[Sca-cooks] Drakes laurelling... my version

[Robyn.Hodgkin at affa.gov.au]

Well since the luscious Mari has been preoccupied and Drake is being charmingly modest about his laurelling, I might as well step in and tell you about it from my perspective.  I warn you, its long!

You thought that the movie "Ben Hur" was big?  It was nothing on this!

The whole shebang started way back months before the Big Day.  Drake's got plans you see...

A great new Elizabethan outfit, all in black velvet. Yes he knows it is going to be in November (SUMMER) in Sydney, but hey this is a laurelling, so practicality has nothing to do with it really. Of course the planning is all happening in late winter, so you can kind of forgive it.  The search for high quality black velvet starts and soon spreads all the way across Lochac. Eventually a kind Stormholder sends a parcel of velvet to Politarchopolis.  Drake visits Lady Leonie to pattern out a shirt, and Mistress Mathilde to pattern out the costume itself. Drake buys vast amounts of odd silver cord.

At this point I am most impressed by how organised Drake is being; after all it is only August and he has patterns completed for both shirt and doublet!

Who is planning on sewing all this fancy cord on? I innocently ask.  "Oh, I am" says Drake, "Can I use your sewing machine for sewing?".  I agree, but a couple of weeks pass and I am off to New Zealand for two weeks at the beginning of September. So I give Drake a key so he can let himself in to do sewing while I am away. I return, and, due mainly to his work being frantically busy, nothing has been done.  Not to worry, either it will all get done in the next week or so, or at a pinch it can be a simple plain black elizabethan.

Of course I am catering a ball, and being celebrant for a wedding and, and, and, so don't ask him about the actual sewing; I thought Leonie was doing the sewing.

Time passes; the plans grow... there is going to be a canopy, made by his future apprentice. Its going to be carried by two 'brewing' laurels at the front (the past) and his two soon-to-be apprentices at the back (the future). Drake has plans drawn up.

He has a period fealty oath he wants to use.  I am going to be the herald.  The oath is in middle english.  No problems.  But we have to rewrite the rest of the ceremony to fit it in. We can do that. Drake is still working loong hours and is now squeezing in multiple driving lessons each week, with an instructor, and driving practice with me.

Mari emails me "what would be a good laurelling present?".  A cushion for Drakes fabulous new period repro chair.  While visiting Drake I sneak out measuring tape and measure the seat, and email to Mari.

Drake gets his drivers licence!

Drake now has a medallion organised.  And a chain.  And another medallion and fealty chain which I am putting together for him.  Oh and there is going to be lots of free booze given away.  Drake starts a new brew.  But has he started the costume?  He asks to borrow my wooden bucket; he is going to have a little girl throwing rose petals out of the bucket.

Drake dyes his hands green while making apprentice belts. I persuade him not to put straight bleach onto his hands, and in fact to put moisturiser on as he has already taken to his hands with steel wool.  <sigh>

He comes over to my house and gets me to help him sew blackworking on his collars and cuffs. He arranges to take the week off before the day to do odds and ends.  The big day is about 2 weeks away. He hasn't started the costume. Lady Oonagh asks him about how it is all going and he tells her that it hasn't been started. She very very kindly offers to make it for him.  What a gem she is!

I get a phone call from Drake; he doesn't have a site for his vigil. Neither of us really knows what suburbs are close to the one we are staying in or the event we are going to.  Drake asks me if I can find something. I make some calls and find him a hall. Then we discover there is a large deposit, and a pile of forms to fill. I make more calls and find a smaller cheaper hall, with less fuss.

The next 5 days are a frenzy of preparations.  Oonagh is sewing till 3am, Drake is falling asleep over his needle. (Oonagh makes him do handsewing, good on her, but kindly sewed his buttons on)  They don't have enough fabric.  I have some black velvet set aside for a future dress which I donate to the cause.  Thursday night before he and I head to Sydney, I get a phone call from Oonagh, asking me to drop over on the way home from work.  I arrive, and there he is.  He is in black velvet doublet and trunks all sewn with silver braid (Oonagh's own braid in the end, rather than the stuff he had bought), cap on his head, draped with pearls, and looking very dashing indeed.

We each pack all night, I get to bed around 4 am.  7.30 am and Drake arrives to pick me up, and has to wake me up.  He laughs at me a lot for being bleary eyed and grumpy.

Drake does most of the drive to Sydney; a year ago I don't think he would have even dreamed that he would be actually driving to his own laurelling. I do most of the driving in Sydney.  We drop past a bead warehouse out of which Drake has to just about pry me.  It is 42 degrees C outside; (thats about 114F). The airconditioning in the car doesn't work. :( Its probably about 48 C in the car.  We pull up at the Council hall.

Once there, they ask us to provide copy of the SCA insurance certificate, which of course we didn't know they wanted.  They give me a form to sign.  I read the conditions of hire, which include "no alcohol without permission".  Oh bugger.  How do you have a brewing laurel's vigil without alcohol?  I sign the form and we determine to be very discrete and to head back to the hotel after the first bit of the vigil for a more casual drinking session. Off to the shops for a bite of lunch and buying of ice.

