Consulting Swordsman
You may recall that my recent trip to Mexico blew me away. What a country, what people. And yes, what food. I’ve had lots of “Mexican” food before: some awesome, some so-so. But nothing prepared me for the breadth and depth of the Mexican food experience. I ate everywhere from people’s homes, to roadside shacks, … Read more
I recently turned 50, and my sister gave me a “ Forge a Viking knife” day course at the Boneyard forge in London for my birthday. I went a couple of weeks ago, and it was great fun. I’ve done a couple of similar courses before (I wrote up the first one here: https://www.guywindsor.net/2020/01/forged-in-fire/), so … Read more
I get asked all the time what movies and tv shows have “good” sword fights in them. This begs the question, “what is good?” We can all agree, I hope, that the Princess Bride duel on the top of the cliffs of insanity is perhaps the best screen rapier duel in history. In terms of … Read more
Who was la Chevalière d’Eon? As well as being a spy, soldier, and diplomat, la Chevalière d’Eon was one of the greatest fencers in the world. She was a regular dinner guest at Domenico Angelo’s house, and most famously fenced with le Chevalier St. Georges (also a soldier, and a composer and musician), in a … Read more
I can’t imagine how this passed me by all these many years. Have you heard of Allen Hemberger’s Alinea Project? It’s a thing of glory. He ate at Alinea, one of the top restaurants in the world, the sort of place where food is magic, theatre, and gastronomic bliss, all rolled into one. (I’ve not … Read more
I know you’ve been thinking about nothing else for the last few days. Not the pesky plague. Not economic uncertainty. This, and only this: What the hell is that thing Guy made? Dale Belcher, of Independence, Kansas, in the USA was the first person to answer, and the only person to get it right! Well … Read more
In a sword fight there is no time to think. You see, you act. The essence of training is to adjust your instinct so that the instinctive response is also the correct one. I’ve spent decades training my instinct, and I apply this to literally all parts of my life. I don’t decide what to … Read more
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
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
Surfing is both huge fun, and very hard to get the hang of. On my last trip Down Under I was offered the chance to try surfing for the first time in my life, and jumped at the chance. My friend Jen Rowland and her two lovely children Rafael and Maya took me on a … Read more