Aelfwyn þe Pottere

It's been a while

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 07:38:32 GMT

Mostly I was very busy planning for the end of the year, dealing with work relaxing and preparing for the annual Taupo joust - FYI for non New Zealanders the Taupo joust is - well a joust duh! but a large part of it is the renactors display - we get to go to the joust for free and be fed and in return we spend the weekend as a living history exhibit for the punters. Now I am sure that all you folks who are used to REALLY big events like Pennsic wouldn't think this big, but in poor little NZ - it was a beauty with 80 period tents and over 400 re enactors - from a range of disciplines - fyi only 12 of them were from SCA

We had a great time, we camped with Anne (Hawis) who does Anglo-Norman, but other small getelds ended up with us and we had quite a wee Anglo Saxon community by the time the gates opened. Thhis was just all vey cool - but hot 40 in the shade at 4.30 in the afternoon - It was in the end just too hot to tend the fire in the afternoon, so we ate fresh! We did do a spit for the feast on Saturday Night - but that was very hot. Our one bit of plastic - which we almost didn't bring - was our chilly bin (eski, cooler) which we filled up with 3 bags of ice and enjoyed jugs of iced water every afternoon - very glad we made that concession, the cooler was hiding in a sack, in our tent, but we decanted into the jugs, which did a fine job at keeping the water VERY ICY!! Yay for earthenware!

I was able to do the washing and even fire some pottery in the spit fire - I would like to do more of this. - Firing pottery not washing althouh that was pretty cool too!!

We have decided that next year we are going to focus on the daily lifes of Anglo Saxon Women, and will focus all our display on this topic.I must say it can't hurt my A&S challenge!!

The 2 "A&S things I had to complete "before Taupo" were finishing my Anglo Saxon knife, which was based on the Gotland knife - very cool making a knife! I am sure that Aelfwyn would not have made one but most likely have got her husband Leofric the Smith to make one for her. Mine is not forged but cut from saw steel and thel filed and sanded and sanded and sanded and sanded until my arms hurt and I could see myself in the blade!! Very pretty!! and very sharp. The sheath is plain leather, scored with simple patterns as is seen in the York find of the period. The scoring was done with my knife - neato!

The other thing - not Anglo Saxon - BUT VERY COOL!! is a replica "greek Oven" Anne found a picture of a greek oven in the Met, and I made it for Anne as part payment for the Geteld - (do I get a point for trading??? that is a very period thing to do??)

We were completley unsure of how it worked, but Anne being the baking person I left all the experimenting up to her - I swear that this thing could bake 3 loafs faster than a convetional oven. Here is a pic of Anne using the Oven.......

We had a great time and made new friends and re established old ones, I look forward to doing it all again next year,

Ta Da...

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 08:51:23 GMT

I finally have pictures of the jug I made Anne - (as part trade for the Geteld)

As you can see it is a very cool, most excellent jug.. The rope Handle is really neat as you don't spill as much water as you walk from the water source - unlike Jug #1 which usually leaves me with water or worse ALE all down my front when walking to the feast hall!! I think I really have to make my self one of these new fancy type of jug!!!

AND NOW PRESENTING....... Our Geteld - no we did not make it, but we did trade for it, which is exactly what I think Aelfwyn and Leofric would do to be sure of having a dry place to stay with young Harald when they go to market.

We have arranged to head down to Rotorua in a couple of weeks to finish off our outstanding projects and , mercifully, Mum has said she will have Willie!! So I will finish off knife #1(I plan to make more at home) and 2 chests.

Pots Pots Pots

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 07:30:40 GMT

I have so far completed 1 very nice Anglo Saxon pot, 2 Beakers and 2 Beakers with Handles

Pics of un fired work... It was earthenware fired and came out a lovely peachy colour and a little less speckly than my stoneware fired stuff

And I have started my knife which will be a little like this small A/S eating knife.

It is at the moment still unfinished at Dave's as Willie was sick the weekend I was supposed to go down and finish it!!

