Busy Day at the Palace

It's a busy day at the Palace today, trying to cram my chores into the morning - 'cos this afternoon I am strolling down the M5 to see the Aginoths and take part in some archery practice.....should be interesting, I haven't drawn a bow since I was about ten!!

Update: I hit the target - a lot so [wrinkles nose] still ok :-)........
but I have suffered apprentice archer's arm.......

If you look carefully, you can see the striations where the bowstring bounced off my arm.....does it hurt? Oh yessssss.........

More practice required!! But first - I must heal a bit!

Then Mr and Mrs A are having a long overdue night out together - and I am staying to look after the Aglets......

Meanwhile, here is Part Two (Part One here) of the 100 Signs You Are A Re-Enactor.....

51. You describe your company's logo to the printer's shop using heraldic terms.
52. Instead of having dreams about being out in public with no clothes on, you have dreams about being at an event in mundane clothing.
53. You catch yourself thinking "'Gules, three chevrons’ or ‘Nice tabard. Classic Anglo-Norman style, easily visible.’ Oh! I guess it'd better be visible, he's a road repair worker!
54. You go running up the stairs at work and reach down to hold the hem of your underdress up so as not to trip over it... and you're wearing trousers.
55. You can make a loaf of bread faster than you can program a bread machine.
56. You make all your own bread and you don't own a bread pan.
57. Your mundane friends wangle invitations for Sunday supper so they can sample the feast leftovers.
58. A student greets you in a Monday morning class by asking "So, did your wife kill anyone this weekend?"
59. Your friend invites you to a "dress nice" party, and you realize that your best looking clothes are your banqueting kit.
60. Your friend tells you her new boyfriend works in a fabric store and your first thought is "How cool!"
61. The only time you can see your living room floor is when your van is packed for an event.
62. You see a mother tenderly picking a splinter out of her son's hand with a shortsword.
63. You pull out a wax tablet to write down someone's email address at an event
64. You buy a bottle of booze just for the neat pouch.
65. Your buying black walnuts and ferrous sulfate from a health food store mean a new "dye" not a new "diet".
66. You have to find something else to wear on Halloween, because your kit just doesn't feel like a costume anymore.
67. "Dining room large enough for a dozen scribes and all their equipment" or "garden big enough to hold a battle practice" appears on the must-have list for your new house.
68. You go to the hardware store and ask for a drawknife for shaving rattan, only to have them explain that no one makes them anymore.
69. You plan your car-trip vacations around events happening in other areas and even pack accordingly.
70. You're male and you see an attractive woman in a skin-tight black velvet dress, and your primary thought is "Wow!! What I wouldn't give for ten yards of that!"
71. You're babysitting and you wonder if they'd give you the curtains as pay
72. The gynecologist asks "When is your period?", and you answer "Early 14th century (or whenever)".
73. You go to a funeral and spend your time looking at the great pavilion over the grave site and wonder where they got it
74. Cleaning your knives (and axes, and swords and spears) is not only an entire evening's work, but an entire evening's entertainment!
75. You start wearing your tankard and belt pouch around with your mundanes, because it's so darn convenient.
76. Your future husband's wedding garb costs more than yours, and has more trim.
77. "Two helmets, Anglo-Norman style preferred" appears on your wedding registry.
78. You've called your dorm ahead of time to ask if it's OK to keep swords in your room.
79. You realize you've used porta-loos more often than "flushies" recently.
80. A gift certificate at an upholstery store was one of your favorite birthday gifts this year.
81. The worst news you've had all year is that the leather store near you is closing!
82. You're disappointed that your British Literature textbook doesn't have Beowulf in parallel text.
83. You enter your lady's boudoir for the first time, and the first words to escape your lips are "Nice sewing machine!"
84. Costumed people going into Rocky Horror have asked you about your "funny clothes".
85. You show up for work on Monday with the most interesting bruises. (Or possibly a mail weave sunburn).
86. A man says "whoa! Nice legs! Hubba hubba!" and he's talking about your armor.
87. You rattle when you walk, because you're wearing a mail shirt under your shirt to save carrying it.
88. If you're bruised black and blue every Monday morning.... and you enjoyed getting that way.
89. You're wearing mail to the office hidden under your jumper because you need to get used to moving round in it.
90. You sneer at sword fights in films because any fool can tell they're not within striking distance of their opponents
91. Dessert is served in stainless steel dishes; you start speculating on how easy they would be to beat into shield bosses.
92. You were asked to find a broom handle to work a jack with and couldn't find a broom but came back with a longaxe and a spear.
93. You can't raise your arms above horizontal on a Monday morning.
94. You're daft enough to lock the keys in your van, but you managed to pry a window open with your sword.
95. You find yourself incapable of small hand motions and can only move your whole arm, or at best, wrist flicks.
96. You're female and "You're so aggressive!" is a compliment!
97. After an event, while getting dressed in mundanes, you don your swordbelt and weapons.
98. Your sweatpants have holes in the knees and rust stains, because you wore your armor over/under them.
99. You've ruined your deep fat fryer using it to melt wax.
100. After viewing this list, your mundane significant other chuckles for days, while you mutter to yourself "I don't see what's so funny about that."

I will be sending interview questions to Naomi, Uisce, Cyberkitten, Mrs A and Michele (nominated by Pat AND Colleen - poor Michele!) tomorrow.
Let's just say it's been a difficult week.

'til the Aglets are sleeping tonight, my friends....

cq