The Pirate Queen is Spotted on the Horizon...

I just want to thank everyone who made Queen Elizabeth's birthday so very special for me (and her!)
I now have more than 600 followers, which is the best birthday gift I could have asked for, on behalf of her Majesty, of course!

Queen Elizabeth and her legacy live on in me, and in all of you, forever, and her birthday is a special day to call attention to her life. Thank you for being a part of that with me!

Did anyone try the Marzipan recipe I posted? If so, please send me pictures of your creations so I can post them on this blog! (see email address to the right of this post)

This week, I will be very preparing for two shows I am doing on Saturday the 17th with two of my brilliant co-workers, on the "Real Stories of Women Pirates". One of us will be portraying Anne Bonney, another will be Rachel Wall, and I will be....(drum roll) Grania O'Malley! *surprise surprise*

Grania O'Malley seems a natural choice, given that she is Elizabethan (although no doubt she
would never have referred to herself as a subject of England!) and I have long been drawn to her courageous, exciting life since my mother read me a picture book about her when I was young (thanks mom!) 

The dates of her long-life almost exactly mirror Queen Elizabeth's own, Grania being born in 1530 and dying in 1603, Elizabeth of course being born in 1533 and dying the same year. The fact that Grania and Elizabeth met, negotiated terms, and parted with a new found respect for one other is just the icing on the cake to Grania's story.

1. An artistic rendering of Grania O'Malley's audience with Queen Elizabeth I. Picture acquired through Wikimedia Commons. Image public domain.

My Irish accent is almost at performance quality, although I will keep working at it until the last possible moment to get it right. I have to fight my tendency to slip back into an aristocratic London accent on certain words! By Saturday I will (hopefully) have it down!

Pictures will be shared, probably on Tuesday, with perhaps a mini-article on Grania herself!

SEMPER EADEM,
Ashlie

So, What Has Bess Been Up To?

Dearest readers,

I am very sorry for my long absence! I regret not giving you a new article or even a brief post recently. Do not worry, I have not forgotten about my loyal readers and all of their valued, enthusiastic feedback, and my dedication to Queen Elizabeth I is as strong as ever! "Real Life" has kept me very busy recently, but my boss informs me that the next few weeks at the museum are traditionally rather slow, admissions-wise, so I will have a lot more time to regularly update this site!

So what have I been up to, you ask? Well, I have recently participated in an ad-campaign for my museums upcoming "Festival of Ale" (October, naturally) and our "Tournament of Wines" in November, which has been a lot of fun, and the pictures we are using to attract customers came out great!

Advertisement image courtesy Higgins Armory Museum.



In addition to modeling for promotional material, I had a series of photos taken of me as Good Queen Bess, to advertise my current Elizabeth program, and several other Elizabeth programs I have been developing. I look forward to sharing them with you as soon as I get them!

If that was not enough to keep me occupied, I have taken it upon myself to work on 13th century programing with one of my talented co-workers (somehow the Tudor/Elizabethan era and the 13th and 14th century's became my favorite time periods, don't ask me how that happened, since they are so very different!) 

Also, I am participating in an auditorium show with two more of my fabulous co-workers, and must get my monologue and garb together by the 17th of September. "International Talk Like a Pirate Day" is the 19th of September (Thank you Layclerk!) but since the museum is not open on the actual day, we celebrate on the 17th! Stay tuned for an exciting feature article on this other remarkable Elizabethan woman I will be portraying for Pirate Day...any guesses on who she is, Tudor-philes? (Post your guess below!)

I have also taken over "Women in Viking Times" programing for my accomplished friend, Bill Short, a published author and expert on Icelandic Saga's and Viking combat. Please visit his websites here if you are interested in the Dark Ages, Norse culture, practical combat, or Viking raids:

http://www.williamrshort.com/

http://www.hurstwic.org/

Last but not least I have been investigating starting my masters degree, in Museum Education. Phew! Despite how busy I am, I am just reveling at how very lucky I am to be participating in all these exciting projects and programs! I just pinch myself that I have such a stimulating and rewarding job, with such wonderful co-workers who I value as friends!

I hope to FINALLY bring you that new article on Elizabeth I's childhood and education that I have been promising by the end of next week, at the latest!

Also, the countdown is about to begin to Elizabeth Tudors birthday on the 7th of September, so I will be sure to do many mini-posts this week concerning the events of her birth!

Stay tuned!

Semper Eadem,
Ashlie