1-3: St Kew's fete
1. Punch and Judy show. These actually exist!
2. The general set up.
3. St Minver's Orchestra serenading the company.
4-12: Arthurian Festival at Camelford
4. The getup of a medieval knight.
5. The tent with medieval brews
6-7. The Falconry display.
8. Alice Burgers were the best thing about the place
9. The fair grounds
10. Crossbow shooting. Fran won
11. One of the stalls with leather shoes-- hand made. Looked so comfy!
12. Drinking horns for sale.
13. Field where King Arthur was allegedly killed. (According to Wace)
14-15. The King Arthur Stone: medieval inscription
16. Me happy at the stone.
17. A medieval cider press.
Thoughts: I was so surprised to see Punch and Judy still around and alive. I was delighted by how funny it was. The fete was a little awkward as it was obviously a huge community event where most everyone knew everyone else. But I did draw a bit of a crowd at my debut to "Whack the Weasel"in which I didn't fair too badly-- I beat Fran!
The next day we went off to a King Arthur day in Camelford. We thankfully missed the two re-enactments of the Mordred vs. Arthur battle. I have a hard time with people getting dressed up in old clothes, and an even harder time with re-enactments. However, we did get to see a fascinating falconry display, where they took out 4-6 different types of these birds and showed them hunt. They were so graceful, and when they described the medieval technique of bonding with your bird, I must confess I found it thrilling to be so close to such an elegant creature. I'm not sure I could own a falcon without being a bit eccentric, but I think I would like it all the same.
We shot some cross bows-- which was rubbish. It was probably only rubbish because I'm slightly sore I lost. Then we wandered around the stalls. One had leather-works, all made by hand. Those boots looked like the most comfortable thing alive: so supple and made to fit just my feet.
We wandered around to see the field where King Arthur was supposed to have died, but he was supposed to have died in about 200 different places all throughout Great Britain, so I'm not sure I set too much store by it. However, there is this bizarre but enormous stone that allegedly has significance to King Arthur. I couldn't figure out what it was and wasn't convinced it had anything to do with him, but it was a lovely walk. The medieval cider press was well- good. It would be so sweet to have that in the back garden, having friends over to eat in the summer, and then be like, "Oh wait: just see what my table can do" and then bring out the apples and press it into cider. It brings a whole new image to those biblical verses of one's cup overflowing and table full of bounty.
Speaking of which, you are now looking at the new tutor for the module "Classical and Biblical Background to English Literature." Woohoo! I mean, come on, I can't even think of a better course to which I'd be more suited. This fall we are going to have a lot of F-U-N. Or at least I will. Give a kind thought for those poor freshers who have to put up with me.
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