The Mooseskiing, Viking Clothing and Flu

After the Mooseskiinig (eight days ago) I got a bad flu and I couldn’t do anything except sleep and watch TV. I still have this week off from work and my fever is almost gone so I can stay little bit at the computer and write something. 

The Mooseskiing was very fun event. I missed the actual Mooseskiing but I heard that it was very cool. The idea was something about the populace of canton of Torna had made elfs angry and the people at the event had to do different tasks so we could get dinner. And at the end they tried to kill the moose (made of snow) with spears. Later during the feast the moose appeared to the feast hall and it yelled and pooped golden chocolate eggs. Very extraordinary :D. I am not sure if the Torna people have now made the moose angry or what. Ok.. but anyway there was some heavy fighting as well and a archery competition. It was the first archery competition for me (I was miserably bad.. only hit once to the sack … but not the animal figure at the sack which I was supposed to shoot). And it was Ulf’s first time to try archery also and he liked it very much. Now I have to start talking about buying the bow and arrows to us :D. Our (Sahra’s and mine) handicraft workshops went also well. We end up cutting a Eura style under dress for the baroness Katariina and Rikissa and Elzebeth got their patterns for the dress also. I taught little bit naalbinding to Kaukameeli and Sahra was very busy with teaching the tablet woven basics for Torna’s young ladies. And what about the food! I was absolutely fantastic!! Very simple ingredients, enough spices lots of Laplander touch at the menus.  

The journey to the event and back was also easier and funnier than I thought. It took about 9 hours in one way to travel. We went to the event with Robert and Vilhelm (Robert was driving) by car. So I had plenty of time to do things. I started to do a naalbinded hat for Vilhelm (as I had promised couple months ago). Here is footage about the progress of making the hat while going to the event and back again: 

8th of April at 11.30 a.m.

at 3.43 p.m.

at 5.35 p.m.

11th of April at 6.41 p.m. ... Done

Besides the apron (and a headdress) I now have a set of Viking Finn outfit. The white linen Eura style under dress is a little bit too long and I am going to fix it as soon as I can. My blue wool upper dress is very good and I am happy about it. Still I am planning to put some bronze spirals to the end of the tablet woven decoration. I am very happy with the brown wool Eura style under dress also (unfortunately I don’t have very good pictures about the dress yet). I can wear the linen and the brown dress together with or without the blue over dress, or separate with the blue over dress. How versatile!

Back home, before the flu, Ulf and I put together my Eura style necklace. I am planning to change some of the glass beads to the better ones as soon as I can. It is very pretty, but looks too “clean” to me. Oh, and I almost forget… I bought the bronze brooches and some bronze chain from Thorstein at the event.

Aarnimetsä Academy

Last weekend we had here at Finland (Barony of Aarnimetsä) Aarnimetsä Academy event. It was the first event to the spring's Academy stewards and I think that they did well. I hope that this was a good experience to them also and they will be doing lots of events in future too. People were pleased about the lectures and I received many thanks about the lectures and the timetable (although I still think that organizing the lectures to the event wasn't that hard thing to do. But I am very happy that people were happy about the lectures and I know that this happy feeling will last long). I was again (it happens when organizing things) little bit inpatient about sitting at the lectures but I was able to sit in some of them. M's lecture about chirurgeons in medieval times (and in SCA) was very good. It was her first lecture in event and I think that she is very good at giving lectures (the presentation was clear and showing the pictures was a good idea).

I was really waiting for the archery practices because I was looking for to try archery for the first time. I was afraid that it might rain and R might cancel the practises. But no, everything went well. Or better than well because now I can't wait until I get another change to do archery again!! I am so happy and I am already dreaming about my own bow and arrows. I also enjoyed the lectures about the manners in medieval times and in SCA and I had little time to sit and listen a lecture about wines and wine making. I am not happy about that I didn't have any time to go to the lecture about Latin basics and of course many others as well. But maybe next time.

Our shower room's repairs are finished now and I can use our washing machine. So yesterday I washed my green wool for the Italian renaissance peasant dress. I can't do much in this week because I will be at Helsinki tomorrow and we are going to Summer Nights event in this weekend. I am afraid that there will not be enough time for doing new garb to the Cudgel War. I will be really disappointed if that happens. But if it happens there is only one person whose fault is that and it's me (I could always arrange my time better so I could do more, for instance I could also watch little bit less TV).

We have now a theme for the lunches and snacks to the Cudgel War and I know the theme for the big feast at the last Saturday so I can now start really doing a list about foods to the event. We have decided that we will not make English 15th century food for lunches and snacks but we will do Mediterranean area food and it will be different time period and place in different days. Wednesday will be different because we are going to have a day off. But I know now that the Saturday will be suitable for this main idea. But first I have to list the books that I will be using so it will be easier to start doing things.

I am so tired and I have to wake up very early tomorrow…I will have half an hour wake time left but then I need to sleep.