Cudgel War and other things

The Camp

So the Cudgel War is again over. It’s little bit odd that this time I didn’t feel sad when it ended. I think that it only means that there will be so much other great things to happen this year and my mind is already focused on the next events to come. It was once again fun and lovely event. I met once again some new people that I wish I could meet again soon. I think that I have never met any nicer persons in their first Aarnimetsä event than Torkill and Estrid from the Shire of Harpelstane. I will miss them greatly. I was busy as always at the kitchen but I had a change to do little naalbinding teaching for Estrid and I also gave her one of my bone needles so she have a good tool for the technique.

UlfR and Rikissa making food

The kitchen duties at the Cudgel War went reasonably well. At the beginning of the camp the kitchen’s new oven broke down and it made our job little bit harder for couple days. This time we had more help at the kitchen than other years for which I am very grateful. The best dish was in my opinion the meat stew we made on last Friday. It was the same recipe from the Scappi book that Sahra and I tried during the last spring.

People making handicrafts

About the other things… it is now all about the upcoming Baronial Investiture at 11-13^th of September. We have tons of things to do before that and we are planning to attend to Hämeenlinna Medieval Market and a small medieval market at Verla.. and there are also a Viking market at Pukkisaari before the Investiture.. huh.. Yesterday I made my first Elizabethan coif. This was just a first attempt to make one. I try to find time to make another one… the better one. After writing this I will start to make a shirt for UlfR. I will be very busy before the Investiture but I try to find some time to write something here also. It sounds like UlfR got the flu from the Cudgel War… I hope that he’ll get better soon.

I am participating to Aarnimetsä’s 1000 m hand sewing challenge (don’t remember if I have mentioned it before ;) ). Some of the clothing I have already made is now dirty after the Cudgel and after I have washed them I’ll count how many meters I have. The challenge have a blog http://ompeluhaaste.blogspot.com/ .

16.7.

Ugh, almost all packing for the Cudgel War is done. We are packing kitchen gear for the event and then it’s done. I managed to hand sew a new tunic to UlfR to wear at the kitchen. Yesterday we went to see Elsa and to do sewing together, she needed a new linen dress for the Cudgel War and she didn’t have proper pattern to make fitted dresses or at least somehow fitted. I am really no superb good with pattern drawing because I am not a professional seamstress but we were very lucky with making a very nice pattern for her and it only took about half an hour to make one (I was very surprised how quick we were). And the dress is done now and looks very good on her :D. I am happy.

13.7.

Only two more working days left before my summer vacation. My part of planning the Cudgel War’s foodstuff is done, UlfR is making the lists for the shopping today and then he’s work is also done. I might read the recipes once today just in case... I made a headscarf for UlfR to wear at the kitchen... it is more useful than a coif... although he looks like a pirate with the headscarf (no it is not red it is white.. but still). I also made a new (very simple) pouch for me... because I found out that my older pouch was dead. Also I have started slowly pack things for the Cudgel. UlfR doesn’t have enough tunics for the Cudgel so I have to make something simple to him... I will go to shop some linen today. We are going to meet Elsa at Wednesday... the plan is to do panic sewing together before the event.

5.7.

We have been at Mikkeli to visit relatives and have a small vacation. It has been great because I can really do some work here. The work means counting the eaters and writing the recipes down for Cudgel War. It is very easy to work here because it’s quiet and I don’t have many distractions here like at home. But anyway it looks like that it take more time to write recipes down and do different kinds of small tasks before the event than last year mostly because we have more and more allergies in these days. It is almost impossible to provide versatile food for everybody for every day. And it really looks like that we have to make alternative choice for every dish! I only hope that we get enough help for the kitchen duties. Huoh.

I really don’t want to sound too negative.. I love to be at the kitchen but I am also very concerned about us and head cooks (feasts) and event steward’s wellbeing.

I have also picked a basket full of meadowsweet leaves and dried them and a basket full of blackcurrant leaves, (which are not yet completely dried yet) for next spring and our wedding (we are making mead and other non alcoholic beverages for the wedding). Also I have started to make meadowsweet flower liqueur and blackcurrant leaf liqueur for the first time ever (very exciting to see how tasty those will be… blackcurrant leaf liqueur is already same color than Fairy :D). The picking part was very difficult because I have quite bad hay fever. But I survived! (I couldn’t count how many times I sneezed after it).

But now.. I will write more recipes down :).