someone on his level (since Kate) supercharges things a little. We know he delights in women's company and suddenly having a chance to flirt for the first time in years must be very tempting.
That's a good spot with the bells, I'd rather forgotten that - though I'd suspected pretty early on that P would eventually become L's love interest so maybe I wasn't quite as attuned to watching for little items like that. And like a lot of DD's best hints it's far removed from any connections.
Any fresh insights or additional points this time around?
Yeah, he hasn't quite realised what age she really is, and won't until Blackfriars. Guess he's had other things on his mind ;-) For now she's still just Kate's child. I wonder, is it that he saw himself as a child or just that he was so much less experienced than ML and she took advantage of that?
I didn't read it that way. He's talking to her mother, his dearest friend, who knows that he would never consider anything that harmed P. He's letting slip something that he would never tell anyone else - the reason ML wants to harm him. So she can understand the position as it affects P.
Good catch!
And lovely to hear that Judy Amory was a family friend - no finer source of Dunnett knowledge.
😇
In fact he takes everything at face value - no sense of politics or misdirection or complexity. In that he reminds me a little of Jerott at his worst absolutism, but without Jerott's essential moral goodness.
A sharp intake of breath moment - who else would get away with that?! That scene is revealing. He threatens breaking off relations while admitting it would cost him dear, yet I more and more think it's a bluff. And his final remark about her not having changed since 10 is a complete change in tone.
I read the Berwick scene again last night, and got the same impression I recalled, rather dimly, from before. That L was (with little time to spare) testing AG for his responses, to see whether he was suitable for P. Unfortunately AG is not bright enough to realise it and takes it at face value.
Yes! Let's go!!
I think many readers don't pick up on some of those until many more rereads, and thus are still underestimating that desperation. Would he have killed so many of Strozzi's men early in CM otherwise?
Great to hear Anna Groundwater extolling Dorothy Dunnett's historical novels- and naming Anselm Adornes as a key figure connecting Scotland to Europe and beyond. DD's archive in NLS deserves much greater recognition ( and use) as a serious academic resource. manuscripts.nls.uk/repositories...
Ah yes, i was forgetting that interaction at Berwick. Must reread that part this evening - the Sybilla debacle tends to overshadow everything else.
But at this point in RC is it that toxic? Or is AG just constructing a story in which he is the hero who will vanquish the evil knight and sweep the fair lady off her feet to eternal happiness? (whether she wants to be swept or not)
Possibly true. But shouldn't AG have considered from the beginning that L had married P to give her standing and save her reputation and that might suggest he had good intentions? Or that Kate was a close friend of his and was a good judge of character. He wants P for himself so L is a villain.
Touche - I'm letting my many re-reads jump ahead of the narrative. You are quite right 😀
That's an interesting comparison with Chancellor - who is given many reasons to dislike L but is smart enough to see past them to the real man. AG never even attempts that. If he had respect for P he would at least try.
I can see why some feel sorry for him but even here in RC he's acting like a boy instead of a man. There are hints that his mother didn't do a good job of raising him, and his motives are suspect. P is an object of idealised romanticism to him rather than a real person with her own feelings.
AG does get caught up in some horrible situations but he doesn't think, he doesn't consider P's feelings, just reacts with no moderation. He's a deeply flawed character and frankly I don't know why P puts up with him other than he's a next-door neighbour at Flaw Valleys, or why L considers him for P
He threatens to cut himself off from her and Kate if she won't stop interfering in his private affairs. Of course she, and us first time round, don't realise that it's because he fears that the story would ruin his family if it came out. AG refuses to stop attacking even when P tells him to.
AG, obsessed with chivalry, attacks an unarmed L with a sword. Tells you a great deal about him.
Yes, apart from a temper inherited from his father, which he keeps mostly very good control over after GK, he's a solid reliable and likeable guy. He just isn't equipped to handle the fiendishly complex life that L has been handed.
Like you I remember feeling an emptiness and horror on my first read of this, but by god once you start to see the many layers it raises appreciation of Dorothy's genius to new heights.
Literally shut OpenAI down right now. Just pull the fucking plug. #AbolishAi
Those are wonderful
And not even just for the usual reasons. Many people despair at R's many regressions through the series, but a close reading of this scene makes the later ones much more understandable.
Yes, it's desperate, but there is a certain logic to it, and as always he's sacrificing himself for the greater good, and trying to spare others from his seemingly cursed life.
I'm reminded of something we can only know about on re-read. "'How do you take leave, for all time, of a brother?" For that, it seems , is what L is doing.
There is so much going on. While agreeing with your idea of a test I'm not sure L is thinking clearly - grief clouds the mind. R doesn't know enough to avoid innocent blunders - "A pity that" - that hurt a vulnerable L. R rambles about politics, perhaps hoping to smooth the conversation. So messy.
Yes indeed.
2/ loss of Diccon, I wonder if he is comparing a man he had come to think of as almost a brother, with the man he now knows is not his brother? And in his unique way is preparing R for a loss that he already feels, and a separation that he think inevitable for the good of his family and himself.
