Winchester Pilgrimage

The pilgrimage is the next SCA event I'll be attending and I'm definitely looking forward to it. I think I'd like a new outfit, but if not, my Byzantine stuff will do. I am not ever going to pull an "I can make three full outfits in 6 weeks" again. (At least I'll TRY to stick to that resolution!) I haven't been to Winchester since high school and I'm sure it will seem quite different today.

Happy Easter (just a little late...)

So Easter has come and gone and it was lovely - except I was sick. So for the first time in 16 years I did not have a big group of people over for ham and all the trimmings. It was actually liberating! Instead, I hung out and relaxed, which certainly contributed to getting over the stupid 'flu that's been going around campus. I did have some kozunak though.



I've been doing a very little crafting, because once again work has been crazy. I did manage to finish the Drachenwald badge I started and now it just needs making up into a jewelry roll to store veil pins, etc.





I also forgot to say I took a very useful good class at Crown in narrow wares. Here's a sample:


Just remember, "under two, over one"!

Almost to the Easter holidays....

Not that I'm counting days or anything, but it's only 12 days till the Easter break and I can hardly wait! Spring is really here - windows open upstairs, clothes drying on the line, and flowers everywhere. Alas, it's also the busiest time of the year for me at work. Yesterday (yes, Saturday) I had four events to attend. Here are pictures from three to prove it!



A visit from some Serbian journalists.



The international American flag football tournament.



The start of the river clean-up.





And the result!







I don't have photos from the Debate Tournament, alas. Next weekend is taken up with the AUBG Research Conference, West Side Story, and Honors convocation. Then it's Easter (a break - phew!), followed by the choir festival, More-Honors, and the AUBG Olympics. Then it's finals, ending with graduation. Hurrah!

And as I said, it's gorgeous outside so who wants to go to all this stuff?

Small steps forward

I was reviewing my A&S 50 list (started last July) yesterday evening and I realized I had made a couple of steps forward with it during Crown. I've taken the persona development challenge and two of my goals were to have a name and device accepted. Well, it's not 'done" yet, but they are both submitted, so fingers crossed. I was tickled by the accepting herald's remark when he looked at my name documentation - "I can't read that!" (It was all in Bulgarian) but he breathed a sigh of relief when he flipped each page over and found a translation into English. It was nice to be able to list Lady Constanza as a resource for him, as her BA is in Bulgarian and E. European Studies. Much like having a baby, the acceptance process takes around nine months, so check back in December to see if everything went through!

A few photos from Crown

I'm trying to keep a bit better up to date with my posts, so here are the best of the very limited photos I took last weekend. Truthfully, it was hard to remember to take pictures when you're having a really good time! The only thing that really bothers me is that I did not take a single picture of us in any of the clothing I made. In fact, I have no pictures of myself. That might just be because I hate cameras!


The bouts begin!


Countess Dame Alys Katharine in most excellent heraldic garb.



Lord Acarin!


Lord Guy and Lady Genevieve

And thanks to Lord Acarin, more photos here.

Home from Crown Tourney

First, Vivant to Prince Gerhardt and Princess Judith! What a wonderful Crown Tourney!

I left Bulgaria in a blizzard and came back to full spring just five days later. Really, the morning I left it was snowing so hard I couldn't see from the front door to the garden gate. Today it's 18C and sunny and all the flowers are blooming and the trees are coming out in leaf. I've been terribly lax about keeping up this blog, and it hasn't been due to the weather. It's been a combination of copious mundane work and lots and lots of sewing. If you look at my finished items list, I think I may have earned a bit of forgiveness. Lots done there! (The regular work is all getting done too.)

Crown was hugely fun - we ate too much, drank too much, listened to music, danced, laughed, stayed up late, worked hard, and played hard. The fighting was amazing, as were the clothes. The organization was good, things ran smoothly, the weather co-operated (the hail held off until AFTER the fighting....), and classes were both interesting and well attended.

The event followed the theme of the Lenten Fast and event tokens were either handmade paternosters or a beautifully written dispensation for those who needed to eat meat. The feast was outstanding and here's the menu:

First Remove

Fish in Aspic
Fish Tart
Puree of Peas
Onion Salad
Apple Mousse with Almond Milk
Chicken with Milk and Honey

Second Remove

Sweet and Sour Fish
Chickpea Soup
Mushrooms and Leeks
Spiced Honey Nut Crunch
Fruit Pie
Salad
Beef Broth

All I have to say is YUM! I would eat the fish pie again any time Edith wanted to make it!

Alas, I took very few pictures, as I was too busy participating. Fortunately, Lady Arianwen did and here's a link to hers.

Chestita Baba Marta!

And Happy March 3 too! In Bulgaria, these two days really symbolize spring for me. March 1 brings lots of Martenitzas and March 3 is parades and concerts. Given that January and February have been bitterly cold and snowy, going to sleep last night to soft rain and waking up this morning to sunshine and warm temperatures really made my day.

I'm on the last day of a four day weekend for the March 3 holiday and I've spent the last three days sewing my fingers off. And that's almost literal. I haven't had sewing calluses on my thumb and forefinger in years, but I sure do now. I'm pleased to say my Saxon gown is done and ready to wear, including the blackworked undergown. Guy's doublet is done except for the buttonholes. his shirt is cut out, and his pluderhosen are half finished. I'm still not sure how I feel about the pluderhosen, but we'll see. That leaves Constanza's gown over the next three weeks. (I want all of this done for Crown Tournament.)

Since I've made such progress and because it's such a beautiful day, I took time for a walk up to Gotse Delchev square and I got there just in time for the band concert, which was lovely. After it was over I strolled home via the bakery, where they had just pulled the kozunak out of the over. Yum! I had that and a lettuce and radish salad for lumch. The lettuce was even home grown. Guess it really is spring!

My garden is looking pretty good. The snowdrops are done, but the crocus are in full bloom. The daffodils, narcissus, tulips, and hyacinths are reay to pop in a week or so, depending on how warm it stays. The peonies, foxgloves, and columbine are all up too and the clematis and roses are starting to leaf out. Bring on the spring!