We head to the hotel.  There is a pool, but it hasn't been cleaned this year. The room smells foully of cigarette smoke and neither of us are willing to stay in it. We ask for another room, and after the fourth attempt find one reasonably ok; it does cost more though.  The beds are saggy; Drake is a gentlman though and says I can have the 'queen' bed and he will take the single.  At least there is airconditioning, blissful cool. The shower cubicle is quickly filled up with kegs and bottles and ice put in around them.  Who needs a shower anyway?

We relax for a bit, then Mari joins us and we head out to the shops, where we spend vast amounts on nibblies and roses. Drake decides small child will hand out roses rather than just chucking rose petals about.

We head to the hall and set up.  Fail to find the air conditioning control, so the people in the 4wd club next door are nice and cool, while we bake.  I go back to the hotel, pick up dinner and return to discover nothing happening.   I start assembling Drakes chain.  There are laurels all around, but noone willing to actually do anything. Drake asks me to get things going so I kind of start getting the laurels present to say why they consider Drake to be their peer, then move on to the other peers, then to the non-peers.

Time flies and it is already time to get out of the hall.  With typical SCA efficiency we clean up and get out. I close up the hall and return to the hotel. Everyone is sitting by the pool, which is still filthy (despite being told they were planning to clean it during the day), and of course noone is talking. I ask Drake if he wants to talk more Laurel stuff and he says yes.  Out of the following few hours of discussion, some interesting points are raised. Sadly most of the vigil is best forgotten for reasons best left unsaid.  But after almost everyone had gone a core of die-hard natterers head to Drake and my room to talk. We chat and talk and argue and wave our hands around until Drake pleads for us to stop so he can get to sleep. Man it is only about 4am, these Laurel types, no stamina.  <grin>

We are up and about by about 8am. It is a slightly cooler day today, around 35 C (100F).  The day at the event passes in a blur of discussions, classes and meetings.  I give a talk on voice projection which was a hoot. Drake gives classes in brewing and spices, as well as having a meeting of the BVIG.  What a wonderful Laurel he will be!  Its good because it keeps him busy and stops him flapping too much. Lunch is ok, and the cooks were very smart and put out heaps of water and cordial. This part of the event is not costumed for which we are all truly grateful.

We head back to the hotel to get changed into garb. I left the airconditioning on which was a beautiful thing to walk into.  Drake's apprentice arrives to help him get garbed. Once all dressed up he looks very dashing AND HOT indeed.

Once at the event, we await the arrival of the King and Queen, who arrive pretty much on time, and have to have a meeting before court.  I need to talk to them because the Crux Australis herald has just broken the news to me that I am doing the whole court not just the Laurelling ceremony.  <shrugs> it's all good.

We hear from someone that two people from the event, staying in our Hotel have had their room burgled.  We put out a plea to the populace for anyone who might be able to spare some sort of garb to lend so they can at least come to the court for the Laurelling. Drake and I panic over our stuff, and Master Stephen goes back to the hotel to rescue Drakes computer and my fealty chain stock. I consult with their Majesties and we decide to have the entry parade, but then have the first course and court after that to give these people a chance to be there.

In the end, they get back almost all their stuff; the burglar's girlfriend dobs him in and helps the police find the stuff. Phew.

In the meantime Drake is being nervous for an extra hour, and steaming gently like fresh asparagras in his outfit.  None of us can persuade him to so much as open the buttons on his doublet or take his hat off. Drake... Brewing Laurel and Fashion Victim.  At last court starts. (I let the local herald do some of the items of court; it was his first every court and I was most proud of how well he did)

At last the members of the Order of the Laurel are called and then Drake, accompanied by the lovely Mari.  I didn't get to see much of this bit, as I was concentrating on heralding, but they looked pretty good.  Apparently Sian (little girl) was gorgeous and handed out roses very prettily.

Mistress Mathilde and Master Gunnric both spoke for Drake, and much subtle mention was made of the lessons that Drake has learnt over the years... the correct use of an awl, a needle, leaving windows open when sterilising etc. Those of us with knowledge of Drake's past mishaps were most amused.

Drake's medallion has a glorious history which he can relate to you as I know it not, bar knowing that it past through the hands of various respected cooking laurels.  Drake's chain came from Mistress Monique de la Maison Rouge, and before her it was mine.  Drakes new chain contained links as gifts from both my and Mistress Filipa Genevra Francesca di Lusignano's fealty chain, and also was given links by I believe Mistress Nicolette and Master Gwynfor Lwd.

The cheers from the populace were resounding and much rejoicing took place.  We still couldn't get Drake to open his doublet, and now he was wearing the laurel cloak on top of his outfit, but he was so dazed and happy he didn't seem to notice the heat. His friends just kept filling his cup with water so he wouldn't expire.

I have been the herald for many peerages now, including my own apprentice's laurelling, and this was one of the most joyous.  People had flown in from all over Lochac to be there to celebrate and congratulate Drake.  I am so proud that I could be a small part of the ceremony and the occasion.

Mistress Kiriel du Papillon, OP

Morag used my camera to take a few shots of the Laurelling before their Majesties requested no flash - they aren't brilliant, but considering she hadn't ever used the camera before, they are not too bad.  They are online at:

http://www.clubphoto.com/reward.php?id=993143&mid=members12_kiriel629968&pwd=