When Sir Cloudesley Shovell's 'Association' went down on the Gilstone in 1707, it took with it what was possibly his (or the ship's captain's) private possession, this ornate bronze two-pounder cannon, decorated with Jacobean strap-work and the Prince of Wales' feathers. One might guess that it was mounted in the rear cabin as a talking-point, an antique that could conceivably be called into use.
It had been the lethal toy of that bellicose prince, Henry, Prince of Wales, and, after his early death, might have found its way into Navy stores, or sold off during the Commonwealth as essentially useless in naval combat. Now mute, but still telling its story of continued joy in finely made weaponry, loss and that 'what might have been' if its original owner had survived to lead the nation into battle abroad, rather than his younger sibling's Civil War at home.
http://roy25booth.blogspot.com/2007/08/from-shovells-pocket.html
But I am still mentally half in Iceland. I was delighted to discover this evocative film of Iceland's most evocative musicians, Sigur Ros performing 'at home':
http://emichrysalis.co.uk/sigurros/heima/film/heima_trailer.html
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