John Blanke: A Remarkable Musician in Tudor England

John Blanke: A Remarkable Musician in Tudor England

I have posted about Renaissance musicians previously. The On This Day website tells me that on the seventh of November 1507 John Blanke is first mentioned in a written record when he petitioned Henry VII for a pay increase, citing his commitment and expertise. He was...
Gutenberg and the Printing Press

Gutenberg and the Printing Press

The Sir Anthony Standen Adventures would be nothing more than a hand written memoir if it weren’t for Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of the printing press. I think many of us know of Gutenberg, but what about Johann Fust? Gutenberg is famous for his printing press...
Continuous Improvement

Continuous Improvement

When I was working in my old job of engineering and project management, continuous improvement was the mantra of quality management. In my new “job” of writing the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures, continuous improvement remains my goal. I posted recently about the...
Revolution

Revolution

Revolution seems to have been a feature of the fourth of November over the years. Since I was born on the 5th of November, Guy Fawkes night was a special childhood celebration. Fawkes was discovered in the undercroft of the House of Lords on the night of 4th November...
The Siege of La Rochelle

The Siege of La Rochelle

I am getting to know Louis XIII and Cardinal Richelieu through writing The Favourite Murder, the fifth book in the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures. I expect this book to end in 1617, so the siege of La Rochelle is still ten years distant. It was a defining event for...