I haven't written about Lincoln City in quite a while now, and I think that's rather indicative of my general feelings about the state of the club and the disappointment of last season.
It seems almost blasphemous to write this, but I think that one reason that I enjoyed this summer is simply because I put the Imps out of my mind. I haven't really kept up with news of departures or new signings and I certainly haven't missed trudging down to the Bank on Saturday afternoons.
So it is with mixed feelings that I face the new season, despite my season ticket having been renewed early on in the summer. The new season should be a time of fresh beginnings and excitement at the unknown exploits that lie ahead. Sadly, the repeatedly poor performances of last season combined with the fact that we barely have the resources to buy teabags leaves me with no optimism that this year's team will be any good at all. While I don't doubt Holdsworth's honest intentions, I have grave doubts over his tactical abilities. I fear that the bottom half of the table will once again be City's domain and that attendances will continue to be embarrassingly low as the people of Lincoln refuse to pay premium prices for a bargain basement product.
To cap it all, this summer has also seen the club's official website given an overhaul (I suspect due to the removal of the Football League's sponsored template). Sadly, I've so far found it a badly designed mess to navigate and impossible to use on a mobile phone so that certainly hasn't improved my desire to keep checking and keeping up with changes at the club.
One change for the new season is the name of the stadium. Thankfully, the fundraising competition was won by the excellent '12th Imp' initiative, giving Sincil Bank the new name of 'The 12th Imp Sincil Bank Stadium'. Definitely better than I feared it might be, and definitely better than losing the traditional name to that of a sponsor.
Hopefully, of course, I can return to this post in a few month's time and curse my own grumpiness and lack of faith as we sit towards the top end of the table having played some half-decent football. If the last 18 years of supporting Lincoln have taught me anything, though, it's not to believe in miracles. Bring on Kidderminster...
11 August 2012 - post match addendum
So, with the Imps beating Kidderminster 1-0, am I going to be retracting the above comments? No. But I will admit to the side showing some potential, despite much more work clearly being needed.
It was good to see Taylor being given a chance, and with his bustling workrate he showed why he should have played a lot more last season. His strike partner Duffy didn't get a sniff of goal but worked hard and was involved in quite a few attacks. Farman demonstrated that he'll earn us a good few points before the season is over. Finally, the centre-half pairing of Boyce and Miller looked good in open play, though its clear that set pieces still need an awful lot of work on the training ground.
On the downside, I thought that Adam Smith looked slow on the ball, and on the few occasions he had to run at his defender, telegraphed his moves and generally looked sluggish. Substitute Vadaine Oliver takes the plaudits for worst performance of all, though, as his lacklustre, effort free half hour saw him barely willing to stay with his man, and his two efforts at goal redefine the word 'tame'. Despite his Sheffield Wednesday pedigree, he will have to improve rapidly if he is going to prove to be worth his wages.
Still, a win and a clean sheet on the opening day is a rare thing in Imps-land, so long may it continue.
Friday, 10 August 2012
Tuesday, 7 August 2012
Faster, higher, stronger - my Olympic experience
Unusually, I'm going to start this post with an apology. Despite the excitement of hearing that my wife and I had secured tickets for one of the most sought after Olympic events - the men's 100m final - subsequent talk of over zealous and inefficient security, rampant sponsorship and travel problems had soured my Olympic spirit somewhat. Although enjoying the games on TV immensely, I had some doubts that the real life experience would be able to avoid being marred by something. As I said, I'm beginning with an apology...
Despite slight panic an hour before our train to London at the news that Kings Cross was closed due to a power failure (which actually proved to have no ill effect whatsoever), getting to the Olympic Park was a doddle via one of the funky new high speed Javelin trains.
Amazingly, getting into the Olympic Park itself proved equally hassle free. Talk of having to arrive two and a half hours early (which we did) to get through the airport style security (which I despise at the best of times) had me thinking that just getting within sight of the stadium would be a medal-worthy achievement. As it turned out we walked through pretty much without pause, without even a single person ahead of us in the queue, and the security check rather cursory and certainly no trouble.
