Tanka challenge 4/7/12 and 4/8/12

(Go me, I didn't misplace it!)

The sky blazes blue
While all around the list field
Banners wave gaily.
I sigh at their fluttering,
Wishing I had brought a kite.

******************

A golden moon crests
The hilltop as we crowd in
Close to the night's fire.
Leaning back, we point and wave
at Orion and the Bear.

Weekend wrap up

It was a highly social weekend. Ended up sharing meals with the deCorwyn(Miyake) and Toad Hall crew. When they invited me Friday night, I headed back in to town to pick up some more salmon to grill for Saturday dinner, it being $5.99/pound and looking beautiful.  Of course, they all protested that there was a ton of food to go around, but I like to be able to contribute.

I was standing around the fire when His Highness Ajax came over, to be plied with cake by Mistress Geraldine. He greeted everyone, then peered across and said, "You're her."* I owned up. He told me he knew the lady who did my Laurel scroll, danabren.

*I've been getting the "Your her" treatment for years, but since Twelfth Night, even more so. People I've seen around but don't know by name now say hello or congratulate me. It doesn't help that it takes a few times for names to stick in my sievelike brain, but being the rare and exotic Japanese is a huge difference from being Just Another Middle Aged Lady In A Veil And Cotehardie.

Only had a couple takers for tea on Saturday morning, but that's OK. A lot of people day-tripped the event, and I was happy enough to drink the sencha cold all day, alternating with water.

I appear to have dumped a bit of weight since I made my Nara outfit - I put it on Saturday morning after breakfast and the skirt was too big. I'm going to have to scootch a couple pleats so I can tie it properly again, but in the meantime made do with a safety pin. I'm also going to have to tweak the uwaginu for better fit. And the darn shoes will need re-gluing again. Still, I'm getting to like wearing it and may at least make another uwaginu to coordinate with the rest.

So yeah, mostly swanned around looking confusingly Chinese to most of my friends. I piled the kasutera on a tray and did a slow lap around the list field late in the tourney, sugaring up the Principality and dutifully reciting the brief ingredient list because one never knows who is avoiding gluten or sugar. Everyone seemed to like it and the tray was empty by the time I got back to my camp.

When I offered a piece to His Majesty, he said some nice things about my speaking for Li's knighting. I'm an exemplar now. I mean, I knew I was before, but whoa. And Anne came over this morning to ask if she could give my contact information to someone local to her who is new and wants to do Japanese. Which doesn't mean I don't still have to come home and do my own mending and laundry, but it's nice to be appreciated.

Things wound down early today: as mentioned, a lot of folks day tripped, and Their Highnesses cancelled final court. Got packed down, gave the Miyakes a hand and a bunch of us ended up stopping for lunch at a place called Famous Dave's for barbecue before heading home. My Easter dinner was brisket, cole slaw, corn bread and fries.