"Sometimes the gods put things like this in front of us as some kind of test..."

It's been a busy few weeks for this particular Viking-in-training! There's been a birth(a new little Maori Leprechaun niece who has already stolen hearts), an illness(seriously, whatever was in that Barrow River water I accidentally swallowed at Christmas has completely compromised my immune system...I never get sick), paid a visit to a young ginger gentleman by the name of Ed Shearan who rocked our national GAA stadium like no one else with just his voice, a guitar and a loop pedal and a few extra shifts of overtime that I was unexpectedly called in to cover. Nonetheless, I have been busy with my Viking activities but I haven't had the time to keep you all updated with my transition...to Viking, that is(no Caitlyn Jenner style makeovers here)! So I'm back and I'm sorry for not being more active on the blog over the last couple of weeks. Let's get on with it, shall we?
In preparation for the Big Viking Picnic later this month(more on that later), I've been getting my wood work on and honing my carpentry skills #LikeAViking. Because everybody knows, Vikings were good with wood. Now, I'm not going to lie, I didn't go down the authentic Floki route by going out into the wilds of the Irish countryside tapping trees and "seeing" the planks that would be suitable for building my very own Viking shield worthy of any shield wall. (Well I did but even my closest of friends thought I was bonkers and doubted my ability of actually cutting down a tree. And then there was the consideration of wood wastage...never waste good wood!)Nope, I frequented my local mill in search of the finest 1/2 inch thick plywood money could buy. Marched on in there like I've been a carpenter for years and knew exactly what I was looking for. Checked each piece that they showed me for faults like a pro...just as the YouTube video instructed me to.
I was very optimistic of going all lone wolf, strong, independent shieldmaiden about making my shield all by myself. That was right up until dad suggested he oversee the project and told me to go get the jigsaw...he saw fit to step in and take the lead on the carpentry side of things when I returned with one of my nephew's 120 piece Disney puzzles and not a saw. I think he was also alarmed at the fact I'd fallen over carrying said jigsaw box and managed to sustain quite a significant cardboard cut(not even a saw blade in sight at this point and already injured #VikingInjuryNo2). On the basis of my penchant for high fives and the likelihood of me lobbing off a finger(high four doesn't exactly have the same ring to it), I reluctantly/happily agreed to the help. I felt it was important to note the aid of my dad in the making of this shield before anyone thought the masculine, hairy arms in the photos are mine. So whilst much of the cutting out/utilisation of sharp, electrical equipment was outsourced, I got fully involved with the sanding and staining process. I also assumed the role of Principle Photographer for this phase of the shield making by Happy Viking Carpentry Ltd(yup, we gave ourselves a snazzy moniker as all self respecting duos do).
The next phase will be attaching the canvas and steel boss at the front, as well as some creative artwork. But I'll post about that when we have that part done.
Earlier I mentioned the Big Viking Picnic. If you aren't aware, it's a charity event for all the family in aid of children's cancer charity, Aoibheann's Pink Tie. It's being held in Grove Gardens, Fordstown, Co Meath on Saturday, 29th August. It boasts a great selection of entertainment for all the family including live music, Viking settlements and longship, authentic skilled crafts, reenacters, SFX makeup, and charity ambassador, Travis Fimmel, making an appearance along with some of his other cast mates. I'm delighted to say I've been asked to come onboard to help out on the day and give my full support to this amazing event and charity initiative. Anyone looking for tickets should follow this link. They are also looking for anyone who would be interested in volunteering at the event. Please follow this link if you would be interested. Hope to see some of you there! And fear not my American readers, it has just been announced that you will be getting a sister event being held in the USA. I'll post details when I hear more. #FightLikeAChild

Til next time :)
#LikeAViking

Title Quote: Series 1 Episode 9 All Change
Ragnar to Björn

Raiding season is nearly upon us...

It is but a week until I begin raiding/holidaying in new lands. The expedition is being a little overshadowed by my injury. Still not able to walk right(or left for that matter!) which has majorly impeded on all my plans for training. However, with alot of down time on my hands(and unexpected time off work) there have been some other developments...