So we gained our first sight of the Olympic stadium, which is very nice, though I have to confess having seen the Bird's Nest in Beijing at close quarters I'm afraid it lacks something of the drama of its Chinese predecessor. The tooth-like fabric strips around the outside look exactly like the cost cutting second option that they are. Nevertheless, the stadium, swimming pool and 'Orbit' sculpture by Anish Kapoor combine to make the Park an architecturally fascinating place to be.
The greatest surprise inside the park for me was the commercial activity, or rather the lack of it. Understandably, there were no unofficial stalls of any variety, and the most visible retail outlets were the identical sets of food stalls dotted around. Considering the massive amounts of merchandise available from seemingly every high street shop in Britain, I was amazed at the lack of shops around the place. My wife hoped to buy herself a Chinese flag to wave, but nothing of the sort could be found anywhere. Even Olympic branded merchandise was limited to a small number of tiny shops within the perimeter of the stadium. As for the food, prices were high but we decided to try some fish and chips. Again, my expectations were low but proved wrong as we were swiftly served a portion that was very tasty indeed, and certainly didn't do a British classic a disservice to any foreign tourists trying it for the first time.
All this of course is mere window dressing and we moved inside the stadium as soon as we could to start to prepare for the events we'd come to see. We wandered around the lower concourse of the stadium before taking our seats, and specifically took a trip to get close to the impressive flame.
Although our seats were, as expected, on the opposite side of the stadium to the start and finish line, the view was incredible and a testament to the stadium's design. I'll let the following photographs speak for themselves.
A nice and unexpected bonus of the evening was the medal ceremonies presenting golds to Greg Rutherford (long jump) and Mo Farrah (10,000m).
I confess that this was my first time watching athletics live, and I found it something of a confusing experience, being used to being spoon-fed TV commentary with its computer graphics, close-up camera work and constant replays. The atmosphere inside the stadium was electric and the main reason for being there, but it would also have been nice to feel that I was able to follow the progress of events such as the high jump and hammer throw. Thankfully, races on the track were rather easier to engage with. I've no intention of describing each event in detail, so what follows is a selection of my photos from the evening, but I have to say that seeing Christine Ohuruogu win her 400m silver medal and Oscar Pistorius make history simply by competing certainly stand out as unexpected highlights.
Of course the highlight of the evening was undoubtedly the 100m final, though unlike many of the people sat around me, I don't subscribe to the hero-worship handed to 100m runners - I feel that other many other athletes and events deserve far higher plaudits for their achievements. The two semi finals went without incident, though it was clear that Usain Bolt was on good form - both in terms of running and mugging to the camera. You no doubt saw the final on TV and it naturally didn't last long so I'm not going to describe it, but here again are some photos of the race and of Bolt parading around in celebration.
I only found out afterwards that there had been a bottle throwing incident (nobody in our part of the stadium had any clue that anything untoward had occurred). In a way though, I'm not surprised. Although the atmosphere was incredible, and it was heartening to see athletes of all nations being applauded enthusiastically, I was surprised to see glass beer bottles being sold inside the stadium. As a football fan, and therefore used to even the lids of pop bottles being seen as offensive items, it seemed incredible and many people were clearly using the opportunity to have more than a few drinks. I've no idea whether drink was involved in this incident, but the whole set-up seemed to be asking for trouble.
So there it was - my first experience of the Olympic games, and an unexpectedly positive one. Overall, considering the worldwide importance of the event, everything seemed very well organised and relaxed. Special mention has to be given to the multitude of volunteers, who apart from simply giving their time were unfailingly enthusiastic, friendly and welcoming even at the end of the night when some of them must have been exhausted. They deserve huge plaudits for all their efforts.
And thus ends part one of my Olympic experiences - part two will come in September when we are fortunate enough to have tickets for the Paralympics to see swimming, table tennis and basketball. Look out for a similar update then.
Despite slight panic an hour before our train to London at the news that Kings Cross was closed due to a power failure (which actually proved to have no ill effect whatsoever), getting to the Olympic Park was a doddle via one of the funky new high speed Javelin trains.
Amazingly, getting into the Olympic Park itself proved equally hassle free. Talk of having to arrive two and a half hours early (which we did) to get through the airport style security (which I despise at the best of times) had me thinking that just getting within sight of the stadium would be a medal-worthy achievement. As it turned out we walked through pretty much without pause, without even a single person ahead of us in the queue, and the security check rather cursory and certainly no trouble.
