"Stay strong! Be ready"

I don't know if Vikings were patient! Ragnar certainly has quite a long fuse when he is being tested. And I'm learning that it is indeed a virtue. As you've probably guessed, I'm still awaiting a call back...checks phone...no new messages...continues blogging...Still feeling optimistic though. Maybe foolishly so, but I keep telling myself that they said they were looking for 8,000 extras, they are shooting right up to December this year and Season 4 is twice the size of the three previous. That probably means it's going to be bigger, better and bloodier so they'll be needing plenty of people to wield axes, play dead and pet goats(there has to be some sort of running joke with the goats since they seem to get way more screen time than any other livestock, right!?! Anyone else notice that?) So I shall continue my preparation and pretend to be patient.
Speaking of Season 4, the cast will be attending San Diego Comic Con and revealing a Season Trailer. Season 4 doesn't hit screens until early 2016...ooh, they are good at this whole creating suspense and intrigue malarkey. Not the only one suffering from a spot of impatience now, am I loyal reader?!? (Just gonna take a moment and say hi! Thank you for checking in on my blog. Hope you're enjoying it and life finds you well today)

Maybe you've been living under a rock. Or maybe you've been raiding foreign lands recently on what some might call a holiday. So maybe you didn't hear about the Big Viking Festival being held in Grove Gardens, Fordstown, Co. Meath on 29th August. It's a pretty cool idea by some fans of the show FOR fans of the show(or even if you're not a fan of the show. In which case, really? Are you serious? Why not? Why are you reading this? Let's talk it out. We can binge watch all 3 seasons together. After that, I'll just get you to write a 20,000 word thesis on it and we'll see if we can get your TV viewing priorities sorted out. OK?) They will travel by foot and longboat, wheeled horse and steel winged bird to attend. It promises to be a fun filled day with live music, special effects makeup artists on hand to give you battle wounds, demonstrations, a Viking Village and not one but 2 Guinness World Record attempts. And if that doesn't sound fun enough, they also encourage everyone to dress like a Viking...I've already booked my camping tickets!

It's all in aid of a charity that is doing amazing work for children suffering from cancer and supporting their families as they fight against this horrible illness together. Aoibheann's Pink Tie is the beneficiary of all funds raised by the event. In May of this year charity founder and spokesperson, Jimmy Norman, was named the Pride of Ireland Fundraiser of the Year Award Winner for his Herculean efforts to provide any sort of financial and emotional support to families in need. Recently, Vikings leading man, Travis Fimmel, was announced as an ambassador for the charity. Mr. Norman has big plans for the foundation with ambitions to help families in need all over the globe. Tickets for the event are on sale now. Get them while you still can, I believe they are selling fast. In true Viking community spirit, everyone should support this worthy cause in whatever way they can.
In preparation for the Viking Festival, myself and a couple of friends ventured forth on a perilous expedition to Slane. If you were there, you know the amount of mud that was created by the torrential rain we had that day. I feel like I should get a medal or at least a tshirt that reads, I SURVIVED THE HILL AT SLANE 2015. Not many did. Many the inappropriately shoed man or lady couldn't quite keep their footing whilst making their way through a sea of revellers on the unforgiving gradient of the natural amphitheatre landscape of the grounds of the castle in the Boyne Valley region of Meath. Despite the pity that was felt by onlookers as they watched others meet their muddy fate, there were a distinct few victims who brought a heartfelt tear to the eye of the wisely shoed around them. For it was many the just bought, over priced, never graced the lips of its owner, 4-pint-plastic-carriers of beer that were unceremoniously laid to rest as puddles in the foot prints that marked the struggle of where their owners had fought qto keep upright in a bid to carry back liquid gold hydration to one's kin folk.

Despite that being a harsh lesson for some to learn, our biggest lesson came in the form of building our dwelling for the weekend. We had thought of everything. Cooler boxes of food, beverages, sleeping bags, blankets, pillows, air mattresses, camping chairs, sunglasses, any amount of possible medical supplies you might need for a weekend in the elements. We also arrived with the flashest tent for three people I'd ever seen. For all intents(possible pun most definitely intended) and purposes it was a three room detached. There were rooms and windows. A front and a back door. Raining outside? Everyone could bring their camping chairs inside  and continue to enjoy a beverage in our lounge!

The only problem was that this was borrowed and therefore came with no instructions...not even a picture to help us along the way to decipher what it should even look like. We took it out of its bag and pretty much unfolded it for 20 minutes as onlookers rolled their eyes at our cluelessness. Apparently, it's standard practice to have a run through of how to set up your tent before you arrive onsite. But where's the fun in that? That's not very Viking! True Vikings would wing it. However winging it didn't quite work out for us. So eventually, with the aid of four other individuals we got it up(the tent...mind out of the gutter!). That's despite a tantrum or two, a tirade of expletives, a nap and one of the group suffering an existential crisis 5 minutes into construction....that may or may not have been me freaking out over an entire line of tent poles that were pretty important to the actual functionality of our tent. And they may or may not have been found perfectly present and still in the bag we took everything out of. But at least now we are fully capable of setting up camp #LikeAViking

Title Quote: Season 1 Episode 5 Raid
Lagertha to Björn