One weekend roaming around in a long dress and barefeet and I was hooked.
The next event was at the end of season event at Caldicot Castle and I had a bad case of the norovirus, and some people felt I had been put off by throwing up every ten minutes in a field.....
But in January 2007, I tipped up for the Focus meeting, went to the markets and stocked up on reproduction medieval kit.
At the beginning of last year's season, while watching the activities around me, I thought that hammering coins looked simple and interesting, so I learned to do that.
I came home and routed through the internet, finding out about 14C coins and their production.
From then on I was the Company Moneyer, hammering coins every other weekend in the Summer, come rain or shine.
Well, more rain than shine........Last year was the now infamous flooding of Berkeley Castle on the biggest event weekend of the year.
But we soldiered on. At the end of the season I was diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome due to the hammering, and spent Christmas in a wrist brace.
At the 2008 Focus Meeting early this year I volunteered to be Membership Officer, which meant I was on the Company Council. I inherited the old Company tent and plans were made to share it with two other women of the same age.
It was decided that hammering was difficult for me, due to an elbow injury and so I spent this year training my new apprentice and picking up the spiel for the spinner/dyer.
I took up a part in the Crime and Punishment show, which was a blast, and the 'marital violence' inflamed my old knee injury.
And the weather..........oh, the weather this year has been atrocious.......at Easter it snowed and froze at the formerly delicious Caerphilly and it rained at some point at almost every event. It even lashed it down in Italy - where it was 40 and sunny last year! Evening fires were few and far between. We either spent our days and evenings inside halls or huddled under the market tent, talking to the members of public who braved the weather.
Even on the weekend of our dear friends' wedding, a magical medieval wedding, it rained about 2 inches and turned the field into a quagmire.
And the final nail in the coffin - we heard today that our last event of the season has been cancelled due to flooding.......echoes of Berkeley Castle!
So, given the terrible weather, the leaky old tent, the carpal tunnel syndrome, the sore elbow, the painful knee, the suffering suspension in my car from lugging heavy 14C kit around the area, the constant smell of mildew -
why am I still doing this?
Why am I planning to learn basket weaving to use next year?
Why am I an active part of getting an off-season skills event together?
Why am I sewing a new dress for the Company Banquet?
Why am I already looking forward to next Spring and the new season?
And why am I so inexplicably depressed (reduced to tears to be honest) at the cancellation of this weekend's event?
cq
I am a firm believer in hugs. I have lots of people to hug me and I value every single one I am lucky enough to receive.
Amongst the people that 'give good hug' are:
Finally, when things are quiet and I am in bed with my book, I get the best hugs of all - my big nervous floofy cat Charlie burrows in beside me and hugs me for as long as he can.
This weekend is a big deal in two ways, it's the 20th anniversary of the Company of Chivalry, the birthday of one of the longest serving members - and my second anniversary with the Company.
[Mrs Aginoth and LMD talking to the public] Well, our approximation of the 14C is probably my favourite place. Given the small luxuries we have sneaked in from the 21C (bathrooms, sleeping bags, airbeds - coffee [out of hours, of course!]) I have grown to love the 14C. The time I spend with the Company has given me a whole new set of friends, people I love and admire. It is a place where I can let go of many of the issues I drag around with me during my normal life. Although Ugly Monster has managed to creep in occasionally, being with the Company is somewhere he is not normally found. I sleep better, I eat better, I laugh more. I am less ego-centric and I am more outgoing. I have learnt new stuff and it is (I hope) making me a better person.
I admit, occasionally I curse my long dresses, am infuriated with the tent and feel sad in the rain, but I look forward so much to it each week.
I'm so glad to be going back under canvas this weekend, but it is tinged with sadness that the season is nearly over, only two more events to go. Then it will all go quiet over the Winter, allowing for the Banquet, meeting up for market days and the Company meeting in the New Year, until Battle Practice and the new season kicks off next Spring.
Here are the happy couple in their wedding finery! Jon is simply dashing and his bride is positively glowing!
We all gathered in our medieval kit to help them celebrate the big day. It rained a lot and we all got very wet and muddy, but it was a wonderful day and night. The rain died away about 1am, so I got some quality 'fire time' by the roaring fire :-)
Part of the day's entertainment included a mummers play, starring our two Lords Hungerford, and Master Caunsfield as George.
The medieval party went with a swing and they even managed to perform the Honour Arch while the company were still standing.......
But what wedding would be complete without children? My little friend LMD Aginoth and her grown friend Master Caunsfield. (I love her making eyes at my dear friend Matt - that girl will go far!).
With thanks to Aginoth, Master Turner and Master Caunsfield whose photo albums I plundered......
cq
And Arthur of Fopwood was charmingly played by Matt (on the right in this photo)
I have never been the adulterous wife before - and was secretly hoping to be found guilty so I could be burned at the stake! :-)
Anthony must be about 6'5" and towers over everyone. When we were arrested and were waiting for the Lords to arrive, he periodically took some lunges at 'Arthur' and I tried to pull him off by his padded jack. He would get exasperated and throw me across the field. I could hear the heartfelt gasps of the women public as I crashed to the ground time after time.
With Anthony throwing me around and dragging me across the field on Saturday I have some LOVELY bruises - finger marks on my arms and compression bruising on my knees.
But it was an almost cathartic experience; having been in a violent marriage I found being chucked around by Anthony (who I could control totally) went some way to cleansing the memories I have carried around for twenty years.
