Malta Regency Weekend 2016

In April I spent a lovely week in Malta with some friends. It is somewhere I have wanted to visit for a while, mainly because my father was born there and my grandmother talks about there time there quite a bit.  We spent most of our time in the city of Valletta. 

The Grand Harbour

A very picturesque street

Georgian playing card stamps

We wondered around quite a few lovely museums. In one we found a sedan chair which rather suited Zack's outfit. :)

Meditating in the garden

Taking a boat across the Grand Harbour

Another view of the Grand Harbour

Old Mint Street - the steepest street in Valletta. 

Next - Regency Malta :)

Waterloo 200 - The Battles

At last I have got around to the final post on Waterloo! The event started on the Tuesday but the actual battle re-enactments weren't until the weekend - the Friday and Saturday. The battlefield was so big that the whole event, camp and battle, took place on it, but were a good 20 mins walk apart!

The fabulous Aurora marching to battle (with my parasol :) ) 

The battle was held in the same place on both nights - a giant cornfield. Walking through it, to get to the camp followers viewing area, was... well interesting! I'm not sure if you have ever experienced walking through hip-high corn in an empire line gown!! It was a challenge to say the least!! :)

Camp followers viewing area.

Waiting for the battle to begin. The battle was essentially the same on both nights. However, viewing-wise the second one was much better as you could actually see what was going on (when there wasn't too much smoke!).  Unfortunately, on the first night, the soldiers were so far away from the spectators that smoke was all you could really see!!

The cavalry charging

British cavalry officer parading the captured French colours.

Firing the cannons!!

This was without a doubt the best reenactment that I have ever been too (despite the serious lack of traders/shops due to the extortionate price the organisers were charging for trader stands). The whole camp/battles were amazing, but it was definitely the people who made it. I saw so many friends from far and wide, many of whom I had no idea were going to attend, so it was such a wonderful surprise to see them all. 

I finish on a rather sad note, as I felt I couldn't write about Waterloo without mentioning the Canadian gentleman who very sadly died of a heart attack on the second day. None of my friends and I knew him, but it really shook everyone. It was so sad, but I hope he had a happy life, and I am glad that he was able to attend at least part of Waterloo 200, an event that (as a fellow Napoleonic reenactor) I can imagine he very much dreamed of being part of.

Jane Austen Festival 2013 - Part 4: Bea's Vintage Tearoom and the last few days of a week in the Regency.

New years resolution - write posts, at the latest, a week after an event, not 4 months later!!!!!

My final post on JAF 2013.

Towards the end of the week I decided to go back to Bea's Vintage Tearoom and have a proper afternoon tea. The food was delicious, as was the atmosphere - 40s music, books on the 40s for customers to read and a few lovely 40's dresses in cabinets on the walls. The only thing that could have been better was the cake, they had rather odd flavours, and no victoria sponge (a vintage tearoom which doesn't serve victoria sponge!!). Apart from the cake it was wonderful and I would definitely go there again. 

Another event I attended during the end of the week was a talk on using modern make up to get a regency look. 

It was very interesting. I am appalling at putting on make up so I learnt lots of useful tips. 

I also attended a talk on using modern scarfs to make Regency looking turbans. 

Different turban styles

It was great fun trying to make all the different styles of turbans.

Barbara looking very elegant. :) 

A rather blurry photo of me. :)

I also attended a dance workshop, another ball and a friend held a fabulous card party. Bizarrely I didn't take any photos! I must have been having too much fun to remember to take any! :) But Nora and Aurora have some lovely photos, of a few of the events, on their blogs. 

Hunton Court - Battle of the Nations

Last weekend I went to a Napoleonic reenactment at Hunton Court in Kent, Battle of the Nations. We all arrived on the Friday when the weather was hideous  - chucking it down with rain for the entire night and absolutely freezing...

 ..but everyone still managed to put their tents up. :)

After a freezing night where I wore 2 pairs of pyjamas, tights, long socks, stockings, an extra top, a cardigan, a hoody, and slept with 2 sleeping bags and a duvet, I woke up to a cold but sunny, and thankfully rain-free, Saturday!

The morning started with a presentation of the soldiers to the owner of Hunton Court. So all the soldiers lined up and marched from the campsite to the house.

Mine and Rosie's shadows in the sun. :) on our way to watch the march.

 Leah 

 In mine and my friends' reenactment groups the ladies (all that weren't dressed as soldiers) weren't technically invited to see the big house. But we really wanted to see it, so we joined the end of the march behind a group of French soldiers hoping no one would notice us! :)

Leah and Rosie lined up behind the French

Soldiers being inspected by the owner of the house.

Marching back to camp

With friends :)

Leslie, Rosie and Leah

I wore my new regency shirt (based on the one Romola Garai wore in 'Emma') which was beautifully made by Naomi at Historika, and my new pinky/red gown that I made. I attempted to do some hem tucks, and was very pleased with the outcome until I came to hem the gown. The tucks were wonky and as a result, at the back, half of them had to be folded up into the hem!! I really need to go on a sewing course!!!!!!!

After the march a few of us decided to visit the shops.

I love Maureen's basket backpack, very useful. :)

I stupidly didn't take any photos of the shops, I was too busy shopping. :) I bought a lovely regency apron. Well actually I ordered one. There was one for sale but it wasn't made of 100% cotton. Apparently it's really dangerous to wear any synthetic material too near a campfire as it could easily catch fire. So I asked for one to be made in 100% cotton. Hopefully it should arrive in the next week and a half. Will post photos when it does. :)

In the afternoon there was the big battle - British against the French ( and a few Americans). I don't think that there were any Americans in the Napoleonic wars. Though I could very easily be wrong as my knowledge of military history is pretty appalling.

Loading the canons. They were so load I jumped every time they went off!

The French fort.

British soldiers

French soldiers

The British soldiers in a line. As you can probably tell, as well as being bad at military history, my knowledge of the different French and British regiments is slim to none! 

After the battle

There was a man portraying a Napoleonic era surgeon, who was going to do a reenactment of a leg amputation for the public! Rosie was asked if she could pretend to faint during the "show". Leah and Leslie were to catch her and I was to fan her once she had fainted. Here we are practising, and trying very hard not to laugh! :)

 :)

:)

Leslie, Leah and Rosie in their camp. The are part of a different group to mine. But Rosie and Leah really kindly let me stay in their tent, as that weekend my group only had one tent between five of us!

The Saturday night was just as freezing as the Friday but I survived (one of the soldiers in my group kindly lent me his great coat! don't know what I would have done without it!). Sunday was lovely and warm and sunny. :)

Poor Leah woke up with sun stroke, the medical officer gave her a bottle of lucozade and told her too stay in the shade. So we all spent the morning relaxing in the shade. Leah and I had great fun playing Go-fish, using my 18th century style cards (their first proper outing :) ).

Despite turning my mobile off every night it still managed to run out of battery by the Sunday so I couldn't take any photos :( (Rosie took the one above). I really need to remember to take my camera to events!!

Overall I had a wonderful time (though my face got rather sunburnt!)