August 11

August 11, 2006

ast weekend was spent at a medieval event for 4 days. I have been 'playing' in the SCA (Society of Creative Anachronism) for around 10 years now.

I love the camping out, the rusticness of the place. The non-electricity and how to invent things like showers without having any of the regular ways to have them. The chivalry, the politeness and kindness of people. The blacksmithy, the bakery with its wood fired ovens, the new root cellar for the bakery, the merchants, including the fresh fruit and vegetable vendor. And of course the rapier and heavies fighting. The archery. The LOW TECHness of the place. Not keen on the dust though.

It is always hard for me to leave. I love the lifestyle there. It is what drew me to the medieval re-enactment. I did homesteading and the preserving of foods and tried to study groups such as the Amish and how they did things, but there is so much more open history and such in the middle ages, so when I found this SCA, I thought I had fallen into something right up my alley. I had indeed.

This is where I learned my blacksmithing through. Free classes. Many classes are free or low cost. I signed up for a Bodran class and there were a few others I wanted to take, but conflicted with it.

I found that both the SCA type events and homesteading went quite hand in hand. So when I am not studying homesteading per se, I go back and study agriculture from many centuries ago.

I nearly swooned when a rather slightly inebriated pirate bowed over my hand and kissed it (well not really swooned, but it was a nice compliment and he was NOT bad looking).
And then a Frenchman in courtly attire, after my friend and I had been discussing music and garb with him half the night as the drummers were drumming most of the night with bagpipe players here and there and then a nice quartet playing off in another corner.

I learned about Lampworking.. it has nothing to do with lighting or light bulbs.. it is a open flame and in this case, making the most beautiful glass beads I had ever seen. I opened my floor length skirts wide to be a wind block for the woman who was showing me how to make them. I must have stood in there for an hour and then a day later as I saw her struggling with her flame, I popped into her tent/booth and offered wind protection once again.. it was a good deal though, as I get a front row seat to see her working.

I forgot to locate the lady who handspins with a drop spindle, she had some nice fiber and natural dyes I wanted to investigate. I need to build a braiser for next year to have our own flame, as it was, I borrowed flamage from the people who sorta invaded our camp when they moved in after we 'parked', but all in all it was great as I rather enjoyed the 2 families and though we have not known each other long, I would consider them friends. Sometimes you just know from the onset that these are "YOUR" kind of people.

We ate alot of cold meals that 4 days, but it was too hot really anyway. Fresh bread from home.. cold sausages and cheeses and LOTS of water.

The days were hot, but the evenings were cool. The day we left there was a bit of snow on the peaks and the night before there were the Northern Lights. Many people were from the south, so I had to make sure they saw them. They were in awe and they were not even great lights that night. (Which reminds me, I ought to look outside to check if they are out tonight).
I would like to say I did alot of productive things at the event, but I DIDN'T!! It was nice to have a vacation and the first 2 days I took 2 naps a day, so I must have needed it.

Pictures: Top Harping class Next 2 Pics: 5 am in a camp

Above Left: Man working on cabins Bottom Right: Me

The last couple days, a couple who has been on another newsgroup I own, came up to "Moosetown" to look for property. I have gone around with them for 2 days looking for land. It is fun shopping for land for homesteading, even if it is not for your own. I rather enjoy this couple too and hope they do indeed move up here from Vancouver. They are like minded people and learning and willing to learn, so it would be nice to include them in our circle of friends.

My goat must have met up with some barbed wire and she ripped her right udder. I am not pleased. I milked out her left side almost all the way, just to make her more comfortable, but to help her dry up more. She is a serious milker and will not have anything to do with drying up before October/November evidently.