Easter re-enactments

[kiwisue]

My home smells of lemon and garlic and cumin because I'm marinating lamb strips overnight. You know that means I've got a few days to myself, right? *g*

Had the most wonderful trip away this Easter. There's a pine forest just outside Armidale where a local Dark Ages group holds biennial Gatherings. Since 1992(!) Actually there was one in 1990 that got rained out, but a few silly fools *g* made it to that one anyway, and some of us count it as a kind of unofficial first.

I've been doing 17th century for the last decade and a half and haven't been to a Gathering for years. I couldn't stay for all of it - curse you, real life! - but what I did experience made me feel terribly nostalgic for the old days. Beautiful site and lovely, welcoming people.

Here have some photos:

Jackie and I drove up Thunderbolts Way in gorgeous sunshine. How amazingly green it all is after the rain:



Here, have some more green *g*:



This is Langford Homestead, an historic house in Walcha, basking in the afternoon sun:



Autumn! Trees!



Friday morning. Lots of people still setting up, but the feeling of slipping backwards in time is growing



I went for a long walk through the pine forest, to the top of the hill and down again. Brought back many memories.



Splashes of colour by the track.



I have a few photos with actual people in 'em, but they'll have to go in a separate post.

Comments

[moth2fic]

Gorgeous!

We had English lamb for Easter dinner, cooked to an old Shropshire recipe that involves garlic, lemon, peppercorns and cumin.

It's so odd, for us, to see Easter and autumn together. Easter is chicks and lambs and spring... But I'm glad you had a lovely time!

[kiwisue]

Ooh, that sounds yum - I wonder when that recipe developed?

Spring and autumn are when I feel the differences most - I expect my friends to be cold and wintry in December-January, because it's on most of our Christmas cards still, but the changeover seasons are always a wee bit unexpected.

[moth2fic]

I can't check because my recipe books, well, most of them, are packed away and I know that recipe by heart. But it has to be later than the height of the spice trade.I'm not sure cumin would have reached Shropshire much before the eighteenth century. You just make cuts in the joint and slide slivers of garlic in, then rub the roughly crushed peppercorns and cumin over the surfaces and squeeze some lemon juice over the lot and roast. The recipe suggests not roasting for too long but if you don't like 'rare' lamb I'm sure long slow roasting wouldn't spoil the flavours.