A Year in the Life . . .

The long march of Winter and the close season progresses. But there's always training, and that new item of kit...Preparation

Speaking of kit - never open your mouth and do it properly the first time. It saves on embarressment...A Digression

The season commences in earnest - and what better way to start it than by knocking seven bells out of your mates with no public about...A cold field all to ourselves!

It comes to us all - time to meet the public...A warmer field in Dorset

Undaunted by the public - time to face a tougher challenge altogether...Educating Rita

Life's not all roses - beware the dreaded drink...The Village Fair

We've now reached the show that inspired me to join - but take the stories of the "old timers" with a pinch of salt...Full Circle

There's an old adage in life that's just as true in re-enactment - everything comes to he who waits. We'll we've reached the end of my first full season and the end of this years "shows", and the season saved the best till last...Season's Swansong

Addendum - 14th December 1999

That's it. No more re-writing. I had promised Carole that I'd let her proof it. But life has been hectic of late. Sick relatives. Sick me (one of the prices of having infant children is that they carry germs like nobody's business!) and a major amount of interior decorating (now 98% finished) has resulted in me missing several battle practises and numerous Tuesday evenings of role-playing. I did manage to get back for the emergency Witan meeting.

My group leader might possibly be thinking that I've lost that early enthusiasm. Well, it would be tempting to think that on a cold Tuesday evening with one's nose streaming with a cold (still!) and perhaps at the moment I have lost a bit of the old spark. But there has been a lot to do at home and the majority of it did (and will still do) come before Regia.

Fortunately, as I have said, the majority of it has been done. There's only Christmas to get through and I can (as can we all) relax in the glorious newness of the year 2000.

See you next year.

Alan Tidy (a.k.a. ULF)