Tosra & The Auction, day 21

Pancakes and maple syrup

A rested, happy and enthusiastic Kari wakes me up in the morning, and her lips around my manhood were just the beginning. I reluctantly go down to the breakfast table, because I just want to fall asleep again. But Kari is in a wonderful mood and can't stop humming or making happy little noises. On the way down the stairs we hear Janes happy exclamations about maple syrup and freshly baked pancakes.

That is good enough that my sambos unanimously decide that it is now a tradition once a week. With sugar, honey and berries optional. Maple syrup isn't particularly expensive or difficult to make - just a lot of cooking a couple of times a year. Come spring, much more sap will be collected, and its a shame that the islands don't have much maple trees. However, there are a few more than the ones we tried to tap, and we will check all the land from Radgeirrson.

I confirm to Jane what I meant by the wooden spoon and she completely agrees: Because it is dull and it will hurt more.

Of course we offer Jensi a journey back on the Millennium Eagle, instead of his own ship, which he appreciated as the weather was bad and our ship is more protected and comfortable. As a Tingsman, he is not allowed to receive large gifts, but to offer him accommodation, food and to accompany our ship back to Borgarsandr when we are going there anyway is perfectly okay and just normal hospitality. Jensi is just full of praise for the mansion, its appearance and the amenities, and he understands if we don't want to settle on Radgeirrsons farms. It would be a step down, no matter how big, beautiful or ornately carved they are.

Since we have a guest with us on the journey, I do not practice sailing, even if I try to get a bit of education related to sailing, a bit of weapons training and then I help Jane with Norse. Sailing is boring and time consuming, so I might as well try to take advantage of the time. And who knows? Maybe I'll find myself fight on a rocking ship sometime in the future? Arrgghh, matey!

The crew wonders if they can fish in the sea around my islands when the ship is in port. They are happy as long as they can eat more fish, and we will get the rest. Easy choice. I let them fish and we make an agreement that they get 1/4 of the fish they pull up, we get 3/4. We have many more mouths to feed, it is my water, and my boats. We need to eat more fish anyway for its health benefits, like just to make sure we get enough iodine. Should they catch too much, the catch can always be dried, smoked, salted, bartered or sold. Drying or smoking is the primary storage method of fish and meat because it does not require expensive salt, even though we have plenty of salt. I should really try to build a salt facility this summer precisely because salt is so important and we need so much, even if nothing prevents me from doing it this winter except the weather. I should also set up a small smokehouse, but not anywhere near my mansion. Maybe in the woods half a kilometer north of the harbor? Still feels too close. Other side of the other island?

I will let the crew use both the Faering and Knarr for fishing, and as we talk I understand that even though I am not a fishing expert, they are probably not particularly effective net fishermen either, which may explain why they eat far less fish than I expected. I suggest methods that I think can give more fish without being much work, like longer floating bottom anchored nets, left overnight between two islands, like the ones south of Small Ackerek, or out at the strait between the main islands, or the islands in the strait etc. The will have to move around and try.

Fly fishing is unknown to them, but I'm not surprised that lure fishing is. Without a reel with a crank, why should a lure exist? The line will be problematic, but they braid horsetail hair together for fishing rods, so that should work if everything is sized for it. But I should be able to make a simpler reel and a few lures. Crankbait, spinner, spoons or wobblers arn't that difficult, although it will be tricky to find a good model, but I got brass, wood and paint. I guess I have found something else to try and introduce eventually.

Eh, might as well sketch and order some parts. Hooks mostly brass wire bent, flattened and filed. Loops are easy. The reel isn't that many parts. The friction brake and making the reel free spinning easily enough will be the hardest part to get right. But this won't be for big sea fishing. The lures are not that hard to make, the question is if the fish will like them, so I have to expect to make more. And tie a few flies.

Millennium Eagle and its sails impresses Jensi even more, and after an official introduction to Ovdhon, we part late in the evening in Borgarsandrs harbor. Jensi thanks us for what he got to experience, and I thanked Jensi for the good job he did, and give him a small gift as a 'thank you' for all the work with collecting goods and silver. Thats about as much as I can give him as a Tingsman.

Since we know what to expect, we won't use Radgeirrsons Playboy mansion here in Borgarsandr tonight, and sleep on the ship. Ovdhon offers us accommodation in the Merchant House, but we suspects that the boat is far more comfortable, and it just feels better and safer.