June Baronial Day - Highlights and Thanks
We have been reminded that we could be using this forum more often. This is true, so let us start to remedy this. Last Sunday, 1st of June, was Baronial Day and we would like to mention some of the highlights of the day, for those who were not there.
Firstly an apology to the archers - we were returning from Sydney and did not make it to Town Archery.
A whole group of children came along to Haig Park and learned to make windmill lances, boffer swords and shields. Thank you to Master Crispin and Lady Jehanne for arranging these classes and thank you to Lady Ciaera for being a pell in armour for the new boffer combatants. There was much running around and a fair bit of biff. We hope all the children will bring their new boffers and shields again in future weeks and we may be able to get a regular boffer training up and going. We understand the next class will involve painting the shields.
There was the mini-ball with quite a few people dancing, including some newcomers. Thank you to Lady Joanna, Lord Thurston and Lady Petra for their continuing support of dance in Politarchopolis. Thank you also to Master Crispin, who played music for us to dance to. We now have quite a repertoire of English Country and 15th century dances which are quite easy to do, which suits us because we have three left feet between us (we share one right foot). Even if you don’t usually get to dance practice, consider coming inside and dancing next Baronial Day - the more the merrier.
The practice tourney, with six combatants, was both entertaining and eduational. Thank you to Lady Elizabeth, who kindly prepared the lists and enjoyed it sufficiently that she may offer to become our next Mistress of the Lists. Thank you also to Lady Quataryna, who did wonderfully as herald. It turns out Quataryna has an excellent voice for heralding, and we hope to hear more of her - literally. Thank you to Duke Sir Cornelius and Lord Kitan for martialling. His Grace was able to explain some of the finer points of the tourney to the gallery. Sir Brusi was victorious, fighting on with single sword after losing his shield in the early rounds. The tourney prize, a sword gifted by Duke Cornelius, is awareded to whomever pleases us best. We intended to present it at the feast, but as the combatant concerned was not able to stay for the feast, we will announce our decision at a future Sunday practice.
Last, but certainly not least, was the pot-luck feast. The feast was attended by around two dozen people and there was a wonderful range of dishes served forth. The highlights were a Moroccan Lamb dish and an exquisite Blackberry pastry (made from home grown blackberries). These small feasts are a lovely cosy evening, with good company and fine food. Thank you to Lord Gabriel for co-ordinating them. If you have thought a feast is too much for a Sunday night, it may help to know that they begin early at 5:30pm and are generally over by around 8pm. Particularly in the winter, it is a lovely relaxed way to end the weekend.