What I did on my Holidays... Day 3.

[curiouswombat]

So, now we are on Saturday - and I've just realised I am writing up an exact week behind. So where this Saturday I have been shopping for my mother, and with D-d, and helping do refreshments at church this evening for spectators at the Manx Grand Prix, the 'amateur version of the TT', last Saturday was spent very differently! And was more fun....



As on the previous two days I saw inzilbeth_liz in passing - this was to be an ongoing saga... and finally met up with altariel and edge_of_ruin. Gill and I spent much of the morning in the workroom doing more costume stuff. Gill and her young gentleman finished his blue satin number (no - not like that, take your mind out of the gutter...). I helped a little - I assisted pinning up the hem...

I also spent time helping a young lady from Sao Paulo 'remake' a costume. She had brought a pale lavender dress with her, but wanted to change the look. There was a beautiful bodice that would have worked well, especially if she added some braiding to the neck of her dress - and she did try with it - but her heart wasn't in it. She really liked a different one - but it was too big in most places, and the arms were too tight. Eventually I managed to remove the sleeves, laced her into it and pinned it for her to then adjust it so that it fitted. I aimed her at the needles and thread...she looked lost.

"My Grandmother does all the sewing for me," she said, "both this dress and my hobbit costume... I don't know how to..."

So I gave in and sewed it. The fabric was very, very, thick - I could have done with a thimble.

But - as you can see, she did look very good in it!





As Saturday morning drew to a close, we threw costume stuff into boxes and dashed up to the other building to hear the day's major talk by JRRT's grandson Michael Tolkien. Well... he has a wonderfully modulated speaking voice which would be ideal for recording bed-time stories for small children as it is highly soporific - Gill and I sat with Altariel and Edge of Ruin (aka Andria) - and we probably managed 3 of us awake at any one time... probably.

He told us about his writing. It is fanfic. He writes poetry based in the world invented by an obscure children's author whose books were published in the 1920s...

One thing I did note at his talk was how he said his family name. There are people who sat Tolk-ee-in and people who say Tolk-een. I'm one of the latter - but always wondered if the other version was correct, and would I be noted as a fraud amongst geeks for not putting that extra syllable in. But the beautifully spoken Mr T referred to both himself and his grandfather as Tolk-een. So I feel better now!

I don't think I am going to search out his published fanfic about 'not-quite-flower-fairies though, to be honest.

Also on Saturday I heard a proper storyteller at work, and also attended a talk by a gentleman who considered heraldry in the work of Tolkien - for example is there any significance in the way that the good guys use complete emblems tree, horse, swan, whereas the bad guys use a disembodied eye, a severed hand...? Perhaps I should have asked about the Haradi black serpent...

Here is Chloe, the storyteller, although actually I took this picture on Sunday, I think...



Dinner was good - the refectory meals all were perfectly acceptable, and the company was excellent. Then came the Masquerade where brave people performed to display their costumes - and others just attended in theirs. The number of people who were in costume throughout the weekend was a major highlight and an integral part of the whole. The costume made mainly by Gill, from scratch, was finished and displayed!

My photos were not very good - in fact, on the whole, I gave up and just sat and watched and enjoyed the evening. I think Gill has a picture of the blue satin number.

Here, however is a slightly wobbly picture of pellegrina - she was best warg in class at Crufts this year...





There was a torchlight parade which was lovely - I'd missed the one the night before. And there was an enormous cake with Smaugh, his horde, and Bilbo on it. I took over cutting it as the young man wielding the knife really seemed to have no idea... and I hate watching people just chopping blindly at a cake and making a real mess.

Somehow I don't have a picture of the cake.

But here are a few more, rather random, pics to make up for that...

There was an odd sense of redefining the reality/fantasy borders quite often - so we have elves singing, and a passing Gondorian wearing a backpack...



Here is a better look at the back of the dress of that young Elven lady (or, being an Elf, perhaps she is thousands of years old... who knows?).



And, at another table, enjoying the sunshine we have the chief librarian of Minas Tirith...



Well, that's who he said he was, anyway - after all there is no reason why a librarian shouldn't don black leather armour in his spare time...!!



Now to get something to eat - and tomorrow I will post some pics of the Fellowship of the Green Dragon.

Comments

[spiced-wine.livejournal.com]

And, at another table, enjoying the sunshine we have the chief librarian of Minas Tirith...

Hahaha. True; even a librarian must have other hobbies. :D. Just likes to hang out in lots of black leather :)

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

I kind of expected him to be heading towards orc-hood - and so I was most amused when he told Anke (in charge of the Masquerade) that he was the chief librarian of Minas Tirith.