Viking Weekend Away

I love getting away for a weekend now and again... This weekend just gone I managed to find some free time and head on up to York to meet with some friends and stay in a Viking Village, yup you read this right, a Viking village!

In order to go, I had to make a traditional Viking outfit, an under-dress , an over-dress out of wool and a pinafore. For those of you who don't know me, I never wear skirts let alone dresses so having to make and wear all of this was a but nerve wracking. Never the less I managed to make my outfit and surprisingly enough it fitted quite well.

On Friday afternoon, I pack up the car and set off. The M1 was packed (for some reason, I think it had something to do with the half term holidays)  so instead of three hours, it took five. I got there just as the sun was setting, luckily I could just about see where I was walking and the site owner had left on the security lights for those of us who came late.

I moved in to my little house. I just dumped everything on to the table and started to unpack, the bedding was first, then the cast iron pots and pans and then the dresses. I was still in normal clothes. After getting everything unpacked and put away I needed to get a fire going. The Vikings had central heating... it was a fire in the middle of the room! Gary, the organiser for the weekend has given us a quick tour of the place before the sun had gone down so I went off to go and get some wood.

Getting the fire going was tricky, I'm used to making fire from damp wood in the open air, but an indoor fire is different. For a start you need much more dry wood than you would normally have to use, the logs need to be further apart and it gets very smoky, very fast, especially if the wood you are burning is Leylandii.

Russ and Gary came over to see if I was sorted, went away again and came back with some really dry wood. The fire flared up and there was enough heat to drive the smoke up instead of all over the place. I was very grateful I can tell you.

I spent time renewing old friendships and making new ones, it was good.

I went to bed at about 11pm but even with the fire it was so cold I barely got time to sleep. I went out frequently for more wood, the cold makes it burn faster. I didn't sleep well at all.

The next day, none of us had had much sleep but we had to prepare the houses for the public. Those of us who weren't in Viking dress got changes and any modern looking equipment had to be hidden under blankets or in hidey holes. This was part of the agreement for us to use the site.

I had a fried egg for breakfast and some toast from a loaf I had made on Friday morning. It tasted fantastic, food always does outdoors!

We spent the day just chilling out tending the fire, splitting wood and generally chatting. Mary taught us how to tablet weave, Xylaria showed me a new naalbinding stitch and we just spent the day having fun!

That night we all went to the long house, Gary told us an amazing story, the fire was roaring and various home brews were passed around.

Sunday came too soon. Everyone started to pack away, I was making my breakfast when I accidentally dropped the spatula into the hot fat and splashed my hand. It seriously hurt. I quickly put some Aloe Vera gel on it. And spent the rest of the day re-applying it and blowing on it as it started to warm up. Aloe Vera is amazing! I tried to put stuff away but every time I tried I would knock my had or have to stop because the gel would need to be refreshed. Gary had mentioned that he would be staying over for that night and leaving on the Monday. I asked if I could stay as well. I needed an extra day for the blisters to pop and start to heal.

That evening after everyone had gone, Ii had dinner with Gary and Debbie in the Gruben House, we all went to bed at about ten.

Monday came and the blisters had popped and started to heal, I couldn't feel any pain from then and as there was a lot of people coming in to the site, we couldn't really pack up until four. I spent most of the day just relaxing, tending the fire and demonstrating the drop spindle.

At four, we start to pack up, my had just feels like I've got a paper cut  by now, it would've been better but I kept catching it with the carders :(

We leave the site at 4:45pm and set off home, dirty, smelling of smoke and really chilled out!

It was a most excellent week end away!

 

If you would like to see more or read more about this weekend, please head on over here.