stellar_muddle | Long day and musings

So, got into Adelaide around 2am, after leaving Canberra around 9am. Usual type trip - the Fairy Dell Cafe in Oeyen appears to have about the best food along the trip route (unfortunately not up to Braidwood woodfired pizza standards, but not bad), and they have parrots. There was a pause for an hour or so outside of Tallem Bend for a nap, then onwards home.

Along the way, there was much conversation and musing, and since some of it was next Festival/longer term planning, bits I can remember are being written down here.

Next Festival:
Wetter site, so more oilskin cloaks and hoods - if can make a cloak and hood a month, that gives 12 each for sale at the market.
Takedown chests for easier transport - need to research shape. Also smaller chests for craft stuff that can double as stools ala what went on at CF. Leg bits to stay out of the mud.
Reduce the non-period stuff in the tent - better food containers etc. More buckets.
(Edit) Leather pilgrim scrip for beer transport - I don;t like beer crushed class notes and embroidery.
(Edit) Period jugs for drinks.
Z wants to reduce the size of tool set brought to more period stuff - like the contents of the Mästermyr tool chest . Some nice cooking equipment there as well.
St Floz/Brisbane plan for separate workshop area with period tents - try and include a socializing area - Z likes being a "social facilitator".
In said workshop area encourage others to set up shop and play with stuff ie like CF again - rather than separate A&S classes in a tent far away from the stuff you play with, more of a wander by and play/see how things are done/ask questions/exchange ideas thing.
Include a fire with cooking area - not so much for main meals (St Floz food plan is good), but for easy water heating (2am tea is good) and random experiments - like the dishes that were randomly done in the chuffer pizza oven Festival 05.
Schedule an hour long (or longer) tent making (A&S) show and tell session looking at tents, possibly with a walking tour of the site looking at other period tents around - may take a bit of coordination with other tent owners.
Viking tent frame with awning (no doors) for sheltered area for work out of the rain etc. - Ship tents? - no side beams and pegged instead (Z's suggestion).
Oil all wooden gear - tent frames, poles, chests, bed etc to protect from wet.
More wax tablets in the larger size for market.
Warp weighted loom (was planned for this year but fell through). Have wood for test frame - frame promised for birthday... :) Need to sort out weights.

Longer term:
Would like to do more Living History weekends like the ones

alpha_angel has been doing in NZ with the MLHNZ lot. Camping with period tents, cooking etc. Not certain of the ability to do this over here but definitely to be done in NZ, as we figure we are currently set up to be able to do this on certain bits of Z's parents farm. This has the advantage that infrastructure can slowly be added over time - like out at the land the AAF plays with at Beorgwic, only more so. Grubby muddy weekends with shifting rocks, building clay ovens and furnaces, experimenting with walls and woodworking and all sorts. May be doable on the weekend every 3 months scale (or more often), while still allowing time to play with other medieval groups/events etc.

Random:
Dipping of car lights ettiquette is very eratic over here - or it could just be that the roads are filled with obnoxious wankers.
Truck mating trains.
The tent wrapped over poles on the roofrack of the car would have been a more comfortable place to nap than in the front seat - yes, Z did try.
Carved runestone rather than scroll...

And this morning Z is home with a bit of a tummy bug (luckily mild), the car has been unpacked before the contents wilted in the heat, laundry has started and there are the usual battles over who gets the laptop time...

But 1 of 3 video bits of bellows work and playing with glass is up here (I hope or at least will be shortly) - will play with the rest and put up photos soon.