Midwinter calling, day 41

13th of December

Lucia

The humming noise from a vibrating phone on the bedside table wakes me up, and Iselin looks confused before I shut it off. I just give her a kiss and tell her to go back to sleep, as I try to extract my arm and leg from Iselin's embrace. Ciara is half lying on top of me, so I try to slide her off as I get up, and adjust the bedsheet to cover her. Fuck, it's early.

I'm up really early because it's Lucia morning, but they don't celebrate it here, which is quite logical when actually I thought about it since it's an old tradition that has Christianized. 'Saint' Lucia is a pretty good clue, although Lucia originally comes from Latin Lux, meaning light, and the tradition is very Scandinavian. Which is further proof it's old Norse pagan thing that have been Christianized.

To make it a little special, I have secretly prepared together with the staff, and to some extent Alith, to surprise my sambos and Jane with Lucia buns (Lussekatter), ginger biscuits and a Lucia procession. What actually led me to do it is that we found saffron, ginger and raisins in the Merchant Empires spice stores last time in Borgarsandr. So it's proper Lucia buns, and the maidens liked the shape of the buns because it resembles two common symbols they have, which is probably why the buns are that shape in the first place, and that it's easy to make. There should be freshly baked buns and biscuits waiting in the kitchen, and it is really good that smell does not spread so easily from the kitchen to the main building when the security door is closed.

I take a quick trip up to the attic to wake up somewhat confused Caecilia, and after a quick check in the kitchen on to the toilet as Rikvi, Jalida and Elvira are making the last preparations in the kitchen while Hrappr and Ida light lanterns. Having a Lucia wear a chandelier on her head would have been nice, but I don't dare to take a chance with open flame candles, so it will mostly be lanterns and a few hand held candles with drip protection and stands. Elvira is sent to wake every up and ask them to quietly join the others in the meeting room. Alith had been tasked with gathering the guards and asking them all to wait in the silence and darkness of the meeting room. Even Alith doesn't really know why, just that I have a little surprise for all of them.

I've been informing and coaching Caecilia, and we've have a quick repetition in the wings corridor, and she already knows the song. Kari would have been a stately Lucia, but Caecilia works really well, and she is beaming and so excited she is bouncing. Elvira returns and with everything ready we slowly start walking towards the meeting room while singing, each woman carrying a lighted candle with cardboard drip protection, and me and Hrappr carrying lanterns and we have red knitted caps (toppluva) on our heads. Caecilia walks gracefully and slowly in the front with her candle and carrying a basket of buns under a towel, and the rest follows her two by two, before Hrappr and I takes the rear. Elvira and Jalida also carry a basket filled with buns and ginger biscuits; Ida and Ima each with a large jug of mead or lingonberry drink; Shakini and Rikvi with more buns and a jug of water. We sing 'Natten gär tunga fjät' with my slightly modified lyrics changed to more neutral 'dispel the darkness' instead of 'Saint Lucia', as we slowly walk through the mansion.

I see dark figures in the distance, dimly lit by one of the guards flashlights pointed at the ceiling watching us as we slowly walk through the house singing, illuminated by the candles and lantern. With the corridors that go right through the main building this works really well. As we walk into the meeting room, we fan out and see their surprised and happy faces.

We walk round and offer each a bun and a biscuit and we have enough for two for everyone, staff included, followed by everyone getting a mug of something. We have a nice moment in the dark, lit only by a the scattered candles and lanterns. As we eat I explain this is a tradition from the region I come from, to celebrate that the days will soon be longer. Long ago this date was the shortest day of the year, but the calendar was shifted to match other countries, yet the date was kept even though the celebration no longer takes place at midwinter a week from now, but that is less important. Tradition is tradition and some things get distorted and forgotten. There is all sorts of tales, like animals getting extra feed this day since some believed they could talk.

I start the speaker with a Lucia music playlist and we listen and eat. I'm getting cuddled and kissed to death by Iselin and Kari on my sides, with Ciara in my lap as Sissel Kyrkjebo sings 'O helga natt' (O holy night), followed by Sofia Källgren who sings 'Det strålar en stjärna' (A star is shining) and Siv Petterson's 'Låt mig få tända ett ljus' (Let me light a candle), and I try to translate some of the songs live, although slow clear Swedish helps them to understand the words. The whole event is very appreciated, both by the staff who got to participate and do something special, and by the others because it was a surprise we worked on for them. Caecilia loves when I do anything with a religious tone, and she enjoy that we've kept her unaware but still allowed her to participate.

The playlist end, and it's time to start the day. This will absolutely happen again, and Caecilia really want to learn the other songs as well. Next year there will be more people her on the island, and we might have to do something for the Academy or locals. Kari states that as she was the one who didn't share my bed last night, she will now be the one to thank me. My stately goddess would be an excellent classic Swedish Lucia.

