Riding in Cars with Swedes: Double Wars Edition

 

It's a trap

The title is a misnomer. I rode in two cars, neither of which had Swedes in them but did have loads of people who live in Ireland, only one of whom was actually Irish. That sounds like a really complicated brain teaser, but it was actually great (and I am grateful, because those car trips were both to and from Copenhagen airport, which meant having company and also not having to sort out trains). 

This post isn't about the cars, though. It's about spending a week in southern Sweden with 350 people at what is basically Medieval Summer Camp. It's about in-jokes that will probably last for the rest of my life (To Admiral Lord Nelson!). And, as with many things in my life, it's about cheese.

It was my first Double Wars, and – weirdly – my first ever full-week event. Ten days. I kind of thought that I would lose interest in the middle, or that it would feel interminable, but neither of those things happened. It helped that I stayed in a cabin with people I knew, especially on Torrential Downpour Day, and that the cabin was very near the building where the food happened (and the flush toilets that I swear I only used a few times rather than go all the way up to the outhouse).

There's a gentleness to events like this. There's no rush to try and say 'hello' to everyone because you only have 24 hours. There's air in the schedule. Courts are short, because there's going to be more than one. There's time to sit on blankets in the sunshine and work on projects, drink Prosecco, and eat cheese. More than once, even. There's time to catch up with people you don't see very often. There's time to take a class or two. There's time to shop on Market Day and buy wool you don't need and a straw hat you do (and that fits in your case so you don't have to wear it on the plane). There's time to get to know people better and well. 

Vigils happened - my first as a Peer. Peerage meetings happened - also my first as a Peer. I was able to go into Court when the Order was called in, and not feel too weird about it. I feel like this was a good event to begin with all of that. Expectations are low, and there was time to get used to having to correct people about my title all the time (Magnifica, in case you wondered). 

I spent time in the kitchen (don't fall over from shock), both working a couple of Brunch shifts and once as the Saturday Kitchen Head. It seemed a bit nuts to run a kitchen at my first time there, but it worked out OK. The only things that died were the veggie patties that I accidentally incinerated because I got distracted and forgot they were in a really hot oven. 

I taught my Perfectly Period Party Platters class in person for the first time. The benefit to this is that at the end of it, everyone gets to eat cheese (which I'm pretty sure is what they all showed up for in the first place, but I made them sit through me talking for a half-hour first). It reminded me that I don't enjoy teaching classes, with everyone just...looking...at you... They seemed to enjoy it, though, so there's that. I do think I'll return to publishing my research (and I am researching) instead of presenting it. I'm more comfortable in this medium.

Time did that weird thing where at the start of the week it felt like you had ages, but by the end of the week you wondered how there was so little of it left. But it was rich time. Full time. Ill-advised drinking games and making loads of new friends time. 

Magic time.