I thought it best to re-read it as it's been a while since I last paid it close attention. I think there is much to commend in your theory. The undercurrents are many and strong. I'll throw in another which just occurred to me - at least in a better formed way than before. In his grief at the /2
I look forward to hearing it. PS It's Dorothy's birthday, so you're not allowed to skip bits! ;-)
Certainly if the early Lymond covers were anything to go by. But then she had re-written the rules about what historical fiction was and the publishers hadn't caught up. But actually Lymond was a big hit, especially in US - it was later reissues and the House of Niccolo that were under publicised.
A nice summary, if long overdue. Unfortunately they get the Dorothy Dunnett Society website address wrong - it should be dunnettcentral.org and omit entirely my own site, which was the first and which DD collaborated with me on www.dorothydunnett.co.uk
Ahh, the reunion approaches. A very difficult scene for all concerned, including the reader.
Where have you got to?
My neighbours here in Slovenia asked me up for a drink a week ago and were asking about films I liked. I said they had to see Casablanca - they loved it.
#DunnettContent Thorfinn devotees may be interested in a this book due in November birlinn.co.uk/product/the-...
Surprised it's taken this long for someone to open fire. Wonder how long it'll be before the next fatalities turn out to be "genuine" ICE agents.
Unless they just go straight to Oswald Mosely and Lord HawHaw.
UK online safety law in practice.
this iconic advertising copywriter named Kathy Hepinstall Parks died over the weekend and I wanted to share something from her website I thought Bluesky would like
They say that the people of the Dreznica valley are Celtic in origin, which may explain why, as a Scot, I feel so very much at home here. Dad felt the same. We'd looked at 14 houses, this was the 15th, and we knew immediately.
Thank you, I consider every day here a dream come true. I've been in love with it since a first holiday almost 40 years ago.
Picard, Riker, Worf, Geordie, Data, Beverley, and Deanna.
Ahh, right, I was completely in the wrong place then - the view is seeing the mountains from the east not the south. I must take a trip over there sometime - I almost bought a house at Zaversnica before I saw this one and liked the area.
Given the bingbot doesnt respect robots.txt i think it's a fair bet that LLM will ride straight through this. Time to update my 403 block list again.
Could be wrong, but this looks very like the view from near the top of the Vogel cable car looking north towards Triglav.
Ofcom is letting GB News get away with calls to shoot disabled people and anti trans slurs because it's "in line with audience expectations for this channel". If the regulator won't regulate, then why do they exist? bylinetimes.com/2025/08/21/o...
No problem, you are strictly speaking correct, whereas i was stretching the term into a wider context. I suspect we mostly agree.
We were in the sense that our views were not taken into account from then on. The hardest of red lines appeared, things the brexiteers said would never happen (eg single market exit) happened. And no-one stood against it. So at least 48% were ignored (+ the ones who believed the lies.)
His refusal to oppose Brexit didnt help either. Half the UK population were completely disenfranchised. Still are, but its a lot more than half now.
The man may have some goood intentions but he's so bloody ineffectual (eg so many open goals ignored during PMQs) that people supported Starmer in the hope that he might be more use. And look where that got us!
Art collectors should always verify their purchases for authenticity! ;-)
Haven't they already got them?
Seems a little early this year - have the heatwaves ripened them sooner? Always used to reckon early September.
No no, you miss the crucial part - people will be so annoyed at these that some other tech bro will invent invisibility cloaks that prevent you being seen or recorded - thus boosting the economy by double.
Probably wise. We try to mark spoilers when initiating a thread but inevitably some slip through in conversations. When you're ready, join us, visit my website, or even join the DD Society. You'll be most welcome. PS She was also the most charming, modest and interesting person I've ever known.
Yet another reason that I use Excel 2007 or (more often now) LibreOffice. After it's screwed up the numbers in a crucial report there'll be another AI tool along to give a munged up summary of the erroreous figures. And you just know it'll be a politician's report that will then be actioned.
They very much reward re-reading. I've read them about 12 times, given talks about them, written endless articles about them, and I STILL find new things every time. Dorothy was a genius. Do beware accidental spoilers on the feed - but feel free to ask questions if you would like any help or hints.
Hi everyone! First still image from Greenland photo tours 😉. Hope you enjoy 🙂🧊⛵️
Some of us here are long time Dunnett readers and reread constantly. Welcome. Which one are you reading at the moment?
The Library of the Dukes of Burgundy: a centuries-old treasure now accessible online...
Your managers really are idiots. When i was chairing meetings (of keen volunteers) my rule was never to exceed 2.5 hours - because after that no-one is thinking straight anymore. In most countries 6 hours without a break would be illegal.
The conflagration would be of epic proportions!
One of Sybilla's less remembered but excellent lines! We all need to grow up to be naughty in our old age ;-)
A custard pie in the face has traditionally been regarded as an excellent joke. Keep one handy and use it in retaliation, while quoting the same question!
Scottish Independence 🏴 Welsh Independence 🏴 United Ireland 🇮🇪 RT if you agree.
Sounds like the pool needs more chlorine! I read all my exe's books on essential oils. If he was after a soothing calming scent (which IIRC is what it's for) then there are much softer and less pungent oils available. e.g. Bergamot is a light orange scent which is very balancing. Also Chamomile.
Once again Dorothy's research was spot on.