So we gained our first sight of the Olympic stadium, which is very nice, though I have to confess having seen the Bird's Nest in Beijing at close quarters I'm afraid it lacks something of the drama of its Chinese predecessor. The tooth-like fabric strips around the outside look exactly like the cost cutting second option that they are. Nevertheless, the stadium, swimming pool and 'Orbit' sculpture by Anish Kapoor combine to make the Park an architecturally fascinating place to be.
The greatest surprise inside the park for me was the commercial activity, or rather the lack of it. Understandably, there were no unofficial stalls of any variety, and the most visible retail outlets were the identical sets of food stalls dotted around. Considering the massive amounts of merchandise available from seemingly every high street shop in Britain, I was amazed at the lack of shops around the place. My wife hoped to buy herself a Chinese flag to wave, but nothing of the sort could be found anywhere. Even Olympic branded merchandise was limited to a small number of tiny shops within the perimeter of the stadium. As for the food, prices were high but we decided to try some fish and chips. Again, my expectations were low but proved wrong as we were swiftly served a portion that was very tasty indeed, and certainly didn't do a British classic a disservice to any foreign tourists trying it for the first time.
All this of course is mere window dressing and we moved inside the stadium as soon as we could to start to prepare for the events we'd come to see. We wandered around the lower concourse of the stadium before taking our seats, and specifically took a trip to get close to the impressive flame.
Although our seats were, as expected, on the opposite side of the stadium to the start and finish line, the view was incredible and a testament to the stadium's design. I'll let the following photographs speak for themselves.
A nice and unexpected bonus of the evening was the medal ceremonies presenting golds to Greg Rutherford (long jump) and Mo Farrah (10,000m).
I confess that this was my first time watching athletics live, and I found it something of a confusing experience, being used to being spoon-fed TV commentary with its computer graphics, close-up camera work and constant replays. The atmosphere inside the stadium was electric and the main reason for being there, but it would also have been nice to feel that I was able to follow the progress of events such as the high jump and hammer throw. Thankfully, races on the track were rather easier to engage with. I've no intention of describing each event in detail, so what follows is a selection of my photos from the evening, but I have to say that seeing Christine Ohuruogu win her 400m silver medal and Oscar Pistorius make history simply by competing certainly stand out as unexpected highlights.
Of course the highlight of the evening was undoubtedly the 100m final, though unlike many of the people sat around me, I don't subscribe to the hero-worship handed to 100m runners - I feel that other many other athletes and events deserve far higher plaudits for their achievements. The two semi finals went without incident, though it was clear that Usain Bolt was on good form - both in terms of running and mugging to the camera. You no doubt saw the final on TV and it naturally didn't last long so I'm not going to describe it, but here again are some photos of the race and of Bolt parading around in celebration.
I only found out afterwards that there had been a bottle throwing incident (nobody in our part of the stadium had any clue that anything untoward had occurred). In a way though, I'm not surprised. Although the atmosphere was incredible, and it was heartening to see athletes of all nations being applauded enthusiastically, I was surprised to see glass beer bottles being sold inside the stadium. As a football fan, and therefore used to even the lids of pop bottles being seen as offensive items, it seemed incredible and many people were clearly using the opportunity to have more than a few drinks. I've no idea whether drink was involved in this incident, but the whole set-up seemed to be asking for trouble.
So there it was - my first experience of the Olympic games, and an unexpectedly positive one. Overall, considering the worldwide importance of the event, everything seemed very well organised and relaxed. Special mention has to be given to the multitude of volunteers, who apart from simply giving their time were unfailingly enthusiastic, friendly and welcoming even at the end of the night when some of them must have been exhausted. They deserve huge plaudits for all their efforts.
And thus ends part one of my Olympic experiences - part two will come in September when we are fortunate enough to have tickets for the Paralympics to see swimming, table tennis and basketball. Look out for a similar update then.
Sunday, 5 August 2012
Lincoln Castle Festival of History
During the sunnier part of yesterday we took a trip up to Lincoln Castle (an arduous trek of at least 5 minutes) to take in some of the Festival of History event happening this weekend. I just thought I'd share some photos I took of the re-enactors in action at this historical mashup.
