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Issue 34
July/August/03 AS XXXVIII
Shire of Ravensweir
Quesnel BC

Cerridwen’s Concoctions

Hailsa all those survivors of the Clinton Dust Bowl.

Soooooo has everyone finally waded through all the laundry from Clinton???? Have you cleaned pressed and shipped alllllll that wonderful dust and dirt back???? or has it become a treasured memento???? mwhahahahahha took three days to finally wash all that dust out of my hair. BLLLAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

Okay...onward to the good stuff....HUZZAH to LADY Davlyn on her AoA......mwhahahah GOTTCHA!!!!! Glad to hear it made it home. Hmmm Condolences to M’lday Lasilana on the demise of her Lord... ’Tis a sad day.....ummmmmm have you cleaned the blood from the dagger ’tis not good to let it sit to long *evil grin*. Also. ’tis with great sadness that I say good bye to a good friend Lord Edrik whom died in childbirth.... *snicker*. I would also like to welcome Lord Henri and Lord Titius Corbis. Welcome...I'm sure we'll see you at Lord Doughal’s and Lord Edrik's funerals next Clinton......HMMMMMMM I have a funny feeling that more silliness will abound.....HUZZAH!

Congratulations to HL Sigrid on her Protegeing to Baron Stefano de Guici and to Lady Rowena to becoming one of her students I would like to Thank HL Sigrid on taking me on as her student...and......and....and....ummmm LET THE PLOTTING BEGIN!!!!! Sept 5th to 7th is a weekend to mark on your alendars....YES!!! we do have Ithra classes...so check them out...and plan to attend...This is the first northern Ithra up in this area...HUZZAH to HL Sigrid for arranging this.

Ringing in the Past is another event on our books. I'm sure our wonderful autocrats will have a fabulous time for us to look forward to. They are a most competent duo.
I'm sure I've forgotten something....I mean.. I almost forgot to write this as it is...Thanks Lady Rowena for harass...I mean....reminding me *wink*. This after wading through a four hour cleaning job on the durn dragon house....GAH!!!!!!! who wouldst think that Lord Warraw could leave such a disaster.....but...tis tamed now...and.....be darned if I don't have that same feel of Clinton in my hair and under my nails.........okay...can we say...SHOWER!!!! and....the real thing that makes mundane living such a joy...REAL BATHROOM.....and I will leave you with that thought of cleanliness....

Be well...take care....and have fun...for is that not the goal? In Merry Service Cerridwen Maelwedd AoA, Gds, Gds, Jdl
From the Chronicler

Salutations good folk of Ravensweir, I am pleased that so many of us were able to attend the Clinton War this year. As I watched some of the rapier fighting I was impressed with the way our friends did die. I was happy to once again see all the friends that I only get to see once a year.
Hopefully everyone has had a chance to scrub the dirt out of their hair and from under their nails.
Recognition must be given to all those who toiled so heartily in the desert heat during work week. HUZZAH!!!!! I will not attempt to list names for fear of missing one. To all those ladies who endured the arduous task of a fund raising kidnapping raid. HUZZAH!!! Well done ladies! It was so good of you all to put yourselves out in the name of the Clinton site. A gallant deed for a worthy cause.
HUZZAH!!!

Congratulations to HL Sigrid on becoming a Pelican protégé. As well as taking HL Cerridwen on as her student. I would like to say thank you for finding me worthy enough to take as a student as well . It was an exciting ceremony. I would also like to make a personal thank you to HL Sigrid and Lasilana for contributing to some gorgeous garb. Thank you Thank you Thank you!!!!!!!!

I would like to share my deepest regrets for my absence when Lord Doughal died. My sleep is troubled by my inability to say good-bye to a loyal and loving son. May you rest in peace. And to m’lady Lasilana I would like to apologize for my absence during your time of need, you not only were in labour but you lost your husband. I am sorry for your loss.

Congratulations to Lady Davlyn on her AoA!!! Well done.

YIS
Lady Rowena (Dragon’s Bane) Skerlenger

Lamenting with Lasilana Greetings and Salutations,

Another tourney season is drawing to a close, how sad we are to watch it pass, but remember just because the summer is coming to an end does not mean there are not a lot of events coming up! With our Shire having so many things planned we must pull together as a Shire and throw in some back breaking labour and get this place ready for Ringing in the Past and of course the September Ithra. For those of us who attended the Clinton war it was hot, dusty and will forever be remembered as the Black Clinton... because of the dust and the lack of torches at night. I, for one missed the camp fires.... Clinton was a great success and it was wonderful to see so many of our local members becoming more involved with the Clinton site and work week.

