Last weekend was my favourite event of the year, History Alive. It's a multi-period reenactment event covering Roman Centurions through to the Vietnam War. It's the event that started me in reenactment...
Anyway, so this year, we had a very firm plan. Thursday and Friday was set up, and I helped the Captain do that on both days. The event is open to the public between 10am and 4pm on Saturday and Sunday, so the majority of the set up happens on the Friday. Friday night used to be a "feed yourself" type deal, until I came along. Now I provide dinner, often it's beef 'n' guiness, or some kind of home baked pie. The rest of our meals for the weekend are cooked by our camp cook.
Saturday we started the day working out who would do the reverse strip, I had gone home on the Friday night late at night since I couldn't breathe (athsma - YAY!), so I was hoping to stay warm and not be standing around in my underwear first thing in the morning. I ended up doing it though, which was fine, I just stayed in my coat for as long as I could! We had 2 new ladies joining us, two of my friends from Costuming joined our group, so Saturday was their first foray into reenactment with us.
We had 4 Victorian Ladies front up for the Archery competition this year on the Saturday, only 2 of us actually fired in the comp, and true to last year's form, I didn't shoot very well. But we still had a great time, and we got to shoot blunted flu flus at the knights, which was even more fun than it sounds.
After this, we went back to the camp, and we were BOILING! So we decided that this was THE best time to debut our Victorian era swimsuits. Quite a few months in the planning, our group decided to do something really different this year, taking ourselves for a bathe in the Brisbane River. Of course this meant walking the entire length of History Alive in our swimwear, something I didn't really consider until a few weeks before the event, but never the less, we did it. In the photo below right, you'll notice my parents following along to protect my modesty.. ;)
After that, we milled around the camp until it was 4pm, when we could start setting up for the evening's festivities. Another of our traditions, is that despite the fact there are no public around, we do a historically accurate dinner in the engine room, and it's an amazing atmosphere, since it's lit with laterns and candles. We invite a couple of people along and it's pretty much one of the highlights of the weekend for me.
Sunday. Wow Sunday. You were amazing. Our two newer ladies weren't with us, but we had plans. OH how we had plans! It started the same way as Saturday, we did the reverse strip, and as usual, it was really well received. The highlight for me was one little girl asked us how we knew so much. Bless her. It made my day. One of the girls I work with said I look completely in my element and so very happy, and I really am.
After lunch, we went off for archery again, and although there was only 2 of us, we made it into the finals, then finished out with shooting at the knights again. I managed a heat shot, straight into the helmet. The knight took a dive, which was hilarious. All in all, a much better showing on the Sunday for both of us.
Then, in the afternoon, we decided that it was time to go hunting. Now that I have my weapons licence, I get to carry and fire guns... :D We started out with an impromptu demonstration of the Captain showing the ladies how to fire the rifles. Great big rifles being shot by women? BOUND to bring people to have a look. We went for a walk around the camp, which we said was our hunting trip. We were pretty much hunting for somewhere to fire the weapons is a "oh look, there's a duck!" kind of way. People cam running, I was carrying a Martini Henry Rifle, and one of the other ladies was carrying a shotgun. People came running to take photos. At an event dominated by men in uniform carrying weapons, seeing a lady in a bustle dress carrying the same is obviously really different!
Anyway, so this year, we had a very firm plan. Thursday and Friday was set up, and I helped the Captain do that on both days. The event is open to the public between 10am and 4pm on Saturday and Sunday, so the majority of the set up happens on the Friday. Friday night used to be a "feed yourself" type deal, until I came along. Now I provide dinner, often it's beef 'n' guiness, or some kind of home baked pie. The rest of our meals for the weekend are cooked by our camp cook.
Saturday we started the day working out who would do the reverse strip, I had gone home on the Friday night late at night since I couldn't breathe (athsma - YAY!), so I was hoping to stay warm and not be standing around in my underwear first thing in the morning. I ended up doing it though, which was fine, I just stayed in my coat for as long as I could! We had 2 new ladies joining us, two of my friends from Costuming joined our group, so Saturday was their first foray into reenactment with us.
We had 4 Victorian Ladies front up for the Archery competition this year on the Saturday, only 2 of us actually fired in the comp, and true to last year's form, I didn't shoot very well. But we still had a great time, and we got to shoot blunted flu flus at the knights, which was even more fun than it sounds.
After this, we went back to the camp, and we were BOILING! So we decided that this was THE best time to debut our Victorian era swimsuits. Quite a few months in the planning, our group decided to do something really different this year, taking ourselves for a bathe in the Brisbane River. Of course this meant walking the entire length of History Alive in our swimwear, something I didn't really consider until a few weeks before the event, but never the less, we did it. In the photo below right, you'll notice my parents following along to protect my modesty.. ;)
After that, we milled around the camp until it was 4pm, when we could start setting up for the evening's festivities. Another of our traditions, is that despite the fact there are no public around, we do a historically accurate dinner in the engine room, and it's an amazing atmosphere, since it's lit with laterns and candles. We invite a couple of people along and it's pretty much one of the highlights of the weekend for me.
Sunday. Wow Sunday. You were amazing. Our two newer ladies weren't with us, but we had plans. OH how we had plans! It started the same way as Saturday, we did the reverse strip, and as usual, it was really well received. The highlight for me was one little girl asked us how we knew so much. Bless her. It made my day. One of the girls I work with said I look completely in my element and so very happy, and I really am.
After lunch, we went off for archery again, and although there was only 2 of us, we made it into the finals, then finished out with shooting at the knights again. I managed a heat shot, straight into the helmet. The knight took a dive, which was hilarious. All in all, a much better showing on the Sunday for both of us.
Then, in the afternoon, we decided that it was time to go hunting. Now that I have my weapons licence, I get to carry and fire guns... :D We started out with an impromptu demonstration of the Captain showing the ladies how to fire the rifles. Great big rifles being shot by women? BOUND to bring people to have a look. We went for a walk around the camp, which we said was our hunting trip. We were pretty much hunting for somewhere to fire the weapons is a "oh look, there's a duck!" kind of way. People cam running, I was carrying a Martini Henry Rifle, and one of the other ladies was carrying a shotgun. People came running to take photos. At an event dominated by men in uniform carrying weapons, seeing a lady in a bustle dress carrying the same is obviously really different!
And on that high, we ended our HIstory Alive weekend. It was probably the best by far that I've been to, and when the final canon fired, I felt bittersweet. Happy to be going home, but also sad that it was over. I had such a great time, that when I got home on Sunday night, I was BROKEN, but happily broken.