Tuesday, 17 July 2012
Stories from The Collection #4 - 'Romano-British snake bracelet terminal' and 'Chinese hell banknote'
This is the fourth in a series of posts about recent acquisitions to the collections of The Collection: Art and Archaeology in Lincolnshire .
This article was published in the Summer 2012 issue of ‘Lincolnshire Past and Present’ magazine, published by the Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology.
For this issue's journey into the museum's recent acquisitions we will be looking at two objects with connections to religious belief, but from quite different periods in history and from different sides of the globe.
Romano-British snake bracelet terminal from Marton, near Gainsborough
This small gold item is the broken terminal from a bracelet, in the form of a snake's head. The semi-naturalistic head is oval in plan and is very flat, with the details of the head marked out in low relief. A cross hatched section of the body gives some indication of the decorative pattern on the remainder of the bracelet, which would have wound around the wearer's arms a number of times.
Snake motifs occupy an interesting position in Romano-British jewellery, with the design known mainly on rings and bracelets. In classical antiquity, the snake did not carry the same negative association with evil and deceit that it would later adopt in Christian mythology, and was instead seen as a creature connected with healing, regeneration and rebirth. The slender image of the snake associated with the healing deity Asclepius may form the basis for the jewellery we find in Britain. It has been suggested that bracelets such as this were worn by pregnant women as protective charms.
Such bracelets are usually found in bronze or silver, and this gold example is the first of its type recorded in Lincolnshire. The Collection has another, complete, bronze example from Ancaster in its collections. Bracelets such as these were a cultural import of the 1st Century AD, but this example could date to any time between the 1st and 3rd Centuries.
The Collection would like to take this opportunity to thank both the finder and the landowner for waiving their right to a reward and donating the terminal to the museum.
Chinese 'Hell' Banknote
The Collection's numismatic collections contain many examples of rare and important coins and tokens from Britain and across the world, from the Iron Age to the modern day.
The collections are more than simply examples of legal tender, however, and aim to demonstrate the ways in which the concept of money has been used by different cultures right up to the present day. This Chinese banknote is not legal tender and was made only very recently. It is, however, indicative of Chinese beliefs surrounding the afterlife, and a central element of important annual festivals.
The banknote was collected in Chengdu, in China's south-western Sichuan province, and is made of joss paper. Notes such as this are burned by families at their ancestor's gravesides throughout the year, but particularly at the festivals of 'Ching Ming' ('Festival of Pure Brightness') and 'Gui Jie' ('Festival of Hungry Ghosts'). The Chinese belief is that spirits go to a form of limbo, but where money is still required to purchase goods. In order to ensure that the ancestors are being provided for, the banknotes are burned, often in large quantities, while saying the names of items that could be purchased with them.
The banknote is based on a Hong Kong note, and displays noticeably western imagery. The figure on the right is the 'Jade Emperor', the supreme deity with responsibility for the afterlife. The concept of 'hell' does not translate directly into Chinese belief, but the word became associated with the afterlife after Christian missionaries arrived in China in the 18th and 19th centuries.
For this issue's journey into the museum's recent acquisitions we will be looking at two objects with connections to religious belief, but from quite different periods in history and from different sides of the globe.
Romano-British snake bracelet terminal from Marton, near Gainsborough
This small gold item is the broken terminal from a bracelet, in the form of a snake's head. The semi-naturalistic head is oval in plan and is very flat, with the details of the head marked out in low relief. A cross hatched section of the body gives some indication of the decorative pattern on the remainder of the bracelet, which would have wound around the wearer's arms a number of times.
Snake motifs occupy an interesting position in Romano-British jewellery, with the design known mainly on rings and bracelets. In classical antiquity, the snake did not carry the same negative association with evil and deceit that it would later adopt in Christian mythology, and was instead seen as a creature connected with healing, regeneration and rebirth. The slender image of the snake associated with the healing deity Asclepius may form the basis for the jewellery we find in Britain. It has been suggested that bracelets such as this were worn by pregnant women as protective charms.
Such bracelets are usually found in bronze or silver, and this gold example is the first of its type recorded in Lincolnshire. The Collection has another, complete, bronze example from Ancaster in its collections. Bracelets such as these were a cultural import of the 1st Century AD, but this example could date to any time between the 1st and 3rd Centuries.
