Back from the nether...

Guten Tag! It has been a LONG time between posts hasn't it? *sound of crickets chirping, tumbleweeds rolling*.

Why so long between posts? Laziness? Ennui? Well yes, but also being Seneschal of a large and active Barony (who was running November Crown this year!), breaking my foot, suffering diverticulitis and a partridge in a pear tree :)

But I'm back! And I've made some small progress towards my garb, YAY! With more than a little help from my Lady Cinara I have finished an unadorned surcoat, which is just waiting for the embroidering. Now, step 2, learn embroidery :)

Oh, here's the surcoat in all its glory (thought I'd wear the green shirt underneath to get in the festive spirit). You can see the delightful cast on my foot as well. Doesn't quite work with the surcoat does it? Then again, neither does the wrist watch...

I've also included some of Cinara's embroidery work so you can imagine what I hope to do to my surcoat. Somehow I think my design will be less grandiose.

Here's hoping embroidery is slightly easier than it looks. Although perhaps I should work on an undershirt first. The t-shirt under tunic look doesn't really do it for me anymore. Such snobbery I've developed in my three years of SCA life.

Until next time,

Bechtold (the broken footed).

More garb inspiration

Guten Tag!

Some Google-fu has revealed the following inspiring piece. If I can get something that looks 10% as good as that which was worn by the Holy Roman Emperor, I'll be very pleased.

I'm particularly impressed by the pearl work.

Outlining detail in pearls looks awesome. I may go mad putting that many pearls on however...

Now to develop a design that's slightly less grandiose (and thus potentially achievable!).

Bechtold (the ambitious!)

Finding Inspiration

Guten Tag!

Today I am inspired! I've been struggling lately to find a focus and that's been detrimental to my SCA experience. It can be a little disheartening to be running around helping everyone at events or practices (which is my natural tendency) when you haven't got something you're passionate about to work on.

It's even harder to handle the administrative duties of being a group Seneschal!

But thanks to a couple of long chats with our most excellent Baron and Baroness, Branwen and Kilic, I am once more inspired to work on my own projects. It was only when I sat down with their excellencies who are both highly knowledgeable and highly engaged in researching the medieval period that my own interest in research was re-kindled. Yes, I am a nerd at heart and in the SCA I can find like minded people who won't ridicule me for wanting to read a book more than drink a VB.

Through our chats I realised that one of my major problems is that I try to be involved in everything and that I haven't yet identified what it is that I'm truly excited about. But there's one thing I do know, and that's that I'm interested in the Crusades and particularly the involvement of the Holy Roman Empire. Now couple that with the fact that there's a disturbing amount of Tudor garb at Anealan events and I find myself inspired to put together a Crusade era outfit. This will be the first time I've actually put together an "outfit" rather than cobbled together some typical SCA bits and pieces into an ensemble.

I'm still searching for inspiration but here's one image I found:

Yes I know this is a picture of royalty but the effect is pretty impressive.

I'll post updates as I make progress (or just find pretty pictures to inspire me!)

Until next time

Bechtold (the Crusader)

Victory!

Guten Tag readers!

Today I post of victory in a tourney! Okay so it was a demo event and a team tourney and there were only a few fighters and my partner (Dino D'Malta) did the lions share of the killing but it still counts :)

Looks like endless pell work can be useful. According to my beloved who attentively watched all of my fighting, I was embodying the "fire" persona. For those not familiar with the theory some people describe fighting styles in terms of the four elements (wind, water, fire, earth). Fire is the aggressive, attacking persona. I guess all that pell work made the blows come fairly instinctively and since I haven't trained much else, I relied on a flurry of blows to see me through.

It's remarkably effective against the less experienced fighters because it is really hard to work on a strategy when  someone's trying to take your head off! Of course against the good fighters it doesn't work so well as they effortlessly defend against the flurry and find a gap in your defence. Which of course you aren't focusing on because you're trying to kill them!

