First day of Collegium today. Of course we left late, after getting to bed too late, but I think most instructors know to start their 9 a.m. classes late. Mistress Tangwystl, Welsh Research Goddess Extraordinaire, is down from the West Kingdom. I said, “You’ll be seeing a lot of me this weekend,” and she laughed.

So I took her classes on period Welsh names, on her researching of the shepherd’s purse, and on her ongoing project of cataloguing extant finds of garments. I also took the latest History’s Mysteries and Scandals, a series that I adore. The instructor is fantastic—tells stories of insane rulers and so forth, in a conversational way that destroys your memory of history classes being dull.

Tomorrow I’m taking another of Tangwystyl’s classes, on an extant embroidery, and sitting in on the second half of a kumihimo braiding class. Ken and I discovered that neither of us found a 9 a.m. class we felt the need to attend, so we’ll be able to sleep in a bit.

Today he took a heraldry class and three rapier classes, and tomorrow he’s taking one on leatherworking and one on the medieval household, I think.

We had supper with Eilidh, Muirenn, Meala, and Grainne at a Chinese buffet that was actually rather good. Still didn’t satisfy my craving for crispy beef, but the crab rangoon were to die for. Afterwards, we rolled home, did some computer work, and curled up to watch some TV (the latest “Joan of Arcadia” and a “Graham Norton” with Kim Cattrall).

We also discussed upcoming trips. Ken needs to do some work in Portland, so we’re looking at going up on the bike in April, for a week. Then, in mid-May is his grandmother’s 90th birthday party, in Arkansas. We’re going to take two weeks and visit friends going each way, and go to a Styx concert in Phoenix, and see some southwestern sites (Roswell and the bats at Carlsbad are already on the list). Any recommendations for southwestern excursions would be greatly welcome. I’d like to see some Native American ruins, I know. Taos would be interesting as well… Time to read the Southwestern US guidebook!

So much to look forward to. But first, I have to finish editing this silly journal and get some writing done.

Oh, and tomorrow is our 6th Handfasting Anniversary!