Consulting Swordsman
“Stick to swords, Guy.” I hear that a lot- pretty much every time I express an opinion that is in any way political, or even somewhat outside my core competence. My response is always the same. If you don’t like what I have to say, then either challenge it with reason and evidence, or go … Read more
Now is the perfect moment in history for snake-oil sellers to make a fortune. There is a shadowy plague out there, and it has everyone even more worried than usual about their health. It is also the first time in history, as far as I’m aware, that there is apparently a real (if very small … Read more
Last week’s post was for the busy people finding that lockdown gave them less free time, not more. This one is for the rest of you, those finding time hanging heavy on your hands. Let me reiterate: if you’re busy, read this if you want to, but it isn’t written for you. Okay, so you’re … Read more
Twits on Twitter bang on a lot about ‘discipline’. Such inanities as ‘if you don’t finish lockdown with a new skill, you didn’t lack time, you lacked discipline’. That is possibly true for some people, but such an appallingly crass statement that I wonder at the capacity some people have for smugly standing in judgement … Read more
We are not alone. No, I’m not talking about aliens. Even stranger: woodworkers! If you’ve been keeping up with the World of Guy you’ll know that I’ve been doing a ton of woodworking lately, and it shows no sign of slowing down. This has lead me to look up all sorts of things on t’internet, … Read more
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
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
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 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
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