Meet Ragnar, Lagertha and Aslaug! (Also known to my nephew as Ram-one, Ewe-nice and Bahahaharbara...for a five year old, you have to admit that is some serious pun-age!! I have taught him well) Yes, that is right, I have made like my Viking ancestors and become a farmer. Well, kinda. There was the slight matter of a field with overgrowing grass. Rather than make like regular people and invest in a ride on lawn mower, we thought we'd get all agricultural and get these living, breathing, four legged, bleeting lawn mowers for the shear hell of it(get it? Shear? #SheepHumour). So far they've shown more interest in eating the hedges than the grass. I may reiterate the terms of their contracts and bring their attentions to their main job description. Otherwise, I'll have to bring them bahahahahack(too much sheep humour??). But everyone knows the Vikings were farmers, so now I feel a little more authentic with my herd...of three. Hopefully, that won't be for long and "sheep Ragnar" will do the business and we can welcome Bjorn, Ivar, Sigurd and Hvitserk.

With large amounts of time to fill, I can pretty much tell you everything you could possibly need to know about what constitutes a good training sword. Oh yes, I got all researchy about sword fighting and purchasing training swords and other equipment. Let's just say there is a parcel on the way from the Czech Republic as we speak that may or may not pass customs. There is another on the way from Wicklow with various bits of archery equipment. There may also have been an order put in with the saw mill up the road for wood required to make a shield...can't neglect my carpentry skills! At least there is plenty to get stuck into after raiding/holiday season!

In other news, to help with my recovery I have befriended a golf ball. This little thing is apparently aiding my recovery. It doesn't feel like it most of the time. In fact, it feels worse after rolling it under my foot for prolonged periods of time to help break up the scar tissue. But roll it I shall until I am better and can recommence my training! #LikeAViking

Viking Injury #1 and Imminent Viking Rockstardom...

I think had I been around during the Viking Age I would have had the absolute craic with them! They seem to have been a fun, easy going peoples with all their singing, and dancing, and games, and story telling. Yes I know, that pretty much made them sound like Carebears or Smurfs when they are largely known for great acts of brutality(Blood Eagle, anyone?). But I'm talking about in their down time! When raiding and pillaging is done for the day and it's time to celebrate. Vikings are the sort of people most of us would like to hang around with. The ones that know how to have a good time. Get the party started. Kick back with a few jugs of meade and have a bit of a sing song.

Full of the Viking spirit of merriment, when I was offered the chance to lend my vocal talents to a friend who was recording some new material I got involved. As involved as Bjorn rowing a longboat across the seas to new lands in Northumbria...VERY!

Quite the enjoyable day being in Sonic Studios in Dublin. Worked with a sound engineer who has worked with the likes of Van Morrison, Tom Jones, Don Baker and Sinead O'Connor. The mixing desk in the studio was a restored one previously owned by Def Lepeord...fun fact! With that in mind, you can imagine the horror when we had just walked into the studio not even two minutes and one of the session musicians knocks over a travel mug full of water on this expensive piece of rock'n'roll history/equipment. All I can say is, thank all the Viking gods it wasn't me!!!!!! Guess he learned the hard way the most important rule of recording studios everywhere: NO LIQUIDS IN THE MIXING ROOM, ESPECIALLY ON THE MIXING DESK. After calling in an engineer to assess the damage, recording began after a fan, a heater and a hair dryer worked their magic for around an hour on the console. And to top it off, I can call myself a real session musician now because I got my very first per diem! Being paid = professional! I should have a clip of the track to share in the coming days. It's a bit of jazz funk for Valentine's...sounds weird but it works! The rough mix sounded pretty good when I was leaving so here's hoping the finished product will be awesome.

It also gave me a taste for recording. So there might be a few more projects in the pipeline that I can share with you in the near future. Oh, the suspense!

On a bad note(see how I kept the musical theme going there!?!), I have suffered a little setback. During some sprinting earlier, I have torn my Achilles' Tendon. Major ouchies! Unfortunately this means training has to cease for a little while. I'm hoping it's not too bad and can be back to it in a week or so. Worst case scenario, I've been told it could be six to 10 weeks...let's hope I heal as quickly as Rollo did in Season 2. Remember? When he looked like he could double as Two Face from Batman one minute, and was all Leonardo Di Caprio 'Man in the Iron Mask' post shave two seconds later?? That's the speedy recovery I'm hoping for! #LikeAViking