SO. I am really bad at this whole blogging thing. Even on Facebook I'm bad at it. I will try to be better!

WHAT I HAVE BEEN UP TO:
Harpery -- been playing and practicing a LOT and learning new tunes! As things have been opening back up event-wise I have been bringing my wee harp, though I haven't gathered the courage to play it for anyone yet in public. XD Soon though! I have a pretty solid repertoire of tunes in hand, about five of them that just need a bit more practice and polish before they're performance-ready. I'm still studying with Mistress Telynor too, and we've been working out arrangements for some of those tunes together. ^__^

Scribalry -- been keeping my hand in here too! That "big seekrit project" I was working on when last I posted was a County scroll for Grand Contessa Vera upon stepping down as "plague Queen"; I did the bar and ivy frame for this overall spectacular scroll, and Vera suitably lost her shit over it. <3 I've been doing other scrolls too, mainly replacements for people who lost their original scrolls in fires and such -- working on the second such of these now.

Etc -- I wrote a paper (that's eventually going to be a class) on the medieval harp in the British Isles and entered it in the Wreath of Athena display/competition at Crown a couple weeks ago. I CAME IN SECOND!!! My first time ever doing such a thing -- I am still basking in the afterglow. XD I also researched and am registering a good new name, keeping the Ommadan part (as I've been known as such ever since I started playing in 1975, when heraldic things were much less... accuracy-informed XD). It's being decided even as I type -- hopefully it will go through!

Other than that, I'm considering applying to/volunteering for an office (either as Seneschal or Exchequer) within the Province of the Mists, which is starving for officers and in danger of going into abeyance as people move out of the very expensive Berkeley area. I would hate to see the birthplace of the SCA become inactive as an official group. Working on an SCA resume toward this end; we shall see what comes of it!

And I think that's everything up to now...

And I'm kinda proud of it XD This is an Award of Arms scroll for a gentle in the Far West who does brewing. His name is German, so I went with a late period German style. I'm especially proud of the cadel I did, entirely painted with gold gouache. And it's on an 8.5x11 sheet of pergamenata, which is devilishly hard to paint on -- you have to use very dry paint and brushes so the perg doesn't warp or buckle from the wet.



And a closeup of the cadel ^__^ It looks like ombre, but it's just the lighting XD (I'm not THAT good XD)



It just needs the royal signatures and seal and it'll be ready to go to the recipient. ^__^

Greetings! My name in the SCA is Nadbroicc inigena Druisten (pronounced vaguely like NAWDbrick INNYgena DRISTden), aka Mouse. And I'm a harper who is relearning the wire-strung Gaelic harp, or clairseach! And I'm an old used scribe too! And a former herald who's looking to learn more! Persona-wise, I am a retired 5th c. Pictish warrior of the Catt tribe from Inse Catt (the Shetlands) who once raided as far as Dal Riada, and earned the nickname an Luch (the Mouse) because I am wee but fierce. I content myself these days with music and relearning to play my wee harp. SCA-wise, I'm a Companion of the Order of the Maunche (grant-level East Kingdom arts & sciences award; mine was earned in "Diverse Arts"). XD I currently live in the Barony of Nordskogen, Kingdom of Northshield, but I have lived in Caid, the East, the West, the Outlands when it was a principality of Atenveldt, the Middle, Meridies, and Drachenwald when it was a protectorate/principality of the East Kingdom. Yes, I am very well-travelled! I have been playing in the SCA since AS X, when I was known as Ommadan (names were a different beast back then XD). That makes me a bit of a geezer, but hey, I own that.

This journal is largely to document my endeavors in getting my harp playable again and relearning how to play. It'll also be my home for SCA stuff in general -- scribalry, heraldry, life events, like that. For more random witterings about the SCA and harpery etc., I have a Facebook page here. I also have an SCA resume here.

Welcome, have a seat and a cuppa! XD

As I said in my last post, HOLY CROW IT'S BEEN AWHILE, HASN'T IT. A lot has transpired between then and now: for one thing, I'm now living in the West Kingdom, in the Province of the Mists -- basically where the SCA was started back in 1966. Pretty cool, huh? I've made some connections here, though I've been functionally car-less since the beginning of October so I haven't been able to develop those connections as much as I'd have liked to thus far. Hopefully that situation will be resolved soon, and I can get back to playing!

ANYWAY, I have some scrolls to post that I finished before I left the East Kingdom, and those will go up in a few days. To tide you over, though, I have a close up of the final version of the faux Arabic/Mamluk hand I developed for my first scroll. Click on the little image to get to a big image.



I hope all y'all have been well! <3

So a couple weekends ago I drove up to the Boston area to attend the Great Quintavian Iron Scribe Competition! A garb-optional event, it was really more like Great British Bake Off than anything; you entered into one of three categories, were given an exemplar to work from, and a time limit. Your piece was judged and you were awarded a prize! I had SO MUCH FUN. I entered in the Illumination category, cause I don't think my calligraphy is up to snuff, but I really should have done that too. XD

ANYWAY, I chose a bit of Italian white vine to do, just because I need work on that style. I placed third! ^__^ Here's what I did:



I'm going to finish it eventually and hand it in as a scroll blank. I hope there are more events like this in the East!

Before I post any of my scribal work, I came across a game today that was made just for scribes! It's called Inkulinati and it's coming soon to Steam. It looks hilarious and fun, and FINALLY I have an excuse/reason to install Steam on my laptop! XD