The Collection would like to take this opportunity to thank both the finder and the landowner for waiving their right to a reward and donating the terminal to the museum.
Chinese 'Hell' Banknote
The Collection's numismatic collections contain many examples of rare and important coins and tokens from Britain and across the world, from the Iron Age to the modern day.
The collections are more than simply examples of legal tender, however, and aim to demonstrate the ways in which the concept of money has been used by different cultures right up to the present day. This Chinese banknote is not legal tender and was made only very recently. It is, however, indicative of Chinese beliefs surrounding the afterlife, and a central element of important annual festivals.
The banknote was collected in Chengdu, in China's south-western Sichuan province, and is made of joss paper. Notes such as this are burned by families at their ancestor's gravesides throughout the year, but particularly at the festivals of 'Ching Ming' ('Festival of Pure Brightness') and 'Gui Jie' ('Festival of Hungry Ghosts'). The Chinese belief is that spirits go to a form of limbo, but where money is still required to purchase goods. In order to ensure that the ancestors are being provided for, the banknotes are burned, often in large quantities, while saying the names of items that could be purchased with them.
The banknote is based on a Hong Kong note, and displays noticeably western imagery. The figure on the right is the 'Jade Emperor', the supreme deity with responsibility for the afterlife. The concept of 'hell' does not translate directly into Chinese belief, but the word became associated with the afterlife after Christian missionaries arrived in China in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Thursday, 12 July 2012
Some recent Roman ramblings...
It feels like I've been travelling non-stop for the last couple of weeks, and during this trekking I've been able to see a few Roman sites, both in the north west and in the Cotswolds. Some visits were to re-acquaint myself with old friends, others to expand my horizons and see another little slice of our heritage.
In the finest tradition of Letters from Li Dongni, I'd therefore like to share a few thoughts and photos, in no particular order.
Senhouse Roman Museum, Maryport
The Senhouse Museum is one of those places that reminds you that fantastic archaeology isn't always found in picturesque locations. With due apologies to the locals, the town of Maryport on the north west coast is far from a lovely place, but thankfully it is home to a museum with a very lovely Roman collection indeed - namely the Jupiter Optimus Maximus altars set up annually by the 1st Cohort of Spaniards. These can claim to be the largest collection from any site in Britain, and their condition is almost perfect. The museum has adopted as its emblem a boar (a symbol of the XX Legion), which it has sweetly named after the 1870 discoverer of a large haul of altars - Humphrey.
Of course, what Roman site worth its salt hasn't produced a few lucky phalluses? Senhouse is thankfully up there with the best of them so here they are, just for you, including the famous 'snake stone'.
I always like to save the best until last, and without doubt my favourite object in the museum was this great little carving of a native 'horned deity'.
North Leigh Roman villa, Oxfordshire
This small but charming (and originally rather grand) villa was conveniently situated mere metres from the B&B we were staying in, but by odd coincidence I had been here before. The star of the show is the tessellated pavement secured beneath a building for protection, which had been closed when I'd gone before. By sheer lucky coincidence, on this occasion it was being opened for the first time in almost a decade on the very day we visited. Aside from the nice mosaic survival, it also offered a very nice example of how the mosaic interacted with the walls of the room, particularly in the form of the tubuli (box flue tiles) which heated the walls and allowed the smoke from the hypocaust to be released.
Ravenglass Roman Bath house, Cumbria
The smallest of the sites I visited, and I dare say not the one that attracts the greatest hordes of tourists, though this might be because of the inadequate signage. Still, despite this, the remains are what English Heritage describe as 'the tallest surviving in northern Roman Britain' (though their definition of 'northern' might differ from mine as I can think of a few sites with equally tall remains that are far from 'southern') and are nicely interpreted.
Birdoswald Roman fort, Hadrian's Wall
Birdoswald is one of the better known forts on Hadrian's Wall, and boasts one of the most complete sections of wall surviving nearby. Although only around a quarter of the inside of the fort is exposed, the gates and walls give a good sense of scale, and the site museum is nicely executed, with a good balance between Roman history and the story of the discovery and investigation of the site over the last few hundred years.
