Logbook

Having seen the notice that CF is under complete fire ban, including NO

* Lanterns (including gas and enclosed candle buttons)
* Candles, tiki torches etc.

What is people's prefered medievaloid looking lighting method, especially for those who tend to camp and socialise in a cluster? I suspect the kerosene and candle lanterns we used last year will be quite out.

There also wont be a forge, as it comes under the banned "solid fuel bbq" catagory.

You would probably insert here a rant from basal_surge re holding medieval camping events north of the Rakaia in Canterbury* and how this leads more to costume parties than being able to do living history events, but he is busy reading and we all are familiar enough with that one to be able to fill in the details anyway :)**

*Brookfields being north of the Rakaia but having a wonderful site in a moderate rainfall region where you can generally do the whole cooking with fire thing (Insert advert for May Crown 2008 and various MLH events here). Less successful when the ducklings are swimming in the firepit, but we should really be doing raised fire hearths anyway...

** I'll probably hear the squalk and spluttering over that paragraph after he finishes the book. So far I just get growled at any time I enter the bedroom and attempt to start a conversation. Just as well I have sewing*** to get on with as opposed to any other CF prep...

*** Blue linen footless, quite loose Hedeby style hose are done bar tacking down the loop the belt goes through. Braes are done. Undertunic just needs the hem finished, and I am just attaching the neckhole on the woolen tunic. Still lots of seam finishing to do on the linen stuff, but it is all very close to wearable. Wool tunic may slow things down a little due to it being handsewn (too nice a fabric to machine), but my short Anglo-Saxon woman's tunic may be usable in the interum til it is done anyway. There is also a woman's white linen undertunic cut out, but I'll hand sew that in linen over the next while.

Well, sides of caftan are now attached and it is in a wearable enough state to be able to see how things hang and look. Gores are fine but the sleeves are a little on the large side ie Z started saying you could fit 2-3 of my arms in, but on closer inspection decided it was 4... So, really need to taiper the sleeves. I would do the "finish the seams as I go", which means more unpicking. Not that it takes long, from the time taken to switch 1 side gore around - it didn't look bad, just had the diagonals making a v, rather than following through, so needed to be turned over to match the other side gore. Very fine diagonals, so probably only I would have noticed.

It is probably only a Hornblower's episode worth of work...

Then finish the lining and seam that in. Will do smooth neckline, rather than keyhole, so the jacket can sit properly open under formal circumstances (need the right broach) or pin shut with slight overlap against definitely cold. Will do a silk edging after round the neck and front and may be cuffs, and if things go really well, a fur edging around the collar.

Sits a bit loose over the current viking apron dress and linen tunic layers, but I think that is fine and allows extra tunics should it be necessary.

Now I am looking at the current apron dress and thinking it could definitely be improved on. The static while sewing meant definitely not pure wool. Also think that while the strap width is good, really should go with loops as that is the most archeologically documentable bit. Will stick with the panel combo I have though, as I like that construction (3 panel + gores, rather than 4, but that is something I can get away with shapewise, rather than something I would argue definitely from the evidence available). Or could go completely out there and look at the recent Russian Viking finding, though I can't say I particularly like that look...

But that is a project for later I think... Still have the blackworked chemise to go...

There are definite advantages to a gas hot water system like the one we have here. While not the instant hot water type, it is a good sized cylinder and will do more than two showers in a row and me washing my hair happily with no threatening of cold (unlike the pitiful little electric bucket we had in the last place in Canberra - no way could you wash your hair within 30 min of someone else showering). No running out of hot water.

Until today.

You know those nice strong winds I mentioned in the last post. These do not combine well with an outdoor cylinder, even if it is in a nice usually sheltered southern alley way between the house and next door. Z discovered this when he went to wash the dishes and there was no hot water. Much muttering and wandering out into the cold, followed by a large panel with the instructions being lugged inside to read where it wasn't so miserable and nasty. Then things (pilot light) were relit and back into action. I was evil and stayed inside during these proceedings. Will find out how to relight etc soon in case we get the same sort of thing when Z is in the field, but will do it in daylight when not so cold and wet. Gotten wet outside twice already today. Not repeating.

So, Z is currently back at the dishes, having boiled the jug several times in the hope of having them done before midnight. I am pausing in the sewing of the psuedo victorian chemise, having found where I stopped and swore lots and biffed it in a box last time. Unhappy sewing machine stitch unpicking time. But 2 1/2 of the 6 side seams are done now.

But after sleep.

Hmmm, sleeping patterns may be slightly out of whack... Need to fix that by next Fri.

In any case, undertunic has side gores attached and 1 back gore inset and the seams partly done. A little over half way through season 5 of B5. Not B5 at its best, but still better than most of the drivel on TV, especially to sew to. Will be interesting to see if I can finish the tunic by the end of the season - possibly if I include the movies. Depends when the distraction(s) return(s):)

3 weeks to CF - need to sort out what will be packed etc. Been a while since I flew over for a camping event - be interesting to see what camping "light" is like, especially with Z. I did it in 2001, when I managed an astronomy conference, a couple days in France, Germany and Denmark, and a week at the Gotland Medieval Week - 3 weeks with a tramping pack and a quite full daypack - I had to get things on and off trains. Wasn't that fond of sleeping under tunics and other clothing at the camp though. I have the sneaking suspicion Z may want to take a baby anvil...

Need more exercise - but 40 degrees out doesn't encourage going for a walk. Yay for aircon meaning hands don't get too sweaty to manage the needle.

It is nicer when you expect someone home and they turn up a day earlier, than when there are 2 possible dates and it ends up being the later one. But you really don't want sleep deprived geologists on the roads.

Time to hog the bed with no complaints.

