Back from Caldicot and exhausted but they were right - it was fun. If the public come across it by accident they're welcome to watch but it's not advertised and is really just an end of season bash set up for the reenactors. It wasn't the least bit authentic with every period represented from vikings to sixteenth century knights, no 'story' and the combatants broken up very roughly in two groups randomly referred to as English or Welsh. I didn't fight well on Saturday but on Sunday I took to the field with the two-handed sword and it was much better and great fun. Rather than dispersing randomly as is the usual DDS "strategy" we picked opposing groups to maul, regrouped, picked another group and so on. We even set up a snatch squad and kidnapped big Martin midway through the fight. He enjoyed the theatre of it and agreed to pay a ransom of five packs of his (very nice) fruit leathers which we munched away on all the way home in the minibus. The fruits of victory...

In other news I've been offered a job! The interview on Friday went well but they offered the position to the internal candidate (who was eminently qualified and already covering the work) and I've been offered his old job. So, very shortly I'll be employed as a cataloguer at Napier Uni.