It's a bit crowded in my workshop. Bodil is an angel and is busy making nice wooden boxes with accessories like knobs and so on for the three radios I planned to build with Iselin and the others, one of which is intended as a mobile radio in a carrying strap that is in a special vertical design, and Ciara enjoy she got a small special project in sewing a leather case with accessory pockets for the mobile radio. But Iselin, Ciara and Asta are currently assembling three more ship's compasses, check that everything moves and works as it should. While we work, there will also music and singing as Caecilia is learning the songs from this morning, and I've translated the lyrics for her, and occasionally she comes and wants our opinions if it sounds good to sing in Norse. It is after all not her native language, and there are dialects too.

Iselin, Ciara and Asta build one compass each, and I step in and help them get everything right while I build a couple of brass prototypes for the future standard handheld compasses. They are very similar to regular foldable military compasses due to material limitations and fold to protect the glass and flip up parts to work as a sighting compass, and I add modern features as a millimeter scale on the side for measuring on a map and the needle is induction damped. Hopefully it will be possible to manufacture tools for the eccentric press to mass-produce compasses like this.

The induction damping is an interesting upgrade due to it being electrics, and a bit tricky since the casing is in brass. There is almost daily electricity training for Iselin, Kari and Asta, with a lot of repetition and simple experiments, but it was clear they wanted to do something different today, and I showed how current through a wire affects a North Arrow, and one thing led to another. So the compasses are a different type of work, but at the same time are a small practical application. Sharing the tools is a bit of an issue as I don't have too many sets but everyone seems to appreciate being able to join in our crafting group and the mood is high. I've obviously won a lot of points for this mornings celebration.

Asta needs to learn a lot to be able to perform maintenance on the compass, and to know what not to do. The Millennium Eagle will need another ship's compass in the future as a spare inside the captain's cabin, and Asta knows she's building it.

Work progress and it's time to make the needles magnetic, and for that I have just Iselin, Kari and Ciara in the room as I show how I use my magnetizer to make the compass needle magnetic. It never really occurred to them that it is that easy, if you know and have the equipment, and Iselin and Kari really understand why the electrical lessons are important in so many ways, and this is further proof that it is a natural part of the world. None of them have really understood that the electromagnets that produce magnetic fields are so close to making compass needles, and that the needle is just a weak magnet. Although Iselin feels dumb and face palm because it is now so obvious, especially after the wind turbine and that induction damping of the compass needle. Is it me or Jane that she has picked up facepalming from? Ciara hasn't taken part in many electrical lessons, and is pretty terrible in getting it, but she is happy to be told and shown, because that means I trust her, and I don't blame her for the small mistake when she revealed the secret basement to Jane because I shown her a more important secret. That Ciara is still thinking about that mistake says a lot.

I also take the opportunity to reveal something I don't think even Jane knows, and that is that you don't even need to use electricity if you just want a weak compass needle. Beside stroking the needle across some materials work, but a better method is by heating the iron needle until it's glowing and then quickly cooling it while holding it in the correct alignment, the iron's magnetic properties align with the earth's magnetic field and then becomes slightly magnetic and works as a compass needle. So we test it as well and make North Arrows style compasses that way so they know it really works, and they all tries to make one. As we hang them up in their strings and they all work, Iselin begins to laugh and laugh and have trouble breathing. Trying to calm down, she finally manage to say that Jarl Steinnes in Kambsnes paid such an enormous amount of gold for something any person could have done if they only knew and had a nail! Since all three also know how I made the white stone shine, Iselin and Ciara are very pleased with how I trick Jarl Steinnes to get them, and now there is the gold too. Kari is mostly annoyed and frustrated that no blacksmith has discovered it, or if they did, understood its use.

After Asta returns, we again talk about the difference between the Earth's magnetic field and the Earth's true north pole and that they are not quite the same, but the measurements I've made here with my compass and the sun show that the error here is only a few degrees. It will, however, be larger as you travel around the earth, especially the closer you get to the poles and the potential huge problem is very important to know to be able to compensate for and measure where the magnetic poles are, then there is also the problem of the needle wanting to dip into the ground the closer you get to the pole. Compasses may need to be tweaked to work well in different regions.

The ship's compasses they built all work fine, even if someone is a bit finer in details and lines like Ciara's, and there have been a few slight mistake where that tool slipped etc. Nothing that affects function, and with a bit of post-processing and polishing it is hard to even detect. We engrave an Academy logo in each and finally we make sure that the compass discs are completely balanced and don't touch the induction damper. Since they all like decorations on things, and it is a very Norse thing to do, Asta will overlook the decoration of all the ship's compasses, including the one already mounted on the Eagle, because now she knows what affects and does not affect.