HL. Cerridwyn shoveling shite with you was a pleasure as usual, Nickolias wow --- you are the first person I have met to get kicked off a work crew -- fired from a volunteer position... you must be so proud (trust me everyone he is!) and HL Robert Arden I will forever be haunted by people calling your name --- and to Kallyn a big thank you -- for reassuring me that my elbow wasn't broken and for being one heck of a "doctor" ----

Congratulations to Her Ladyship Sigrid for becoming Baron Master Stefano's pupil, and to Lady Rowena and HL Cerridwen for becoming Sigrid's students.

Also I must apologize for the untimely death of my husband, Lord Doughal will be missed, we must all remember that a woman in labour is not responsible for her actions. The children are wonderful, although saddened by their fathers demise, we will be announcing funeral/ memorial services at a later date.

Also a big congratulations to Ravensweirs most recent "lady" davylynn congrats.

Until my next Lament... fare thee well
Lasilana
Eskya's Corner

Everybody knows that the eldest son of the king or queen of England is called the Prince of Wales. But do you know why? The story goes back nearly seven hundred years, to the time when Wales was a country quite seperate from England, although its inhabitants were subjects of the kings of England. The Britons called them 'Wealhas', which means 'foreigners', and they spoke a different language, Cymraeg, which is rather like Breton in France, Gaelic in Scotland and Erse in Ireland. The Welsh were divided into clans, and these were often fighting among each other for land and local power, so that they were not much of a threat to the power of the English Kings, who were able to control more and more land in the country.

If you look at a map of Wales you will see that some of the regions into which it is now divided have the names of old Welsh kingdoms: Gwynedd and Powys, Dyfed and Gwent. In the twelfth century, King Henry II of England ordered that the native rulers in Wales should stop calling themselves kings and follow the example of the English barons, who were content with the title of lord. But Owain of Gwynedd, who was a strong ruler in his own territory and had conquered part of the neighbouring lands of Powys, said that although he was quite ready to do homage to the English king, he regarded himself as more important than an ordinary baron. So Henry agreed that he and some of the other more powerful Welsh lords should be called prince.

Owain's grandson, Llywelyn I, was an ambitious man and he tried to make the other Welsh lords pay homage to him alone as Prince of Wales, saying that he would do homage to the English king on behalf of them all. He did not succeed in this, but his grandson, Llywelyn II, was more successful. He took advantage of the difficulties that Henry III was having with rebellious English barons to make himself lord over most of north and central Wales. Then he declared that he was the Prince of Wales, and he forced all the Welsh lords, one after the other, to acknowledge him as their lord and to pay taxes to him. In 1267 King Henry of England agreed to sign a treaty recognizing Wales as a principality.

Henry's son and successor, Edward I, was not at all satisfied with this situation, and he determined to destroy what he thought was a serious menace to the western parts of his kingdom. He set about bringing Wales back into his control, and in this he was successful. Llywelyn was killed in a battle, and his brother David was executed. To mark his conquest, Edward built the magnificent castle at Caernarfon. Edward I wanted to make quite sure that the descendants of Owain Gwynedd would not try to claim the title again, and so he decided to give it to his own son, the future Edward II. The Welsh people would not admit that they had been defeated, and they longed to get rid of English rule. 'Only a Welsh prince should be Prince of Wales,' they said. King Edward summoned a meeting of the Welsh lords and promised that he would give them a prince who would be all they asked for. They were very suspicious, but all the same they gathered together at Caernarfon, where the king welcomed them in a very friendly way.

'My lords,' he addressed them, 'for too long we have been fighting each other. Too much blood has been shed, and the countryside has been laid waste. We need peace, and we need a new prince.' 'That is true,' answered the nobles. 'But do not try to give us a foreign prince, we would not accept one. It would only mean more warfare.'

'That is true,' said Edward with a smile. 'Will you promise to swear allegiance to a prince who was born in Wales and who does not speak a word of English?' The Welsh were enthusiastic. 'We do promise,' they cried. 'Who is this prince?'