So time to focus on defence. Hard to do against a pell I suspect so I might need to volunteer as a human tent peg at training again so that through merciless beatings I might learn to keep my guard up.

But all that aside it was a really awesome day simply because I didn't break and I didn't lose all my fights. Next step, fight regularly without snapping like a twig! Oh, and painting my shield so I don't again look like a member of the legion of the unpainted.


Bechtold (the chuffed).

Summer Slowdown

Guten Tag!

Yes it has been a long time since I posted but I have fallen prey to the dreaded summer slowdown known to affect many SCAdians. As soon as it hits 30 degrees around here, the heavies are too hot to train, and the silly season of holidays takes away everyones free time.

So how is it that during the slowdown I ended up the Seneschal of Aneala? Oh yeah, that's right, I can't help myself. Why is it that I end up embroiled in the administration of every organisation I ever join? Glutton for punishment or power-mad dictator - you be the judge...

Anyway Aneala is getting right back into the swing of things at the moment and I will be trying to reignite my interest in costuming so hopefully I'll have some pretties to show off very shortly. Despite popular opinion, the Crusade era has some very impressive garb and I'm keen to show it off.

Here's to shaking off Summer sleepiness and getting back into the game.


Bechtold (who spent most of today dozing rather than doing anything. Damn 35 degree plus weather. I tried, honest!).

Taught a lesson the old fashioned way...

Guten Tag!

On the weekend I fought in my first tournament for a fair while, the Queen's Guard Tree of Chivalry in Abertridwr. Even though I didn't feel quite ready to get back on the horse so to speak, I felt like I had to honour Lord Benedick's courage in standing against all comers in his position as a member of the Queen's Guard.

And in case you're wondering how I did? I got walloped. Good and proper! I think I scored a single telling blow in the entire tournament and I'm not sure how I pulled that off. Probably a thrust when I was out of ideas and just flailed away!

But it was good to get out there again and not break something for once. It's been a long time since I've fought Lord Benadick and he showed me exactly why he's considered one of the finest non-chivalry fighters in WA. My stomach still hurts from an awesome shot he nailed me with that seemingly passed completely through my shield. And then I fought his Master, Sir Halfdeane. That was even more embarrassing. I couldn't touch him!

But I'm not letting my failure keep me down. In fact I'm seething at the moment so with any luck I can turn frustration into inspiration and tackle College Challenge head on. Who knows, one day I might even get a kill on someone.

Bechtold (the rusty)

A device for all occasions

Guten Tag!

Today I'm walking on air because my SCA name and device have been approved by the College of Heralds. My goodness that was an arduous process. It's such an arcane procedure shrouded in mystery. You find yourself watching the submission process updates wondering just what happens in the den of heralds during those passing months. For example, what the heck does "pre-proofreading" mean? And why does it take a month? I have this vision of a herald starting at my device for a month just to psych themselves up to proofread the single line description. Now I realise that the heralds have lots of submissions to go through but from the perspective of the person waiting for the decision, it's an agony akin to having teeth pulled, very slowly, one millimetre at a time.

But who cares? I have a device. I can even call it my arms since I've received my AoA. And to cap it off, at the Bal d'Aneala I was inducted into the Order of the Demi-sun for my service to the Barony of Aneala. So all in all a good SCA week for me! When the SCA is good it's great my friends. When it's bad... well, just read some of my other rants.

But anyway, yay for devices. Look out for my device to soon be plastered on everything I can get my hands on. At least it will be once I find a way to paint roses well. Why did a craft challenged person like me pick roses? Maybe I need to get some commissioned. Cinara, where art thou?

Oooh, and Cinara got her very awesome name approved as well and is moving ever closer to having her device approved. Parrots and ermine, boy does she have expensive tastes :)

Until next time,

Bechtold (the uncharacteristically enthusiastic).

P.S. here's my device, in all its computer generated glory. I'll paint it up one day, promise!