On the Sunday show my beloved 'husband' was more gentle with me, as I had told him my knees were hurting. I told him and the sarge they must help me up from my knees - but make it look like they were hauling me roughly to my feet......and it worked.
'Arthur' recited some of his delightful poetry to me for the pleasure of My Lord's court - and you could hear a wide range of female sighs from the audience as he knelt in front of me, spoke the words and then gallantly kissed my hand. I swear, given half a chance, the women would have trampled me to get to 'Arthur'.
The sighs were cut short as Arthur and I were roughly pulled apart and thrown back on the mercy of My Lord Hungerford.
Let me see - what else is there.....?
Oh yes, when I was handed back to my 'husband' for punishment he hauled me behind a tent and then faked a beating with a switch on the tent canvas. With me screaming at each hit, it was reported to me later that the women in the audience went white. Reality TV eat my dust!
It was cool - painful but cool. I could really get into the part of Mistress Brambles and the following were overheard as I walked the castle grounds later....
'Miss - were you really crying?'
'Did he really hurt you?'
'Look! There's that poor woman........'
I think I'll do that again :-)
Oh, and to answer that eternal question 'why do you do this?' - I offer this wordless answer:
Pembroke Castle at dusk.......does life get any better than this?
cq
He dragged me off through the market to get justice from the court. Meanwhile, Arthur was taken into custody by the guard.
Here is Segeant Little giving evidence on behalf of his wronged brother, Billy Brambles. I am begging for leniency on my knees by my husband - young Arthur is being held between the two big ugly soldiers on the right.
We were all required to swear our allegiance and accept the outcome of the trial on the Holy Bible. Arthur had no fighting garb, so he was dressed in the clothes of a poor recently deceased soldier.
Needless to say, despite his best efforts and using all the skills he had read about, Arthur was no match for my big angry husband - and the outcome was inevitable....
So, as a result of the trial by combat, the delightful and entertaining young Fopwood was decreed guilty, taken from the arena, stripped naked and thrown out of the castle.
But that still left my punishment. I cowered in fear as my Lord Hungerford spoke about the choices - burning at the stake or delivery into the hands of my cuckolded husband. Given the effeminate nature of Arthur, my Lord decreed that any adultery would have been impossible and decided to be lenient, handing me over to my husband for punishment as he saw fit.I was duly taken from the field and was (very noisily) beaten by my husband.
When walking later I discovered Arthur's hat, which was my last memento of my lost friend. So, that is the sad story of the misguided friendship between Mistress Brambles and Arthur of Fopwood - tune in tomorrow to read what it's like being an 'adulterous wife' in the 14C..
cq
(Sergeant at Arms Little is grateful for the little shade afforded by his jaunty headgear!)
(from the left; Mistress Beatrice in the kitchen, Goodwife Maud, Goodwife Quene (me), Goodwife Beryl and Goodwife Kate)
(Master Matthew Caunsfied in Italy 2007)Goodwife Kate and I had a laughathon last night - something kicked us off as we lay in bed and listened to the merriment still going on around the fire - and we screamed with laughter for a good twenty minutes. Master Caunsfield put his head through the door to see what was going on, which set us off again.
At one point I lay on my bed and looked at the roof of my tent - dreamy.....
I was so happy to see this and then I turned over and looked out of the door.........
Evocative or what?
cq
[Additional photos from Dawn Davies - pictures added as they arrive...]
To put it into perspective for my US readers - this is the British equivalent of the Super Bowl trophy.
I didn't get this excitement - it's just a cup.
The security man tried to explain the wonderfulness that is the Premiership Trophy - solid silver yadda yadda, solid malachite base blah blah....but it didn't make much impact on me.
On the plus side, there were enough football fans who wanted their photo taken with this piece of metal to raise hundreds of pounds for the Help for Heroes charity (see here).
So, I don't get the whole 'trophy' thing - but I do get the wonderful fundraising for our injured troops.
cq
[Naomi asked for a photo - so here he is.......]
Waiting with bated breath for the trip - 'it is time yet?' was the constant query of nine year old Boo.
Once on the boat, Boo was a natural..........
We stood at the rail and scanned the water for signs of orca life....
Oh my god - is that one.....?...we strained our eyes at the little black blob on the blue sea....
Well, it's definitely fin-shaped.....
Yay - there's the white dorsal mark! It's a killer whale called Pender, who is a transient who has been visiting the straits for over 40yrs. The resident orca weren't there, but Pender entertained us for a couple of hours. Orcas do deep dives, which involve a submersion for anything from 10 to 15 minutes and then three or four breaths at the surface to suck oxygen before going into another deep dive. Pender would take his breaths and then deep dive, surfacing about 1/4 mile away.....so we never knew where he would come up.
We were watching him sweep the water when we realised that, while we were staring intently at the choppy water, he had found and partaken of a little light luncheon - probably a porpoise. Without a clear view and below water it is called a secret kill.
So, we did see our killer whale and had a wonderful day out on a magical trip. Not only did we see an orca, we also saw harbour seals, stellar seals and Californian sea lions - even a bald eagle nest with a baby eagle peeking out over the edge.
It was a beautiful day out with some of my closest friends, seeing sea animals in their wild environment. A once in a lifetime opportunity.
cq
the Canadian Navy, 
the US Submariners, 
and the Navy Cadets 
this was a touching service to the honour of the Canadian servicemen lost during the longest battle of World War Two.
This is the image that sums up the morning - RESPECT...(Boo is second from right)
My mother summed up my thoughts about Boo when she said 'that girl is a credit to her Ma!'.......
cq
