2018 will see me choosing new personal challenges.

So this is a watch this space notice.

Piety - that thing you do without realising you do it.

As I sit and look back on this journey I wonder how much service have I truly done.  How much have I added to our society?  How have I helped?

I find this one difficult to respond to simply because I believe that this society runs on the service of its members.  One of our fellow path travelers, Magnus Eiriksson, summed it up very well recently. I don't have his exact word but it made a simple statement

 This is a hobby, a game but you get out of it what you put in.  It isn't like a football game where you show up play and leave, you have to put in to get out.

I would like to think that I have done what I can to make my small part of the society a better place.  I am currently working on a project that will ultimately recognise others for their service to the society that mostly goes unseen.  The behind the scenes stuff.  This will be me great pleasure to see it come to fruition. 

I have stepped down from my role as Chair of the SCA Ltd Board, still a very active member and will continue my service until Festival next year.  I have assisted in developing and implementing policy in that time and I would like to think that we achieved a lot in the past 12 months.

How have I served locally since this path started?

I am co-steward for the Feast of Friendship coming up in August so that is my focus right now.  I have been steward for two public demonstrations, I have also coordinated our annual Jumpers and Jazz in July decorated tree entry.  This is a hands on task that all the members of Stegby can become involved in.  We are part of a big community activity that dresses trees up for 10 days in the middle of winter.  You really have to be here to understand it.  This starts during the week before the Feast of Santiago.  And is lots of fun for the people involved.  It gives the SCA a different focus in our town.

I have facilitated some workshops for our Standard banner painting and run several classes on different A&S activities.  I have been the A&S officer for Stegby for the past year and this has often been a challenge. I am also Lists officer for the Barony, a rather simple job, but one I love.

I broke myself during set up weekend for Great Northern War so wasn't able to help as much as I wanted to at the event.  Advice, when holding on to a tent pole on a very windy day, 100% focus 100% of the time.

We arrived a day early for GNW to help out, with my arm in a cast I muddled through, doing what I could with one hand and doing a lot of supervising :-) Once we started the event I was doing my most favorite thing, List Keeper.  I truly love being a list keeper, watching the fighting, setting up the rounds, doing draws, reporting on them. I am in a happy place when I do this.  GNW adds to that because I also do the Fighter Auction, registering the fighters and their Benefactors.  It is a lot of fun.  My husband will tell you that he never sees me at GNW, I am always off doing something somewhere, teaching a class, a constab shift, what ever is needed to be done.  It is just normal behaviour for me. 

And my favorite thing to do away from an event, Heraldry.  I have assisted people to design their heraldry and submit names and devices in the past twelve months.  I love to see people happy when their device and name come back to them approved and they can start using it.  I love seeing them smile when they see the Stegby Roll of Arms with their device on it.  But most of all I love to see their banners flying in the wind, hanging on the wall  or their own personal pageantry display.  This gives me joy.  That is not service, that is simple pleasure of life.


So if Piety is service to the Society, I would like to continue to be Pious for many years to come, for Service is what I do, in some way shape or form, it makes Gabriella who she is within this game. It gives me purpose and place.  And I am truly honoured to be able to serve this society in anyway I can.

A little bit of Franchise

Always full of good intent, not always full of ways and means.  Franchise means so much more than a simple set of clothes or a banner.  I have tried to be more mindful of my language, more respectful of our game and present myself in a manner of a Lady of the SCA.  I hope I have improved somewhat in this area.

Having said that my altercation with a pole at Great Northern War has slowed me down someone in dressing to my station.  The intent is there and the fabric is cut, it is just having the wrist cooperate in the sewing that is the issue now.  This weekend will one of attempting to get started garb finished.

I have however met one challenge and am just finishing off my standard.  I finally own  a banner that I am proud of that I can fly (when suitable) at events.  Photo's will come when it is completely finished but for now here are two of the front.



Can not wait to hang this at Feast of Friendship this year. 

Ad Astra Per Aspera - To the stars through adversity.  Never let a challenge stop you giving life a go to its absolute fullest. 

Reassessing Prowess

When I started this path the ideas were monumental, the achievements were to be amazing, alas life happened.

Whilst I consider I have covered Prowess in some areas, my key was to actually shoot in an IKAC.  This was to happen this month or next, however, a marquee pole decided that I was not to do so.  Fracturing a wrist means that the IKAC will go on hold.  I am however determined to keep this promise to myself.  One never knows, I might actually enjoy Archery.

My new challenge for prowess to improve my heraldic consultation by assisting others to design and register devices that are more period accurate.  This will be an interesting challenge, particularly as it means I will need to research location specific armorials.  Looking forward to seeing where this part of the journey takes me.

Being Prudent

So, another learning for me. 

I recently had cause to find myself delving in another unknown area of our SCA world. 

Many things have been discovered reading different handbooks and I have enjoyed the learnings there (and just quietly the ability to share those learnings with others)  But I never before had taken a look of the rules of an IKAC.

So this week I learned that the rules of and IKAC and the rules of archery are the same but different at the same time.  I did not know that you could declare that you wish to shoot an IKAC at any event where you have a marshal/score keeper present.  I thought an IKAC had to be a very planned event.  If the people involved at an event agree, then no other arrow can be shot until the IKAC participant has finished. So if only one person is IKACing, then no one else gets to shoot until they are done.

I found it all very interesting indeed.

Achievement Unlocked - Prowess

It has been a long time in the making for me.  Cooking is something I love to do, and I have done often and finally, on the 9th of May 2016 I achieved Mastery in the Lochac Cooks Guild. 

This is something that I have been trying to achieve for many years.  Technical difficulties have prevented happening soon but now it is done.  I am both happy and relieved.  My passion for cooking has been shared with many.  My SCA family has tasted many a dish, some better than others and I have learned much about cooking in the medieval style.

My particular favorite is Italian food, an overlap into my mundane life as well because pasta and sauces are my signature dishes at home.

Thank you to the Guild, thank you to those that encouraged me and most of all thank you to the people that allowed me to cook weird and wonderful dishes.

Oh and I should add, a thank you to Ulfgar the Unspeakable for allowing me to be part of his kitchen way back in the 20th century and sparking this interest.

An effort in Largess

I have finally decided what I am going to do for my donation to the Fighter Auction prizes for Great Northern War. 

As the list keeper for this event it is also my role to procure the prizes which can often be a challenge.  If anyone else on this Nobles path would like to donate, I will be sure to pass on acknowledgement of your gift of Largess to our gracious Warden.

I have decided to make a couple of Sacoccia, (pockets) Most of us are always looking for some way of carrying items when in garb. These pockets are shown in late period Italian paintings and, in my opinion, are a much more convenient option than lugging a basket everywhere. 

They are worn in addition to a belt so do not take away from the aesthetics of garb, especially if they are made to match.