You have ONE JOB. Some thoughts on how to do it.

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Britain went on lockdown this week, about a month later than it should have done, three weeks later than my parents, and a week after my household. I have some thoughts, as you may imagine. But everyone else on the internet has thoughts too so I won’t blame you if you skip mine. There won’t … Read more

What to do if the Corona virus keeps you away from your sword class?

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Train at home, obviously! The current situation regarding the corona virus is not unprecedented. Plague has swept various parts of the world regularly since time began. What is new is that we are experiencing this phenomenon with a completely safe and so-far quite reliable way of communicating with each other. I know that many of … Read more

From Medieval Manuscript to Modern Practice

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Producing a book is a marathon, not a sprint, but the finish line for From Medieval Manuscript to Modern Practice: The Longsword Techniques of Fiore dei Liberi is in sight! I’m in my study plodding through the first draft of the the laid-out print file. This is simultaneously very exciting (my NEW BOOK! HURRAH!), very … Read more

What sparks joy?

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A hundred and four years before Marie Kondo was born, William Morris wrote: If you want a golden rule that will fit everybody, this is it: Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful. Which I think is a better rule of thumb than does … Read more

The Ever-Fixed Mark

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The proof-read draft of my new book previously titled “The Longsword of Fiore dei Liberi” came back from the proof reader on Friday literally tied up with red tape! I’m thinking of re-titling it “From Medieval Manuscript to Modern Practice: The Longsword Techniques of Fiore dei Liberi”. This describes the book better, and hopefully using … Read more

Handling a knife- productive procrastination

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I’m in that funny limbo state between a book being finished and being published. My translation and interpretation of Fiore’s longsword plays (of which the current working title is now From Medieval Manuscript to Modern Practice: The Longsword Plays of Fiore dei Liberi. What do you think?) is back from the editor, his 2,370 comments … Read more

A new look for The Medieval Longsword

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A month ago I posted about Invisible Women, and suggested changing the cover of my book The Medieval Longsword to make  it more inclusive, and especially to make it clear that women can and should practice the art of arms if they so wish. Shortly after that the socialz exploded with backlash against the dimwitted Andrew … Read more

Forged in Fire

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There is magic in sharp steel. The feel of a perfectly honed edge slicing through wood, leather, or other targets, it’s as if the thing being cut parts before the blade like the Red Sea before Moses. I’ve spent my whole working life with blades, first as a cabinet-maker, then as a swordsmanship instructor, so … Read more

Facebook bye-bye

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I just deactivated my Facebook account. I did a bit of behind-the-scenes jiu-jitsu to keep my Author Page active, and the Messenger app functioning as before. But it’s now impossible for me to fall down the rabbit-hole without first clearing away a whole load of brambles. In a couple of months I’ll probably delete it … Read more