The re-enactors came down for the day - everyone went to stay up at the farm near Ledbury, and came down to Hay this morning. The plan was to have some concentrated weapons practice before the season starts, without giving anyone the chance to sneak off for a cup of tea and a chat half way through. We went down to the meadow on the Offa's Dyke path, with the dogs, and some biscuits and bottles of pop - and the swords and spears and daggers and gambesons (padded jackets that are usually worn under chainmail - though we were just wearing the gambies today) and helmets and gloves. We do try to be safety conscious. The swords may not be sharp, but they are still lumps of steel that can travel quite fast, and occasionally injuries can happen.
No bruises today, though - just a glorious blue sky, with a buzzard wheeling overhead, five dogs rootling around in the undergrowth, hoping for rabbits, or moles, and a good time was had by all.
That includes the family who walked by while we were practicing - we ended up showing the three young boys, and some of the adults, how to use the swords properly.
We finished off the afternoon at the Granary, with a meal and a beer (mmm, Dorothy Goodbody's).
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