Running Quiet ?

 Regular readers may have noticed a lack of new commentaries here over the last month.

There has been a lot of 'desk work'. Which has been using up (limited?) brain power.

The first major project underway is consultations with Parks Canada on mounting a 10 day training program for the (manly new) staff at L'Anse aux Meadows NHSC. This includes preparing a working budget, session timetable with individual descriptions, at least outlining the logistics details of getting out there, time on the ground, then returning. The program involves three experienced members of DARC, and will cover general material culture and history of the Viking Age, living history interpretive methods, plus a slate of hands on skills.

Related to that project has been preparing recommendations and costing for replacement / extended replica woodworking and blacksmithing tools for use in the Encampment presentation there.

Readers will have seen the number of separate semi academic articles generated over the last six months detailing the ongoing experimental archaeology based on the bloomery iron site at Hals in Iceland (a series started in 2007). I was asked to contribute a paper to the upcoming volume 'Can These Bones Come to Life? : Insights from Reconstruction, Reenactment, and Re-creation'. The full text came to some 13,000 words, from which a second (slightly) smaller version was also prepared. The due date here was Dec 15. 

Earlier in the Fall, I was asked to become one of the chapter leaders for another book under preparation, 'Visiting the Past, A Reenactment Handbook', specifically the section dealing with 'Crafts - Making Objects'. Here I am working with two other well experienced interpreter / artisans as co-writers (this itself a new method for me). Although all that has been physically generated to date is a 500 word abstract, the process of working with a widely spread international team of writers has involved a large amount of raw discussions. Drafting out how to cover artifact to object,  through personal work, demonstration, to public participation while considering the huge range of possible mediums is a daunting task. Especially since our contribution limit is 5000 words.

In there earlier this month was undertaking my regular task of reviewing contributions to the EXARC Journal.

Just today, finished layout for the next quarterly issue of the Ontario Artisan Blacksmith's newsletter, the Iron Trillium. 

 

'We now return you to your regular programing...'