Monday, 8 June 2015

Medieval Fair

Guest post by GrannyJ

The fair was excellent. It took place in two large fields that were set up to represent actual medieval fairs that might have taken place in Western or Eastern Europe or the Middle East. The day was sunny, not too hot, with a nice breeze off the water. A perfect day.


There were musicians, buskers, artisans, falconers, archers, merchants, weapons of war, vikings, and jousting knights in shining armour on horseback.








I loved the jousting but it is not a sport for sissies…that is for sure. They call it full contact jousting - no scripts, no choreography and no air-bags. The horses are huge and they are travelling at about 35mph. The hits when they come are comparable to being in a car crash. One of the jousters told me that when someone gets hurt it can take months to recover. In the final competition there was a huge crash where both jousters were hit, the lances broke and flew in all directions and both knights ended up on the ground. As soon as they fall, the horses stand still. Here is the website for the Knights of Valour  for further details.



They are trying to get more people involved and start up an actual league - similar to NASCAR! In the little video clip the man with the loud voice is Mike. He got quite involved! Mike was cheering for Sir Matthew, but unfortunately he lost out to Sir William in the final round. Mike is no better at picking the winner of a jousting competition than he is at hockey! For $5.00 you were allowed to ride one of the war horses after the jousting competition.





I guess you can’t have a medieval fair without “weapons of war”. I actually enjoyed the Warrior’s Battle. The men were in full armour and they really went at one another with actual weapons - but blunt swords and axes. The funniest part was when two little girls volunteered to be the princesses and they were kidnapped by the Black Knight and taken to the castle. Then came the storming of the castle. I got a little video clip of that. It was a riot!






There was also an encampment of tents representing the various regions. The Eastern European presentation included a re-enactment by the Dark Ages Recreation Company.

Their website has this little blurb:

DARC is composed of people interested in using living history to research aspects of life in Northern Europe during the Viking Age. This is accomplished through workshops and experimental archaeology where the focus is on developing traditional skills as we create accurate replicas of period artifacts and processes. Our historic events are centered on the 'camp', where the activities revolve around 'daily life' and the interaction of carefully researched characterizations. The Company further strives to provide a resource of skilled and experienced historic interpreters and physical demonstrators to museums, schools, and educational programs.

The participants which included whole families, actually camped out in their tents over the 3 days of the fair. Their demonstrations included historic glass bead making, wood carving,





In the marketplace there were tons of things for little princesses and knights, (and big ones also and too!) I think every kid there bought a wooden sword. And then after the jousting they were allowed to come and be knighted by the king.





I must mention the Roaming Pickle Man. I made sure to get a picture of him in his kilt. He was quite nice looking. And he could call out PICK-LES! in one breath that had to have been 30 seconds or longer! Very impressive.



We all had a great time.

Saturday, 6 June 2015

Red

Red is a very assertive colour. I like it very much. I have always found it very amusing that whenever I wear red clothes, even if it's an old, worn out t-shirt, people say "Ooh, you're looking so smart today!" I think everybody has a colour that makes them look smart, regardless of the quality of the garment. I suppose it happens when the person's own colouring, such as eyes, skin and hair harmonise with the dress colour...

Red may be associated with danger, power, drama, rage, love, embarrassment and many other strong messages and emotions. Red foods look healthy and delicious! Enjoy the collection:















Friday, 5 June 2015

Not for the claustrophobic!

This house reminded me of Sleuth's project, but I'm sure Sleuth's is not so extreme. It's also interesting to learn what the Brits were up to in WW2...


Thursday, 4 June 2015

Laughing is good for you!



**************************************************************************************

The letter:

Dear Dad,

$chool i$ really great. I am making lot$ of friend$ and $tudying very hard. With all my $tuff, I $imply can`t think of anything I need. $o if you would like, you can ju$t $end me a card, a$ I would love to hear from you.
Love,
Your $on

The reply:

Dear Son,
I kNOw that astroNOmy, ecoNOmics, and oceaNOgraphy are eNOugh to keep even an hoNOr student busy. Do NOt forget that the pursuit of kNOwledge is a NOble task, and you can never study eNOugh.
Love,
Dad

********************************************************************************************

A man was telling his neighbor, “I just bought a new hearing aid. It cost me four thousand dollars, but it’s state of the art. It’s perfect.”

“Really,” answered the neighbor. “What kind is it?”

“Twelve thirty.”

********************************************************************************************

One day, a cat dies of natural causes and goes to heaven, where he meets the Lord Himself.

The Lord says to the cat, "You lived a good life, and if there is any way I can make your stay in heaven more comfortable, please let me know."

The cat thinks for a moment and says, "Lord, all my life I have lived with a poor family and had to sleep on a hard wooden floor."

The Lord stops the cat and says, "Say no more," and a wonderful, fluffy pillow appears.

A few days later, six mice are killed in a tragic farming accident, and all of them go to heaven. Again, the Lord is there to greet them with the same offer.

The mice answer, "All our lives we have been chased. We have had to run from cats, dogs, and even women with brooms. Running, running, running; we're tired of running. Do you think we could have roller skates so that we don't have to run anymore?"

The Lord says, "Say no more" and fits each mouse with beautiful new roller skates.

Week later, the Lord stops by to see the cat and finds him snoozing on the pillow.

The Lord gently wakes the cat and asks him, "How are things since you got here?"

The cat stretches and yawns, then replies, "It is wonderful here. Better than I could have ever expected. And those 'Meals On Wheels' you've been sending by are the best!"

******************************************************************************************

Three explorers became lost in the jungle in a remote island and wandered for days with no food and little water. One day, just as they were finally about to give up, they crawled into a clearing and there right in front of them stood a Cannibal's Restaurant. Out front near the entrance was a large menu board. With the little energy they had left, they dragged themselves across the clearing and looked up to see the following menu:

Parboiled Priest $12.00
Roast Lion Hunter $14.00
Steamed Politician $198.50

They struggled in, dragged themselves to a table, and a waiter came to take their order. Before they ordered, one of the explorers asked the waiter "Can you help me understand your menu? The first two items are priced about the same, but the third item, the politician, is priced so much higher. Why is that?"

"Are you kidding?" replied the waiter, "have you ever tried to clean one of those suckers?"