[Sca-cooks] Re:elevations drive by surprises

[Sharron Albert]

I got my pelican in AS XVI, when I think pretty much all peerages 
were surprises. And only rarely did a king come all the way north to 
Winter's Gate (Fairbanks, Alaska). I had been cooking literally all 
day, and had had several conferences with His Majesty during the 
previous couple days He was here about what awards to give to other 
people (was a founding member and seneschale), so you can imagine my 
surprise when I was called up at the end of a long court, divested of 
my much-earned bowl of ice cream, and then struck dumb (I am seldom 
speechless) when I realized what was going on (luckily, I had seen a 
mere few peerage ceremonies before so I understood what was going 
on). Knowing that practically everyone in my local group and some 
from other places about Oertha-to-be had made recommendations made it 
quite special.

But now, should I ever get good enough at anything in particular to 
earn a laurel, I think I should like to do a vigil. Funny how things 
change over the years...

Surprises can still be good, but only if it is really known they want 
it. I had a protege once, and we'd had that discussion on and off. He 
was also possibly a laurel (brewing) and a knight. I questioned him 
about every six months about it. So when he got his pelican, he got 
surprised, as he'd repeatedly stated. He only wanted to vigil if he 
ever got knighted. But when in doubt, ask, is a very good policy.

Recently we had a new bird added at coronet in January, and the King 
was minded to surprise her at court when he asked her if she wished 
to join. We in the council circle all counseled otherwise, so she was 
tricked into the meeting, and then asked. As we suspected, she 
collapsed in tears of surprise. It would have been far more difficult 
for her at court. You just gotta know your candidate (G). Her 
ceremony on Sunday went very well, I am pleased to say.

Morgana
-- 

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Morgana yr Oerfa, OP
Winter's Gate/Oertha/West
Per saltire gules and sable, in pale two mullets and
in fess an increscent	 and a decrescent argent.

"Springtime returned... Woods were tinged with a colour
so soft, so subtle that it could scarcely be said to be a
colour at all. It was more the idea of a colour -- as if the
trees were dreaming green dreams or thinking green thoughts."
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell