[MR] Feast of St. Pyr

[Karen]

Greetings, all!

We had an absolutely wonderful weekend and I want to thank all of those who came and made this event such a blast.  We had some wonderful instructors for classes!  Those of you who missed the MOL101 class taught by Lady Ilse von Brenner not only missed a good course but an outstanding teacher.  We all hope that the next time she and her family visit she will have more time to spend with us.  Lord Michael Batcock's course in Order of Precedence (which I am sure will come in very handy soon at the upcoming Sapphire Joust) went very, very well and his levity was well appreciated.  Lady Adelheid did a superb job of teaching the Atlantian Customs and Traditions class as well!  Lord Angus' class in Pavilion Raising was well-attended, as was Lady Eleanor Percy's "Beginning Storytelling" and the dance class taught by Lady Constanza.  Those of you who missed Ravenot's class in Archery Field Repair missed a tremendous resource; but we do hope he will be able to offer this again.  Francois' Chain Mail courses were great, and everyone who attended walked away having learned a lot.  Lord Willem, aided by the ever-able Lord Aldred, taught a wonderful course in Tin Casting as well and I know there were lots of folks who came out of his class wanting to try their own hands at it. The Quest for Pyr's Converts, led by Ladies Nastasiia and Almas was wonderfully constructed and the children who particiapted were thoroughly worn out by the time it was over!  

As for competitions, it is to be noted that we had some outstanding entries in the Brewery Competition.  Lord Thomas Longshanks had a great field to choose from, and his all-day didactic on brewery and food was very well-received.  He and Lady Carmella had a wonderful discussion on Cordials, and those who stopped in for a little drink and discussion were truly refreshed :)  Our Reliquary competition only had one entry, but man -- what an entry!  Lord Aldred had made an exquisite, tiny box containing a lock of Black Diamond's very first baroness' hair....since it was gifted to Her Excellency, Lady Avelyn, I am sure you will all get a chance to see it soon.  

The food was outstanding: Aonghus Bacastair provided a lovely Cock-a-Leeky Soup with fresh bread, baked that morning, for breakfast, and for supper his Cornish Pasties were filling, hot and absolutely delicious.  After supper, Bardic Circle was truly legendary, led by our esteemed Lady Eleanor and Lord Thomas Fitzthomas.   That was one in a million :)

I cannot begin to express my sincerest thanks to all who worked so tirelessly for this event: Lord Dionello, his Lady Almas and their daughter, Elehe (who, with the Mad Monk, was in the kitchen from start to finish and did a tremendous job helping my husband); our landowners, Lord Angus and Lady Nastasiia; Lady Carmella and her Lord Grimald, for all of their assistance at Troll and elsewhere; Ravenot and his son, for their assistance during the event -- thank you so much for placing those signs!  Thanks also to Lady Anne Balfour for organizing the competitions and Lady Morgana for stepping in in the pinch -- you ladies are tremendous, and truly a gift to us all.  And without a trace of bias (well, OK, maybe a little but you'd have to admit the food was delicious), a sincere thanks to my dear husband Aonghus for his efforts making this weekend a truly nourishing experience.

There were a few things left over from the event, so in the Lost and Found Department, here's what we have:

One piece of cloth with a Middle Eastern print on it
One piece of cloth with a Celtic print on it, finished with tassels
Lady Esmee's goblet
One really skippy chest of feast gear
Two wooden bowls (that seem to match...?)
A bottle of Ibuprofen
One sweatband
A fork and knife
Two white candles

If these things belong to you, please contact me as they are at my house now and I'll be more than happy to arrange pickup with you :)  

Thank you again to everyone -- you all made this an event to remember!!

In service,

Magdalena Ilianova
(contact: wetsheep1 at mindspring.com or call (540) 581-1168)