“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date” —
William Shakespeare
Welcome to May! It’s exciting to see our Kingdom rouse from its winter break. Today it’s early April and it’s below freezing here, but it’s spring. I can see new buds on all the trees and I’m even seeing a bit of green grass. Wondrous!
Speaking of change, I just got word from Inga Johansdottir that she’ll be accepting a Real World job that will take her to Ansteorra. I’d like to thank her for her service as South Oaken Regional Minister of Arts and Sciences. Her enthusiasm was infectious and she were always in the thick of getting things done. Thank you.
More change: Her Excellency Aliyah bat Asriel has been hard at work updating our Faire criteria and they’re ready to go. Look for our intrepid Faire Coordinator, Dame Roana, to make an announcement soon, probably before we go to print. Thanks, Faire Team! I can’t wait to see what all your entries will be.
Warmer weather means camping, which means I ponder: How would Tommaso have camped? Would he, on dry land, always sleep in a building after months at sea? Would he go afield? On a campaign? A pilgrimage? For any of these things, what were his sleeping arrangements? A bedroll? What’s IS a bedroll anyway? We toss that word around, but what did it mean during your persona’s when/where? Were they wealthy enough to carry a bed on a wagon? Did they sleep only with what they could carry? Did they travel with servants? I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to getting back to events, especially Faire and Pennsic.
In service,
Tommaso Franceschi, OL
Minister of Arts & Sciences of the Middle Kingdom