Favourite reign photos ever

J is in an almighty huff about something on the Chiv list. It must be something good because he keeps telling me that I'd be outraged and that it's just as well I'm not on the List anymore because I would be getting Medieval on sundry Arse. There's very little Lochac Chiv arse that I would be happy having anything to do with from a personal perspective, but sure ...

I think that he means I would be Gently Explaining the Error of someone's Argument, which I tend to do in multi-thousand-word emails with footnotes and quotations from previous minutes. One thing I did learn from the ALP is that she who has the most detailed and accurate minutes wins. I really wish that some of the lads could work this out; it saves so much argument when you just flip back the pages of your notebook and say "Actually, what was really said was ..." Obviously I need to get my own fat arse into gear and see if there is a fighting god lurking under the lard. Wouldn't J be the smuggest teacher in the universe?

Anyway, I am curious, and am sure that it will all come out eventually. It's usually one of a handful of people who piss him off this much, so it will be down to educated guesses shortly. He's asked me the definition of slander twice, so I'm sure that it will be fun down the track. I do wish the Chiv thought more before they typed ... one thing that some of them seem not to ever understand is that they don't know everything. For example, they will be raving on that X says Y when everyone who attended the most recent meeting heard X say "I used to believe Y, but now I'm convinced that Z is the case." But it's an article of faith that X believes Y until they see X in person and have the gospel of Z handed on with the secret handshake.

The Laurels don't make this mistake. In fact, as an Order we come at it from the opposite perspective and always assume there's more information hiding out there and we just need to ask a stack of pointed questions in order to get it. That's why Laurel minutes take three days to transcribe ...

Sir Asbjorn does a hilarious Bad Peer routine where he clutches a hand to his forehead and shrieks, "It's all about MEEEEEEEE!" I think Chiv every time ... Of course, the good ones are bloody brilliant, and even some of the boofy ones are brilliant. Most of the Lochac Order are on my list of favourite peers. In fact, there's an increasingly small number who hold onto their inner moose, but for them, by crikey it's a stranglehold.

Anyway, more photos. This is my favourite photo from our first Canterbury Faire in 2004.

It looks for all the world as though something appalling has just been said by the B&B of Southron Gaard and that J is about to leap from his chair and bop someone. Martucio is primed for action and lovely Peregrine has his hand on his sword. I am being the Restraining Hand of Reasonableness.

There was NOTHING in the court that would have provoked such a moment. The B&B were delightful. Everyone was sweetness and light. I have NO idea why we all look as though an international incident has just occurred, and I find it rather hilarious. I also find it hilarious that I am being the reasonable one in this shot when the whole Kingdom knows that if ever such a situation did arise I'd be grabbing the Sword of State and making loose with the smackage


This one is what happens when some fool does let me loose with a sword, and a mass of fiendish midgets. There is a very long post to attach to this photo which I will do very shortly, or at least some time in the mext month, but suffice to say that if you ever have a Queen who is a bit run down and tired of paperwork, give her 40 children, a boffer sword, and a friendly Order of the Chivalry.

I was so grateful to Sir Asbjorn and Sir Alaric for letting me hit them in the head, especially because Alaric made me work for it and then complimented my rising snap and offhand. He's a dear. Inigo was evil and gave the lads 'water cannon' -- sports bottles to douse us with. Hurrah for thick wool, I say! Sir Berengar was tremendously unhelpful when he was possessed by a fit of giggles as I tried to cut both his arms off. It is not my fault that I look like a demonic munchikin. If you've stumbled here by accident and don't know me, the figure up the back in green with a blue shield doing the happy dance of victory is the one.

I don't think that any other aspect of reigning has ever afforded me such pure enjoyment ... and I don't think that I was quite as happy as the kids were ...