May 2008 a

Sat 03 May 2008
Sick as a dog. Steve has a nasty head cold. Even though it's a long weekend and it's SUNNY we stay home and take it easy.

Above: a snotty Stevie.

Yesterday we played with sealing wax and Steve's seal ring, as our good friend Marie de Lyon (LAJ) will soon be admitted to the Order of the Laurel in Lochac (Australia) and we sent on Alaric's fealty chain and his words all about her time in the SCA (this was the wax-sealed letter).

Wed 07 May 2008
As our local friends put it "you're Aussies with a backyard and it's almost summer - we demand a BBQ!" So, we are window shopping for the right BBQ at the right price. Just haven't found it yet.
After work Jen has her monthly adjustment at the chiropractor near Liverpool Street. Fortunately for her the train chaos this afternoon has nothing to do with her journey.
Below: anxious commuters waiting to see how soon they can get home.



Fri 09 May 2008
Jen gets sent home from work early. Now that Steve's feeling better, Jen has a dry throat, chesty cough and head cold all wrapped into one. So, it's another SUNNY weekend and guess where we are? Staying home, indoors of course. So much for going to see the Mary Rose this weekend. :-(

Wed 14 May 2008
It's Edith's birthday (Happy Birthday!), so we meet up for a few pints in an inner-city London Pub to celebrate. All the evil vile smokers are hanging about outside....

After which, we walked past the Guild Hall (14th century, but the facade is only 18th century)....

....to have dinner at a Pizza place across the road from St Paul's Cathedral.



Thu 15 May 2008
We get the two boxes of unused Reign gear out of the loft and double check what's in there. We will be delivering this stuff to HRH Fiona (in Germany) on our driving holiday at the end of this month. Here's a quick look at the loft, which Jen is obsessing over trying to turn into a useable space.



Fri 16 May 2008
This morning Daniela (Katharina) arrives to stay at our place. She's here on a weekend business trip and also gets the fun job of house-sitting for us! After work, Steve swings past Elizabeth's place to pick her up, then collects Jen from home, and Steve drives us to site, which is past the New Forest (south England) to attend the Viceroy Tournament weekend.

Sat 17 May 2008
And the winner of the tournament is... Vitus, fighting for his lady Guiliette. Very happy for them both - it is always very nice to see a local fighter win.


Ursula (Deb) looked radiant in her new Houppelande (dress) which Jen finished earlier this month. Sorry, didn't get a photo of her wearing the ensemble. As a side note, the belt was the final thing worked on, and it was finished at the event!

Sun 18 May 2008
In the evening after unpacking and getting the laundry on, we enjoyed a lovely dinner with Dan and Elizabeth, plus our house-sitting guest Daniela.

Mon 19 May 2008
Early this morning Steve dropped Daniela off at the coach terminal.
Jen went to the shire meeting after work (at the pub - where else), at which Vitus was all enthused and anxious to get assistance for his reign, such as the making of scrolls to give out and the running of events. A very busy and exciting meeting overall, since there is so much local activity coming up for these summer months. Steve stayed home as he was feeling under the weather and it was cold out.

Tue 20 May 2008
Choir practice. Julie and Edith turned up for some singing and socialising.

Fri 23 May 2008
Hurrah for payday! Lots of packing done this evening.

Sat 24 May 2008
Well, Marie was created a Laurel on this day (in Australia). Here's a photo we have pinched from a website, of this splendid occasion...

And this morning we packed the car for our driving holiday through France and Germany, and Steve also oiled the kitchen benches, since the stuff takes 7 days to cure. This oil is used to seal wooden plates and cups, so yes it is nice and food-safe.


We had a final look around the garden before heading off, and just our luck the roses hold so much promise!