And good luck and a series of good long uninterrupted sleepfilled nights to those attempting to recover from the weekend.

basal_surge has disappeared off to kick dust til Fri/Sat, or the following Weds - I'll find out at some point. This means I get to hog the middle of the bed, pig out on Tacos and other messy mexican foods, and spread fabric all over the lounge...

1st project is easy - cut out and sew up a length of purple canvas as mattress cover for the new chair/bed.* This should be done asap as it is a white shiney mattress which will not stay that way. Unfortunately this means the furniture will match the feature wall colour...

2nd project... Choices choices choices...
( What would you suggest? )

But first, before it gets too hot, shops for lightbulb and food. Freshly breakfasted, so it should be safe. Apparently 0.2 degrees off 30, so I really should sunscreen up and head off now, before it gets to 32 degrees.

*Checked online and discovered that IKEA Melbourne and Sydney have the double bed sofa version we would have liked to get. Oh well.

Bit the bullet, adjusted the lengths for my tunic so it is a shorter Anglo-Saxon overdress, and cut the fabric (marroon/red/brown wool with woven in diamonds). There is now a stack of pieces for Z's tunic and pieces of my tunic and spare fabric. Dug out the bone needle - it seems to be happy with this wool, and am sewing using thread from the fabric. We shall see how it turns out, though it will be interesting to see how much thread is used. I somehow doubt I can get both ready by 20th Ann - less my copious spare time at present and more I don't want to fuck up my neck and back that much. I suspect it will be an all of LOTR + P&P + Hornblower + others project.*

Lunch and shopping break first. Then start sewing.

*What else do you measure project work time in? Last tunic was Firefly + P&P and a couple other movies. This one has shorter seams, but there are two of them.

Last night there was a teeny tiny spider in the corner of the bathroom. This morning there was a Bathroom Bob... and no little spider. Munch munch. This would be fine except Bathroom wall Bob decided to become Bathtub Bob in the middle of my shower. Usually they don't reveal the teleportation technology when someone is in the room. It may not have been a voluntary jump though, as he didn't move for a while and was last seen drunkenly staggering around the plughole. Possibly Concussed Bathtub Bob. Bags not removing the corpse...

( Festival stuff progress )

No essential hand sewing projects for working on while getting abundances for NGC 1866#4. Might naalbind then.
Cassanova tonight. I am looking forward to scenic historical popcorn with corsets...

Hmmm, I should possibly have it witnessed that following Festival, I do not wish to sew another tent for about 12 months. A review at 6 months is allowed if people are really pursuasive, but I think 3 in a little over a year is plenty. And yes, yurts are tents...

But on a brighter note, more than half the machine sewing on the second tent is done, with the doors attached and 2 of the 4 roof double edge seams done. Z turn to pin the other sides together, but "Baby Cart in the land of Demons" is winning. You realise how much practice you have going when one of your pairs of jeans is currently specificly devoted to wearing while tent sewing - have you seen the scratches you can get after 7m of pinned seam has brushed past an unprotected leg? Been there, learnt that.

This leaves the 2 remaining seams (tommorrow night), eyelets for guy ropes (so the bastard can be put up), waterproofing (unfortunatly both tents), putting up and marking out doors (ditto), eyelets and door toggles (ditto). This should be doable in 3 weeks. There is however the hitch that the wankers at Lincraft sold us polycotton, labeled as cotton. This has waterproofing implications given polycotton doesn't expand when wet. Bastards. Does mean that paint may be trialed for waterproofing, but we shall see. At least there is several metres of spare fabric to experiment on.

Other Festival progress: yay for extended Faculty meetings in lecture theatres (don't ask the topic, but I left after 2 1/2 hours and they went on beyond that), since it meant I got the second ho sewn and some cushion edge done. So, I have one complete set of back linen hose:) Should start on Z's pair soon, but it will take getting him to stand still for a while... I could at least get the basic start sizes off a pair of trousers and his cut out ducttaped sock. Suspect that wont be til Mon though.

And on the wildlife front:
1 kangaroo lounging between the main buildings at work.
1 large Lounge Bob on the window frame above Z's head.
1 teenage Bob formerly known as Bedroom Bob... He will turn up somewhere...

The parrot watching front has been helped by walking over the mountain for the past 4 mornings. This morning managed a very nice rainbow and sunrise, before raining the full hour and 10 min to the campus bus stop. And then it stopped. But the thunderstorms last night were good.

And since I am now rambling, I think I should head off to bed.

Z braes now done (yay for 2 hour discussion seminars)
Next need to cut out and start on hose, so have a hand sewing project for carrying around. This would be started this evening, but tent door cutting has priority. Sigh... but wanna be distracted by new stuff.... Pre-existing stuff includes tablet weaving (I like the inkle loom setup for that), skirt, naalbinding, cut out cushions (need sewing and stuffing)...
At least now know how to use stem stitch as a fill stitch, from the AAF craft night last night. One more Viking decorative stitch down...

Went and saw Legend of Zorro at the film club last night. I was expecting popcorn and brainless, but there was an unexpected loading of ham and cheeeeeeeese. One good line, a lot of posing, and I don't think the director intended certain of those scenes to be laughed at. At least we didn't pay good money to see it. Better luck tommorrow night with Night Watch, and Pride and Prejudice on Sat.

Lunch now, before seminar.

( Festival prep and logistics - going to be long... it is only 2 (7) weeks away )

And you would think that after over 28 years, I would have learned not to stay up til 1am on a week night, watching ice-dancing, then docos on history of Punk and homosexuality in the movies... Why do they put the good stuff on so late?

Well, there went lunch time. Food while constructing and attempting to converge model stellar atmospheres.
Tally Ho.