Yule celebration with the weirdos

 Okay, I admit, it´s a bit overdue. Okay, I am a lazy bum.;-D

How swiftly I remember, it was on 20th of December, and each separate dying ember ;-) sprang up anew or so. I had organized a wild pig for the party, booked the place, a beautiful location at the Forest Ranger Station and sustainability centre, and told the weirdos they could come along. We organized some good food and tasty drinks (25 l of home - brewed mead anyone;-)?). Everyone brought some more food and more drinks and a lot of fun along.

Of course it was raining and hailing cats and dogs and wild pigs. So props to Nick, who  kept his composure, even if it was in desperate need of a lot of alcohol that he managed to keep calm;-).

 Let me introduce you to Ingo, the dead pig.

We met at 11 am and first enjoyed a healthy breakfast with sausage, tea, and coffee...

  and bannock, of course.

 We kept the fire roaring but did not realize it was only slightly warm up there for Ingo. We had stuffed him with a filling with maroons, baked plums, celary, carrots, onions, a lot of garlic, honey and wheat. Turned out the filling was a bit English still, but the meat was really excellent.

 Kathrin enjoyed herself, I guess;-). We had spiced hot wine and apple juice with spices and mead and coffee.

 And we had a steady provision of food;-) man, I was that stuffed in the end, I had problems to walk!

 Peter and Olaf dropped by in full Viking attire.

The whole day through we talked and joked and had a watch over Ingo, who was slowly roasting at low temperature. You know what that meant...;-)

Chatting, cooking and eating...

 It was a friendly atmosphere the whole day through, with aload of different people.

 Levin and Manu, Nick and Irmy then brought out the instruments and had a session.

Then we had a feast on roast wild pig and drank and chatted the night away. Of course the numbers did not add up when payment arose, but the great day and company made up for it. It was well in the night, when Nick, Kathrin and I made for the long hike home.

And I will thrive on the memory for years to come.

Viking riding, viking shopping, viking hiking, viking cuties:-)

 Now it ahs been simmering a while, but everything turned out really great, I got a day off on Saturday, the weather was great to boot, so I saddled my steed and set out to make the road to Bottrop to... tadah... meet with Drui, the closest person to my heart, and the friend of my soul I have finally found:-), and with Frau Mondjung, her best friend and soulsister. Now they do viking reenactment (not bothering me any:-)).
Of course, I ventured off course, and got completely lost on the way to Bottrop and back, so I rode some 220 km that day, mind you, I was a tiny bit fatigued:-), but also proud and really, really happy that I did it... and not for the achievement.
You see, the vikings wore no horns on their helmets, and after Ibn Fadhlan or was that Al-Biruni???they were armed with a sword, an axe, a dagger and a seax, a shield and a spear, could drink whole barrels of mead, and cleave open an armoured opponent with a single blow... and that were but the women...*ggg*

Frau Mondjung had a somewhat aggressive air to her, but after we talked about it over a cup of camomile tea, it faded enough to stop her biting anyone´s ankle*ggg*. I am kidding, of course, for I was so warmly welcomed I felt right at home with these really, really nice people. And I felt really privileged, and I sincerely hope, we can call each other friends some day.

 :-)MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

 Then we visited the medieval crafts fair "Michaelis-Markt" in Bottrop city, to get in some "viking shopping" as the girls like to call it... somehow the term brought up images of great axes, warcries and broadswords to my mind, but it all went surprisingly civilized, apart from some abject scheming of childlike characteristics to talk the poor male companion into buying some really great amberware:*ggg*. But I freely admit, I would have done so, either*ggg*.

 Now THAT´s some skill, eh?*ggg*

 I really love amber myself. I like the warm and radiant colour, the feel, and the properties of it.

 Real treasures for sale on that booth, and a very friendly and competent merchant, too.

 ...

 ...

 Now these are a great idea, if you ask me, jewellry out of leather and amber. I like that, and MAYBE I ´LL TRY THAT MYSELF*ggg*.

 ...checking the dough:-)...

 This one I really liked. Silver and amber, beautiful.

And here I got another job from my betters:-), just at this moment, exactly. We then strolled around the aisles, and met some friends of Drui´s and Frau Mondjung´s, more great people still.


By that time the sun was sinking, and I had to ride home, quite shot in the head:-). Thanks, my dears, for that warm welcome, and a drink of cool water after many miles.

And, my dearest, thanks for having tumbled into my life anyway.*ggg*.Yap, I said that again, but I never tire of it. Cry "STOP!!!!" if it gets unnerving*ggggggg*...

It was late in the evening, when I reached Witten, for I messed up again,as I said, and I paused on the bike lane to Hagen to have some thoroughly needed carbohydrates and some water. The stars were out over the Ruhr valley, and there were some wild geese and water birds stirring ever so faintly. An owl cried, and I sat there, as happy as I have not been for years.