Weekend the Sixth

[blueeowyn]

Friday
Got up bright and early so that I could be on the radio. The festival had been asked to provide people for a local AM station to call for interviews. The original timeslots were supposed to be 1/2 hour but that ended up being changed to several 10 minute segments (some back-to-back, some not). I got the first one at 7:10am (I normally don't even have the alarm go off until 7:30). Overall, I think it went really well and I handled everything the DJ threw at me. I do wish I had more time, if I had the full 1/2 hour (or even 20 minutes), I could have gone into the music and kids shows a lot more. I did get to plug the joust and mention some of the cast interactions.

Saturday
The weather was somewhat iffy looking but we expected (and got) some really large crowds. They were fairly friendly and very grateful when I gave them directions to what they were looking for. We had some nice groups at the joust.

I reprised the "Edina to Stupina" change and put Edina away. I do hope that the actress heals well. I miss having her around. The revival of The Princess Who Never Laughed opened and went VERY well. The changes went smoothly and the audience seemed to like it (it was amusing to see Java's jewelry get a little tangled when he spun quickly). I then flew down to the Hart to see the end of the In Our Cups set.

Then it was off to the joust arena to check out the knights and styles for the day then wander and talk to people. I remember getting some good questions but don't currently remember them (bad Eowyn, no biscuit). I did get some people saying thank you which is always nice (but not required). There were some SERIOUSLY hard hits in the joust. Unfortunately, one of the knights got injured but in his defense, I didn't realize it until he wasn't riding at the 4:00 joust (he got hurt at the 2:00), though I did realize that the passes all of a sudden got a bit light in contact.


Unfortunately, with the larger crowds and timing issues, I wasn't able to dance with Cat & Fiddle Morris (and the teaching set got moved) but I did have a lovely promenade in the morning with William Teller.

Pub sing was preceded by the dulcet sounds of the Babes bass. However, it was a high energy show (and having Cercamon there always helps).

Sunday
Is admittedly a blur. The energy on Sunday across the site was VERY weird. There were a lot of things that went just slightly wrong that had me somewhat off stride. I was given a bit of a talking to by 3 separate people for 3 separate things that were not my fault. *sigh* I can understand why the mistake was made but ....

I did get to make all of the 10:30 In Our Cups set at the White Hart which was a lot of fun. LusciousMango enjoyed having me get her into her bodice both days (and really liked how easy it is to get OUT of the bodice from what I hear). Giggle.

The 12:00 and 2:00 jousts were French style which I will admit is not my favorite style though I can see why it is done (face it, it is what most people think of when they picture contact jousting). Then at the 2:00 they switched to Northern Italian for the 6 passes. At the end of the passes (William on the black shire vs. James Grey on the cute-as-a-button faced QH/Percheron cross), they called for more passes (cool) and switched styles to Southern Italian. In all the styles that the Free Lancers do BUT Southern, the horses go down the right side of the list and pass left-shoulder by left shoulder with the lance held in the right hand of the knight and crossing over the horse's neck (paraphrase of the script). In Southern Italian, the horses are on the left side of the list, passing right shoulder to right shoulder and the lance goes nearly along the line of travel to hit the other guy (esp. if both horses are on the inside rope). Unfortunately, it is HARD to hear in the helmet and the style is very rarely done and poor James went down the 'wrong' side of the list. Fortunately, his horse is sweet and was perfectly willing to stop, turn around, and go back to the other end with bright eyes and ears up. It took a bit of time for the knights and squires to sort themselves out for this rare style of joust. The other horses up for the day were the European Belgian, the black Percheron with the stripe and the pure black Percheron. I managed to startle the chief squire by knowing who was up without asking him (I had seen the field and the 2 greys and the big belgian draft stand out, then all I needed to see of the bay was what color his hind legs were to know which 4 had the day off. Preen.

I did join Cat & Fiddle for the quick teaching set at Hengrave Hall which was fun. I learned a new style of Maltese which will make the beginning more interesting when the musicians are slow (esp. in practice ... I'm less sure of doing it when teaching because it could confuse people).

Had a nice chat with Filberta Fowler while waiting for Pub Sing with a pretty good view of the Pumpkin Toss. My feet almost survived the whole pub sing.


There have been various people commenting in various places about the festival. I have noticed this year that there have been several times where I snap a mental picture of the moment. One at the joust (I don't remember who was jousting) where I could see the bow of the lance and it sort of freeze-framed in my head. The shaft of light coming down on Pyratelady singing the Boatman. The brilliant blue eyes of William Teller as he bids me "until we meet again' at morning dance for the last time this season. The icy blue eyes of one of the Hengrave people as we danced. The look of sheer comfort and trust in Faireraven's face as she leaned against Acroyear70 while playing the fiddle. The enthusiasm of Apolloniansidhe when his side won the joust. The smirk of recognition from Sparowe when I mutter "hubba-hubba" under my breathe when Java is announced at the joust. The "See, aren't a handsome and good boy?" look in a certain Shire's eyes while waiting for his knight to get set for the next charge. The feeling of the pub during 8 bells (when the drunk ratio is something sane).

The hug from a friend. The purr of pleasure when I give someone a quick scratch. The light motes dancing in the breeze. The quiet thank you from someone I have helped. The wonder of a child when they see exactly how big the horses are ... or see a fiddle being played. The fabulous comfort of a bite of food that hits the spot. The look of shock and happiness when I say "Good Morrow" to someone or sometimes when I tell them of a show they really want to see but didn't know was here. Having a conversation with Captain Romero where I try to tell him that while I know many do fear him for he is a fearsome person, I do not because I know he would never strike a lady or do anything to harm me without hurting the good Captain's feelings because I am not sufficiently scared. These are all magic. Yes, there are things that aren't as magical, but there are many things to love and appreciate.

Comments

[turnberryknkn.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much for sharing.

And very much looking forward to Faire -- and sharing Faire with friends new and old alike. :-)

[blueeowyn.livejournal.com]

I'm looking forward to it as well. Are there plans afoot for dinner afterwards? I have things to give you that I don't want to get in trouble for carrying around site.