What a Wonderful Werecwode!!

We have just had the most wonderful camp - it was fun and relaxed and all the best things about
doing this fun little hobby of ours. We got to sit and talk and joke with friends. We got to try out new things and work of the familiar. There was no pressure for anyone to be anything other than who they were. There were friends from a variety of clubs and disciplines and that was just OK. It was a very good practise for Taupo in 4 weeks time, with out the glare of the public eye and with still sometime to fix those things that just do not work yet. I think it is just best to let some of the pictures speak for themselves.

Prizes Galor!!!!

I forgot to say!!! Willie won his first ever A&S competition and won the wonderful Viking treasure chest and I won the Cluain Winter competition (that's the Journal one) and won a wonderful oak Glastonbury Chair!!! I will post pics eventually!!

Waiting for Christmas

I just can't wait for Christmas - not for the pressies or the festivities, but for the break!!!! I am so tired and I feel that my body is telling me to just stop. In the past week and a half I have had a chest infection and a tummy bug!! But at least the team are behaving!!

We have our staff do on Friday night and I have borrowed some clothes from my Mother so I can look a little fancy when we go to Vilegrad's. I missed out on the fancy dress I saw at Sara, but I may just buy it later on, which is good as we will have a bit mor spare cash by then as well.

Tomorrow morning I am going to do my Christmas shopping - before work, I am so glad we do not have a really huge family to buy for!!

Then after this week, I have 3 more days of work and off for 11 days woo hoo!!

Last weekend we had the kids Christmas Party, It all went well with Santa arriving in a hot Rod - that was cool!! Then AD and I wizzed off to the Te Awamutu Christmas Parade to help the Wulflings in their robin hood "float" which we won - how funny, put on our gear and walk down the street to win a prize. I think that Next Year Geoff wants to try!! Seeing as we won when we didn't try!!

New Year we are off to Workworth for the Wercwode encampment. That should be fun and We should have our new tent too!!

AD is fairly gutted with his results at Uni and so am I, I feel that alot of the comments made were largley unfair and designed to cover his CT's fat lazy butt! He has requested to be readmitted and try again - I hope they have the forsight to let him in again.

Willie is busy being Willie, talking too fast, too much, too loud and is usually just lovely. We have made big headway with his behaviour, his toileting is much better and he has Michelle Scott for a teacher again next year, which is a really GOOD thing.

Well roll on Christmas and some days relaxation - I have another 2 weeks off in February as well and That will be fun!!!

Busy October

We have had quite a busy month, I ended September by crashing into a big black hole again and have spent the last 4-5 weeks pulling myself out. I am on my way back to the stress ball I have come to know as normality.

I have been continuing with my pottery and am getting ready to wrap up my journal. AD has started practicum and is loving it - I am so glad he seems to have found what he is meant to do!!

We had a camp at Dave's last weekend, which was not all I expected, I hit a minor dip in the path and didn't get a lot of sleep - which didn't help - AD and Mags knew what was happening but, I couldn't really explain to anyone else.

But for all that it was not too bad. The camp looked great, thanks to all AD's smithed stuff and my kitchen stuff, and I have to say, Brian's rustic stools added more to the atmosphere than Dave's fancy chairs.

Friday night there was a storm!! and we leaked, although not as badly as we could have considering the degree of the storm!! The upshot was, as AD and I lay in a soggy heap in Dave's tent discussing our options, We need to make getting a new tent a priority, we may get away with St Cath's but I was getting really sick of being rained out!! We knew that there was a lot of saving involved.

BUT - on the way home on Sunday, we stopped off at the BC's Camp to see Anne. We discussed our rain out and showed the new pots and before we knew it she had said, well... I need some fire stuff and those pots look good so what about I make you a tent and you make me some smithed items and pottery and we'll have a trade!! We could not be happier!!! I think it is the trade of the century!! We are paying for the materials and trading for labour basically, but with luck we will have ourselves a new Geteld by St Cath's!!!

I am starting on Anne's pottery today, AD has to wait for an anvil and some coal, but he does have his practicum to focus on. I am SOOOO excited!!!!

24hrs of FREEDOM!!!!

Woo Hoo - we have no William for 24hours, how wonderful!! My Mum came over to get help loading her new phone and went away with my son - life is good!!!

So AD and I are having an afternoon, evening and night to OURSELVES doing WHAT WE WANT with no interruptions!!!

Life ticks on...

And life ticks on. So much has happened since last I blogged.

Matt and BJ got B&B and were invested 2 weeks ago. They did look fairly splendid and although I had all the best wishes for them, I couldn't help feeling "what would I feel like if that was me?"They have asked Baxton and I to act as Baronial Maintainers (to make sure Bea is fed, watered and rested).

With all that out of the way and the most excellent reception of my new pottery,I have thrown myself whole heatedly into the production of more hand built pottery as well as my continued skill development on the wheel. My competition Journal is now up to 16 pages and is in 2 parts.I am also preparing a class on "courtly Love and the Lady's role in the tourney" A class I have been working on for a couple of years now.

I have found a number of translated texts from 12th century romance writer Chretienne de troyes, and am making them into books to be read during solars. I am making mew embroidered Anglo Saxon tunics, and am helping Willie with his competition entry.

I have joined the A&S 50 challenge and intend to learn, make, do 50 things that Aelfwyn would know, need or have a skill in. Mags and I also want to make 50 pouches for the kingdom awards.

I am a very busy medievalist!!

Today I went out to the Priongia Craft fair with Mags, what a wonderful morning to be able to go out alone and spend some time with my friend. I spent way too much money and had an absolute ball!!!

As I write this, I realise just how much I am doing and I think that I may have to do a post to outline all the projects and competitions. But for now - - My little boy is still out and about playing with Jesse, AD is playing WOW (tomorrow he is getting back to smithing my fire place!)
AND I am off to snuggle up to start the new book I have to read.

Will this winter please end

Another wet Waikato winter's day and oh my it is cold!! I have been putting off lighting the fire as I am hoping that AD has remembered to go to Riverlea to get some new wood.

I have had an office day at home today and must say that it has been DELICIOUS to have the house to myself!! Marg wanted me to spend some time updating the web site - you can see it here.

The B&B polls have closed with a final 38 submissions. They have been sent to their Majesties and now all we can do is wait for the answer... will it be Matt and BJ, Liz and Roger or Us. We are feeling very positive but are prepared for not being successful. At the end of the day their majesties will make the choice that they think is the best one for the Barony and if it isn't us, then that is in the best interests of the Barony. C'est la Vie!