1066 docu-drama

Alaric · Post by **Alaric** » Sat September 6th, 2008, 4:37 pm

Haha, yes. Almost all Dutch rabbits have lop ears, the best substitute for a hare would have been what I had until she died - a New Zealand. They're like bigger hares and they do have stand-up ears.

Spitfire · Post by **Spitfire** » Sat September 6th, 2008, 4:49 pm

[quote=""EC2""]'Cos he was portraying a Saxon and they didn't have rabbits in England in 1066. Rabbits arrived with the Normans and were farmed in special little enclosures called coney garths. They gradually escaped into the wild but it took them several hundred years to get established.[/quote]

That is so interresting. Thanks for the history lesson! Now I really want to see this production!

LCW · Post by **LCW** » Sat September 6th, 2008, 5:50 pm

[quote=""EC2""]'Cos he was portraying a Saxon and they didn't have rabbits in England in 1066. Rabbits arrived with the Normans and were farmed in special little enclosures called coney garths. They gradually escaped into the wild but it took them several hundred years to get established.[/quote]

Duh!! How embarassing! That one went way over my head!

But the Ecologist in me finds that a fascinating bit about the rabbits. I had no idea they weren't indigenous to England. You learn something new everyday! Even on weekends!

Where did they come from originally? Mainland Europe?

SonjaMarie · Post by **SonjaMarie** » Sat September 6th, 2008, 5:52 pm

Slightly OT. The first time I heard the word "knackered" I was talking to a friend online in the UK. I thought she was saying she was drunk! Of course it turns out it meant she was tired.

I hope this airs over here as well or that I can find it to download eventually.

SM

sweetpotatoboy · Post by **sweetpotatoboy** » Sat September 6th, 2008, 10:44 pm

I presume this has no connection to the planned movie called 1066 (based on Helen Hollick's novel on Harold)...? Not sure when that will finally come out.

EC2 · Post by **EC2** » Sun September 7th, 2008, 12:24 am

[quote=""sweetpotatoboy""]I presume this has no connection to the planned movie called 1066 (based on Helen Hollick's novel on Harold)...? Not sure when that will finally come out.[/quote]

No, it's not connected at all as far as I know. This is one is for TV. It was supposed to be going out in the UK at Xmas, but I think it might be a bit afterwards now.

EC2 · Post by **EC2** » Sun September 7th, 2008, 12:28 am

[quote=""1lila1""]Duh!! How embarassing! That one went way over my head!

But the Ecologist in me finds that a fascinating bit about the rabbits. I had no idea they weren't indigenous to England. You learn something new everyday! Even on weekends!

Where did they come from originally? Mainland Europe?[/quote]

Spain definitely, but probably other parts of Europe too (but don't quote me) The Romans apparently brought them to Britain but they didn't survive - none have been found in an archaeological context anyway and even the Roman finds are few and far between. There are no finds (as far as I know) in an Anglo Saxon context.

EC2 · Post by **EC2** » Sun September 7th, 2008, 12:29 am

[quote=""SonjaMarie""]Slightly OT. The first time I heard the word "knackered" I was talking to a friend online in the UK. I thought she was saying she was drunk! Of course it turns out it meant she was tired.

I hope this airs over here as well or that I can find it to download eventually.

SM[/quote]

We've even got the cockney rhyming slang version - cream-crackered!

Spitfire · Post by **Spitfire** » Sun September 7th, 2008, 12:40 am

[quote=""SonjaMarie""]Slightly OT. The first time I heard the word "knackered" I was talking to a friend online in the UK. I thought she was saying she was drunk! Of course it turns out it meant she was tired.

SM[/quote]

OMG, that is so funny!

We always called animals testicles knackers, and to get knackered is usually to get kicked there very hard. I wonder how some of these terms get twisted and changed over time.

annis · Post by **annis** » Sun September 7th, 2008, 2:22 am

On the origin of the word "knackered", I found this article quite entertaining so I'll add it here.