Symposium Weekend - November 2011

By Steve Senior

November saw another well-attended training event at Leighton Buzzard, with 12 HA members including Steve, Jax, Andy, Elaine, Nadeem, Jeff, Tammy, Hywel, Alan, Glen, Ed and George, plus Fraser the rabbit all taking part in the fun mix of friendship, fettling and feasting (although I was not aware of Fraser actually doing any fettling).

Another activity that was noticeable by its absence was any form of training, as it was equally absent from all previous weekends at Leighton Buzzard. Whilst it is the intention to re-establish a training session at these events from March 2012, a decision was taken to rename the events to more accurately reflect what actually happens. So henceforth they will be called “symposium weekends” and the dates for all four next year are now posted on the website.

At this event once again the command tent dominated the wooden hall and many members took turns to crouch or lie on the floor, meticulously painting the 1cm squares and key pattern. One whole side is now finished, at an average of 3 person hours per panel, so at this rate the key and chequered border pattern should all be finished during next March and April. This will leave only the front and back awning designs and the 18 inch-high cranes on alternate panels all around still to do.

On the subject of tents, congratulations to Hywel and Steph who have ordered their own authentic tent and will be joining the happy throng on the authentic site next year. There is no word yet as whether this new tent will require painting at future symposiums, but what is sure is that the ever expanding HA tentage will require more space at events.

Of course we did achieve a lot more than just painting the command tent. The “Eryie” hall witnessed Nadeem make himself a wonderful pair of Persian shoes, which Khushmasta looked on with envy and Datis naturally assumed (wrongly as it turned out) were being made for him.

Andy and Alan worked on covering Alan’s beautifully made pelta with leather, whilst Elaine and others made some new rocks for our peltasts and levies to use next year.
Steve and Andy discussed design and construction of Apollonios’ Etruscan/Greek linothorax; Ed introduced us to his character ‘Epeios’ and showed off his new kranos stand, made for his birthday by his brother George, who himself showed off his character’s aspis design. Jeff amazed many of us with a demonstration of Theolytas’ skills as a slinger, lobbing a succession of golf balls high and far in a drive that Tiger Woods would have been proud of. Not sure I would have liked even being a hoplite on the receiving end of one of those.
Not to be outdone in the missile category, Andy made some new bowstrings for his bows and Nadeem proved to be quite knowledgeable in said construction methods.
Everywhere you turned HA members were actively engaged in some personal or collective project, all except Fraser who spent all weekend in some Monty Python-esque silly running around behaviour or just lying under his favourite chair.

Saturday night saw our usual collective effort candle-lit feast, and with the benefit of some eight previous efforts under our belt we have actually managed to reduce the amount of food to just double the amount for the people present. The emphasis this time was on the ‘end of season/Christmas season/several imminent HA members birthdays’ theme, so most of the food was non-period but still hugely enjoyable. Moroccan meatballs, pheasant stew, kebab skewers; salmon and prawn vol-au-vents, triple mash (chick-pea, carrot and butternut squash), pork belly in cider, roast chicken, mixed salad; pitta bread, baklava, chocolate cake, Panettone, to mention but a few items, all washed down with suitable liquid refreshments.

A relatively early night gave rise to the usual Sunday morning breakfast; this time consisting of bacon, sausages, grilled tomatoes, beans and scrambled egg on field mushrooms on a bed of French toast. Ashley, sadly absent from this symposium, did text in his order for two Olympic breakfasts to go just as we all sat down to eat, but no-one was willing to leave the table and deliver them.

With breakfast cleared we sat down to a general discussion on agenda items, and the following were all discussed and agreed: the need to run a more organised site at future events, with morning and evening site meetings; the whole site and activities on site run as part of the display; organised timeslots for vignettes and scheduled breaks for wondering around; new ‘meet the character’ slots of perhaps 60 mins morning and afternoon, with 6 x 8-10 minute character slots each. The importance of drill practice at each event was emphasised, as was the need to re-focus on authenticity, with some guidelines to be produced and published on our website.

Then back to more tent painting and fettling. During the morning one of the local Scout Leaders and Leighton Buzzard Round Table members visited the hall and asked us if we would like to be part of Leighton Buzzard festival on early May Bank Holiday Monday next year. Details still to be confirmed but it is proposed we arrive on the Sunday afternoon for setting up, then display on the Monday on a local Green by the river, with between half and one acre of space.

Early afternoon saw the gradual winding down and packing, ready for the long drive home for many. The venue was cleaned and cleared by 2:30pm with all looking forward to the next symposium in March and the next campaigning season ~ see you all there.