This time last year

I had just returned home from London after attending my son's graduation from Imperial College and the Feast of St. Crispin with Thamesreach. There was no graduation this year (I have to wait a year or so for the next one) and no time for celebration, thanks to our Board Meeting, but at least I kept in touch with my inner Englishwoman by reading this.

Autumn changes

It's fall break and the students are all off having fun. Now that the Board of Trustees have all departed, I may get some fun time too and do some sewing!

I walked home from the last Board meeting today (yes, on Sunday) and just marvelled at the changes in town. It's cool and crisp and the leaves are all sorts of colors. The big intersection by the University has suddenly become a traffic circle and is much easier to cross now. I guess the EU funds must be coming in again! Daylight Saving Time ended in Europe last night, so I even got an extra hour of sleep. Good thing, because I really needed it.

Icons

These are definitely my focus for this semester. The class on iconography is going well and I feel as though I'm learning lots. Tonight there was also a lecture by a Byzantine historian from Oxford, Clemena Antonova, on "Space, Time, and Presence in the Icon: Seeing the World With the Eyes of God". It was also very interesting and played to a full house. Guess I'm not the only one interested in such arcane matters! Professor Antonova focussed on several icons, including Rublev's Trinity. It's nice to be able to attend lectures which are not work-related!

New College

No, I'm not changing jobs. Along with several friends, I'm working to start an SCA group here in B-grad. We'd like to have the College of Sveti Ivan Rilski as the Bulgarian branch!

We're up to three paid members and half a dozen others who are contemplating membership. I'm counting on my cohorts who have already signed up to help convince two more to join now so we have the five we need to apply to the Crown for recognition.

We got together on Saturday to discuss what we needed to do and to eat medieval food. The food was a hit, especially the frumenty, which was declared to be Bulgarian by almost everyone there. (Alex didn't know, since he's Columbian!) We had bread and cheese, roast chicken with cameline sauce, the frumenty, carrots in cream, pork rissoles, and apple tart. And lots of Bulgarian wine and beer! Nom! We had no way of knowing who was the victor in the Crown Tourney, which was going on while we met, but we toasted the royalty and heirs just the same.



We're hoping for several more folks on the next go-round, which will probably be this Saturday. Sewing seemed to be at the top of the list for the ladies, but Alex wanted to know more about illumination, since he's a painter. We also had some ideas for a device for the college. More on that later....

Books!

I'm taking a class in Byzantine Religious Art and Architecture in Southeast Europe at the the university this semester for fun and as part of my A&S 50 challenge. (It's helping me fulfill the persona challenge and it has been amazing so far.) I've also used it as a valid excuse to get more books on the topic, since they are requied reading! I now have the two volume set of the Theology of the Icon by Leonid Ouspensky and Byzantine Women and Their World by Ioli Kalavrezou. It's wonderful to take a class when it is solely for personal enjoyment!

No photos, but progress!

If you look back two posts, you'll see an almost finished quilt top. Since then, I have finished the borders and started assembling it. I decided it was just too big to machine quilt on my standard machine. Hand quilting didn't even bear thinking about with the lack of free time I have these days! So it's being tied. Over the past weekend, I managed to get it completely pinned together, including turning the back for binding, and to tie about a third of the top. When I just couldn't stand making knots anymore, I shifted over to the last embroidery on Edith's needlebook. That's done, so now I just have to do the final assembly. I may even get to it this week. Fingers crossed!

I'm anticipating Saturday, because we're having our next "Let's start the SCA in Bulgaria" meeting at my house. Thanks to my SIL (who found the most delish recipe), we'll be eating lovely rissoles while we talk/plan/scheme. Nom!!

Happy Holidays!

Happy Autumnal Equinox and Happy Bulgarian Independence Day to all and sundry. I had a lovely day off today, with lunch in the garden of the Tsar's Club, then a great walk around town in the awesome fall sunshine, and a coffee at the Plaza. I also got in a little gardening and cleaned up all my window boxes for the winter. And I even managed a bit of embroidery! Too bad it's back to work tomorrow!

Here's the view of tonight's waxing moon from my bedroom balcony. Sweet dreams!