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lovely weekend in Wales
Dec. 23rd, 2008 04:00 pmOk, not quite as romantic as it sounds, but still, pretty pleasant.
Spent the weekend w/ the shire of Mynydd Gwyn, including![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
maredudd1066 , blue_dormouse , goncalves , and assorted other locals. Kiara (formerly Danielle of Mynydd Gwyn) cooked an impressive meal for 14 - her first feast! - and we had to roll away from the table.
The fighters got in four hours solid practice and instruction which was good for everyone, particularly (but not exclusively) the newest fighters. Almost everyone came away groaning from stiffness and bruises - both Maredudd and Robert had whopping bruised legs.
I got a leisurely afternoon of puttering and chatting with the ladies of the shire, which was a rare opportunity - for all that we're neighbours, we're usually busy at events! so we could just sit and visit. Wenllyn brought the tiny lovely Lara to meet us, all of 3 weeks old and so baby stuff occupied a lot of conversation.
Valeria arrived midafternoon with a very handsomely attired Macsen (17 months) - his dad had whipped him up a short parti-coloured houppe that week, which went beautifully with his cap and hose. Macsen is a happy active guy, who thought that the kitchen was the coolest place to be (after watching the fighting) - apparently life in his household centres on the kitchen, so if anyone is there he wants to be there too, watching and supervising. He was very good natured and even when he was tired, mostly just wanted to play rather than fuss. It's always nice to meet a toddler whose company you enjoy! and his collective of shire babysitters were all glad to see him.
He got a huge laugh from his shire when he dipped his finger in his dad's whisky glass, tasted it, and went back for more - which of course made him do it again and again. I expect he slept pretty well!
On the Elizabethan gown project I got most of the huge ugly grommets removed, and finished the holes with buttonhole stitch. The holes are still huge, but less obviously hideous. I consulted Maredudd and Julian about shoulder roll sizing and positioning, and the difficulties of interpreting Janet Arnold's very detailed images - masses of details are not the same as instructions!
We stayed over chez Dafydd and Kiara's home outside Bristol. In addition to SCA they do (US) Civil War reenactment, so I took the chance to view Kiara's (female) wardrobe and quiz her about reeanctment costuming and sewing. Her 19th c. wedding dress is a very handsome one, and she and Dafydd had glass-plate photos taken for their Civil War wedding - they really look like they stepped out of an American family album!
Part of weekend events is the travel (drove w/ HG Alaric), which gives you several hours to chew over and solve the problems of the SCA. Alaric 's a skilled fighting observer (well, duh) and trained as a teacher. He sees things in people's fighting that I miss completely; I always learn something about fighting listening to him talk over the day's bouts.
We got home in time to sprawl for the afternoon and do a whole lotta not much, except flick channels. Polanski's Oliver Twist is a good rendition, but a bit grim; perhaps I've grown used to thinking of it as a musical.
After a lot of hemming and hawing over expenses, we've decided to do Coronation after all, whizzing to Germany in the Vitus-vagon on 1 Jan, and back (Channel ferries permitting) in plenty of time for work on Monday 5th Jan, so Robert made the resrervations this weekend.
Hope to see some friends there!
Spent the weekend w/ the shire of Mynydd Gwyn, including
maredudd1066 , blue_dormouse , goncalves , and assorted other locals. Kiara (formerly Danielle of Mynydd Gwyn) cooked an impressive meal for 14 - her first feast! - and we had to roll away from the table.The fighters got in four hours solid practice and instruction which was good for everyone, particularly (but not exclusively) the newest fighters. Almost everyone came away groaning from stiffness and bruises - both Maredudd and Robert had whopping bruised legs.
I got a leisurely afternoon of puttering and chatting with the ladies of the shire, which was a rare opportunity - for all that we're neighbours, we're usually busy at events! so we could just sit and visit. Wenllyn brought the tiny lovely Lara to meet us, all of 3 weeks old and so baby stuff occupied a lot of conversation.
Valeria arrived midafternoon with a very handsomely attired Macsen (17 months) - his dad had whipped him up a short parti-coloured houppe that week, which went beautifully with his cap and hose. Macsen is a happy active guy, who thought that the kitchen was the coolest place to be (after watching the fighting) - apparently life in his household centres on the kitchen, so if anyone is there he wants to be there too, watching and supervising. He was very good natured and even when he was tired, mostly just wanted to play rather than fuss. It's always nice to meet a toddler whose company you enjoy! and his collective of shire babysitters were all glad to see him.
He got a huge laugh from his shire when he dipped his finger in his dad's whisky glass, tasted it, and went back for more - which of course made him do it again and again. I expect he slept pretty well!
On the Elizabethan gown project I got most of the huge ugly grommets removed, and finished the holes with buttonhole stitch. The holes are still huge, but less obviously hideous. I consulted Maredudd and Julian about shoulder roll sizing and positioning, and the difficulties of interpreting Janet Arnold's very detailed images - masses of details are not the same as instructions!
We stayed over chez Dafydd and Kiara's home outside Bristol. In addition to SCA they do (US) Civil War reenactment, so I took the chance to view Kiara's (female) wardrobe and quiz her about reeanctment costuming and sewing. Her 19th c. wedding dress is a very handsome one, and she and Dafydd had glass-plate photos taken for their Civil War wedding - they really look like they stepped out of an American family album!
Part of weekend events is the travel (drove w/ HG Alaric), which gives you several hours to chew over and solve the problems of the SCA. Alaric 's a skilled fighting observer (well, duh) and trained as a teacher. He sees things in people's fighting that I miss completely; I always learn something about fighting listening to him talk over the day's bouts.
We got home in time to sprawl for the afternoon and do a whole lotta not much, except flick channels. Polanski's Oliver Twist is a good rendition, but a bit grim; perhaps I've grown used to thinking of it as a musical.
After a lot of hemming and hawing over expenses, we've decided to do Coronation after all, whizzing to Germany in the Vitus-vagon on 1 Jan, and back (Channel ferries permitting) in plenty of time for work on Monday 5th Jan, so Robert made the resrervations this weekend.
Hope to see some friends there!