The king signed to a servant, who brought forward his son: he had been born in the castle a few days before! 'Here is your new Prince of Wales,' Edward said. 'Now swear allegiance to him as you promised.' Although they had been cheated, they had given their word, and the Welsh nobles had to swear to be loyal to him. This happened in 1301.

But in the hearts of Welshmen their true prince was Owain Glendower, a descendant of Owain Gwynedd. He too tried to make Wales independent and he too was successful enough for a time to be proclaimed Prince of Wales in 1304. But one day he disappeared mysteriously and no one knows what became of him.

There is a legend that when it seemed that the struggle against the English had failed, he retreated to the mountain of Cader Idris. The mountain swallowed him up, and there in a cavern he awaits the day when he will return to free his people.
Duct Tape Bodice Pattern Sigrid Arden

The following method of making a bodice pattern has been used (with various materials) for several centuries. In Middle Europe, there was great rejoicing when that wondrous new medium “Plaster of Paris” was found to be most effective. The modern Medievalist is even more blessed with a material, which is useful for anything from car repairs to sliver removal. The great and glorious DUCT TAPE!

Materials needed;
Roll of Duct tape
Throwaway T-shirt
A trusted friend
Scissors
L-square
Felt pen

With the victim, ..er.. subject, standing ramrod straight and with arms extended, start wrapping the tape around the torso, approximating the shape of the bodice desired. Make sure there is a straight and well defined waistline DO NOT allow the tape to flow over onto the hips. When the torso is complete, the subject may lower their arms and pieces may be added to define the neckline and finish the shoulders.

When the bodice is the desired shape make a mark at center spine top and bottom, and draw a connecting line using a rule. This will probably still nee to be corrected later, but it’s a lot closer than trying to eyeball it. At this time, mark the shoulder seam lines. Being careful to avoid the bra, cut along the spine line. Have the subject carefully slip off the structure. Trim off extraneous T-shirt material and cut through the shoulder seam lines. You should have a piece looking something like this --


These lines are probably not quite straight. Use your L-square to make a straight line and try on again to ensure fit. Add tape where needed as you will probably also find it a tad small.

When you’re sure of the fit, trace pattern onto fabric or paper. Remember, there is NO seam allowance in the pattern. It is advised that you do a scrap fabric mock-up first to make any last minute adjustments to fit.

You now have a form fitting back closure pattern. A front closure pattern may also be made by cutting down front centerline and joining the back together before tracing.
Sigrid's Soliliquoy

So... it's been an eventful tourney season.... and it's not over yet! (shuddering).

Why do the words weird and wonderful always seem to go together when referring to the SCA?

Our best wishes go out to Lasilana in her time of grief - and all our prayers for the speedy recovery of her grandmother. We're all here for you, dearest. May you find the solace you need.

YIS
Sigrid Arden AoA, JdL
Protégé to Baron Steffano De Gucci

The Feast of St Crispin’s Tir Bannog Smithers BC
October 25-26, 2003


Come one and all to The Shire of Tir Bannog’s (Smithers, BC) annual OPEN rapier tournament! Come see all the talent up here in the Northern reaches of our great Kingdom! Site opens at 12pm and goes till we all get tired and fall asleep in the Great Hall provided.

Hence, the brewing competition. There will also be a centerpiece contest as well as a prize for the most authentically decorated dish. This is a potluck, enough to feed 8 please. A Phoenix tourney to follow if time permits, Come join the fun! This event is quickly becoming a favorite of many.

Place: Glenwood Hall, Telkwa Highroad. V0J 2N7

If coming from the South on Hwy 16, Once in the Village of Telkwa turn right, onto The Telkwa Highroad. Keep driving and stay on the Telkwa Highroad It turns to gravel. Drive 10 mins or so till you get to the Hall settled on the right side of the road. Watch for clear bright pink SCA signs. From the west on Hwy 16 drive through Smithers , after crossing the bridge turn left onto Old Babine Lake Road, turn right onto Telkwa High Road, drive a few min till you see the hall on the Right. Again the signs will be posted.

Site Fees are $10 for members, $5 for youth (15 and under) 6 Under are free, Family cap $25.
Non-members add $4 Canadian. (Please make checks payable to the SCA- Shire of Tir Bannog)
Autocrat: Lady Josephine Blackthorn (250) 847-5115 dreamer@bulkley.net

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