Corinium Museum, Cirencester
Cirencester is a place that had been on my 'must visit' list for a while now, and the Corinium Museum was a major reason for that. Having undergone a refurbishment a few years ago, I had been waiting to see how the new displays look and I'm very happy to say I wasn't disappointed. The Roman collections are first rate, particularly the mosaics and the religious carvings, and the displays are thoughtful, clean and well laid out.
One particularly fine object is a bronze sculpture of Cupid, now sadly without wings. Found in 1732 it is believed to have been part of a lamp. Said to date from the mid 1st to mid 2nd Centuries, I still can't help thinking that the chubby face has more than a little of the 18th Century about it.
Cirencester Roman amphitheatre
Roman amphitheatres in Britain are fairly rare survivals - usually because they were of earth and timber construction and therefore easily destroyed in subsequent centuries. Cirencester's fortunately survives, and is worth a stroll out from the town to visit. Sadly, it seemed that when we visited, someone on two wheels had already been enjoying the arena's floor.
In the finest tradition of Letters from Li Dongni, I'd therefore like to share a few thoughts and photos, in no particular order.
Senhouse Roman Museum, Maryport
The Senhouse Museum is one of those places that reminds you that fantastic archaeology isn't always found in picturesque locations. With due apologies to the locals, the town of Maryport on the north west coast is far from a lovely place, but thankfully it is home to a museum with a very lovely Roman collection indeed - namely the Jupiter Optimus Maximus altars set up annually by the 1st Cohort of Spaniards. These can claim to be the largest collection from any site in Britain, and their condition is almost perfect. The museum has adopted as its emblem a boar (a symbol of the XX Legion), which it has sweetly named after the 1870 discoverer of a large haul of altars - Humphrey.
Of course, what Roman site worth its salt hasn't produced a few lucky phalluses? Senhouse is thankfully up there with the best of them so here they are, just for you, including the famous 'snake stone'.
I always like to save the best until last, and without doubt my favourite object in the museum was this great little carving of a native 'horned deity'.
This small but charming (and originally rather grand) villa was conveniently situated mere metres from the B&B we were staying in, but by odd coincidence I had been here before. The star of the show is the tessellated pavement secured beneath a building for protection, which had been closed when I'd gone before. By sheer lucky coincidence, on this occasion it was being opened for the first time in almost a decade on the very day we visited. Aside from the nice mosaic survival, it also offered a very nice example of how the mosaic interacted with the walls of the room, particularly in the form of the tubuli (box flue tiles) which heated the walls and allowed the smoke from the hypocaust to be released.
Ravenglass Roman Bath house, Cumbria
The smallest of the sites I visited, and I dare say not the one that attracts the greatest hordes of tourists, though this might be because of the inadequate signage. Still, despite this, the remains are what English Heritage describe as 'the tallest surviving in northern Roman Britain' (though their definition of 'northern' might differ from mine as I can think of a few sites with equally tall remains that are far from 'southern') and are nicely interpreted.
Birdoswald Roman fort, Hadrian's Wall
Birdoswald is one of the better known forts on Hadrian's Wall, and boasts one of the most complete sections of wall surviving nearby. Although only around a quarter of the inside of the fort is exposed, the gates and walls give a good sense of scale, and the site museum is nicely executed, with a good balance between Roman history and the story of the discovery and investigation of the site over the last few hundred years.
Cirencester is a place that had been on my 'must visit' list for a while now, and the Corinium Museum was a major reason for that. Having undergone a refurbishment a few years ago, I had been waiting to see how the new displays look and I'm very happy to say I wasn't disappointed. The Roman collections are first rate, particularly the mosaics and the religious carvings, and the displays are thoughtful, clean and well laid out.
One particularly fine object is a bronze sculpture of Cupid, now sadly without wings. Found in 1732 it is believed to have been part of a lamp. Said to date from the mid 1st to mid 2nd Centuries, I still can't help thinking that the chubby face has more than a little of the 18th Century about it.
Cirencester Roman amphitheatre
Roman amphitheatres in Britain are fairly rare survivals - usually because they were of earth and timber construction and therefore easily destroyed in subsequent centuries. Cirencester's fortunately survives, and is worth a stroll out from the town to visit. Sadly, it seemed that when we visited, someone on two wheels had already been enjoying the arena's floor.
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