I have also made a start on the phrase book and have found some very useful phrases.

wes þu hal                                            hello (be you hale)
god þe mid sie                                    goodbye
hu gæþ hit                                           how are you? (how goes it)
hit gæþ god                                         I'm well (it goes good)
ic þancie þe                                         I thank you

Wilcuman la, mine hlafordas                           Welcome My Lords
Min nama is Aelfwyn                                          My Name is AElfwyn
Hu miclum aerum thissum?                          How much is this/
We sum waeter thurfon                                     We need some water
Ic bledu selle                                                       I sell cups
Ic wille awefan                                                 I will weave
Ic wille sumu wude ceorfan                              I will carve some wood

(and a number of choice curses, which I am sure would come in handy to the
right people in the right place)

BUT apparently finding Anglo Saxon phrases that are the right time, region etc is just not that easy so my phrase book will never be a difinative volume or even 100% authentic, but merely an aid to assist people with their persona play. Everything in the phrase book will be checked and editited by someone who knows what they are doing so at least I know what I do have will be correct.

I also made some Anglo-Saxon Ale for St Cath's - it was quite tasty and very drinkable and was very nice when cut with lemonade. We made it with malted wheat, apples, honey and Cinamon.

I ALSO won the journal competition at St Cath's with my pottery journal, and my baby, Willie (AKA Harold the Potter) aged 6 1/2 won the children's competition with his hanging lamps - which work very nicely indeed in the tent with citronella candles to discourage the Mosquitos!!

Things to do this month!!

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 23:00:38 GMT

1. Start pots for Anne to trade for Geteld**
2. Make Anglo-Saxon knife at Ed's**
3. Finish off Pottery journal for competition at St Cath's**
4. Finish off Grey wool tunic's**
5. Finish off documentation for Table setting Competition at St Cath's**
6. Finish Documentation and handouts for Courtly love class at St Cath's
7. Handout for 'broidery class at St Cath's

Yep I think that is all!!!!!

** stuff related to Aelfwyn!!

All about Aelfwyn

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 02:55:35 GMT

I have recently taken up the A&S 50 Challenge. To do 50 A&S things before AS50.

I have had the same personna since joining the SCA in 2001, Constance de Coligny. And I do like her and she is very much a part of who I am, and she very much goes with the persona my husband has had forever - Baxton du Glonn. Baxton and Constance are French - well Norman really, 13th century and are nobles, albeit lesser and poorer nobles.

Recently we took up black smithing (Baxton) and Pottery(me) and it occurred to us the Baxton and Constance would NEVER do blacksmithing and pottery. Constance did embroidery and Baxton hit things.

We needed new personae!! We had begun to develop a small interest in things Anglo-Saxon - (which actually came from my desire to not have wet woolen hems at camping events in winter!!) And an Anglo-Saxon couple would be just right for our Blacksmith and Potter.

So meet Aelfwyn the Potter and Leofric the Smith...

and my A&S50 challenge - to make , do and learn 50 things that Aelfwyn would know, do and have.

Some Ideas I have had are...
1) The pottery of course - style, technique, firing and glazing (if any)
2) Regional knowledge - where does she live, what town's or cities are close by where she could go and trade her wares.
3) Her daily life - What would be the pattern of her daily life, as a potter, a wife and mother
4) Food - what are the sorts of food she would eat, be available to her and what sort of meals would she prepare for her family
5) Yearly pattern - When are the markets? What happens for Aelfwyn and her family through out the the year?
6) Health - what state of health is Aelfwyn and her family in and what are the sorts of medicines she would make and use?
7) Language - Learn some basic Anglo-Saxon - write an Anglo-Saxon Phrase book!!!!
8) Tools - what are the tools, implements and utensils that Aelfwyn would have used on a regular basis
9) Clothing - What would she and her family wear and how are they made, did she make the fabric or trade for it?
10) housing - what was her home like - draw a plan of Aelfwyn and Leofric's home.

These of course will all be broken down into sub catergories and possibly more catergories added as I think of them. I think that I will end up with alot more than 50 things, but by the end I will truely know Aelfwyn very well indeed!