Since the weather is reasonably okay, and it's something I put off because it's tricky and slightly difficult and no-one like me being up on a high ladder, I install and connect all the contact plates on the underside of my bedroom balcony. Everyone loves that I always use a safety harness and safety rope when I'm doing something dangerous, and they also appreciate that I really care about everyone's health and life so much that I force everyone to use it. No one can really complain when I use it myself and want others to be safe too. The connection to the wall is via thin copper wires that are firmly attached on the wall, but not so much in the balcony and I deliberated have them go over a sharp bend. If the balcony is released, the thin copper wires will just be torn off, but if the balcony is released, they have hopefully fulfilled their function, or the balcony is no longer attached and it's irrelevant.

I climb up and measure, and it looks good. We have a side window open, and I shout to Hillevi to walk around for a bit, and it works better than expected. The guards have been hardened and just laugh and shake their heads when Hillevi can walk around on the balcony without the alarm going off when the door is closed. But as soon as I lock, it starts ringing. It doesn't matter how carefully she tries to sneak. Soon they have a competition to see if anyone succeeds, and Alith figures out that if she walks right along the beams, the alarm won't go off. But who will understand that? And it's very impractical to try to do as you can't reach the door or window that way, and Hillevi's attempt to pull it off isn't graceful or practical. But it is a secret they shouldn't spread even to my sambos, which is why they're not in here right now. It's clear that both Alith and Bodil have picked up some electrical knowledge after spending so much time near me for the last six months and in my workshop, and honestly I have explained some to them and to my sambos as I or we have built stuff. Especially Alith have picked up a lot, but then Bodil is usually focused on building something when she is in there.

It is quick to connect the system with the alarm and we do a final test that works perfectly. Alith takes advantage of the fact that the long ladder and safety equipment is still in place to really climb up and test that the alarm really triggers. I think Alith can sleep a little better now that she has tested the alarm herself.

While Hrappr carries the ladder back, I also connect the contacts in front of the pavilion door. Then the contacts outside the front door of the main building and the wing which are different because they don't trigger an alarm, and instead just ring their dedicated buzzer in the guards day room. After all, visitors can arrive very late, and going full alarm is not a good idea. They just have to be sure that the visitors are friendly before the visitors are allowed inside, which honestly applies to daytime too. When I'm doing the connection and wire work, I prepare for future ravens above the doors. Some of the guards understand some electricity, but all quickly understand how to manage the system and what is important to be able to try to find and solve problems if there are false alarms, and they will test everything every week as part of other routine work like the mirrors and other things to check and maintain. The guards like the brass mirrors outside the front doors, so we also install one covering the pavilion door from the maids bedroom window, and one from the laundry room that overlooks the basement door below. I should try to make glass mirrors with silver backing, but for those mirrors to have a really useful size, I first need to make float glass to get large enough nice glass surfaces. Argh. However, it can be a good luxury item to sell even smaller glass mirrors, or larger even with a slightly deforming effect from hand-blown glass. Brass mirrors also have distortion.

As I connect stuff in the guards day room and tweak their guard panel, I install a normal relay and triggering a circuit of a low voltage relay as a buzzer, with a small yellow LED powered by a pair of AA batteries in a holder. Should the main current disappear or become too low - which stops the alarm from working - it lights up yellow and the relay also starts to sound like a buzzer. The yellow LED from the USB ISP programmer was available, and yellow is also a colour associated with 'warning', not danger or alarm. I carve in a small battery symbol just like from the main panel in the wing, and install a small test button.

It feels quite good that the servant system have been installed, and everything that needs to be alarmed in the basements etc has been, without the maids knowing that a lot of alarms have been installed. They can't give away what they don't know about, but again I reminded everyone that it is forbidden to talk to outsiders about safety things, which includes the door mirrors. Spreading those secrets is a threat to our security and it will not be tolerated. They must be careful when talking about it even between themselves so that no one outsider happens to hear.

The horizontal loom is very appreciated and it is basically in use very day. They really like how easy it is to weave with it and how quickly it goes once they've gotten used to it. They've already started trying to use all the pedals, because more complicated weaving is important for more water-repellent or warmer fabrics, and the thread, material and fabric use affects what weave is preferred. Hot or cool? Thick or thin? Water repellent? Special pattern? Wool? Linen? Cotton? Which way is the thread spun? Apparently everything affects.

The only downside to a horizontal loom is that the width of the work is more limited than vertical looms, but usually they don't weave that wide anyway. The goal is generally about 0.9 meters, 2 ells, and this loom can handle 1.2m. Basically, an 'ell' is the measurement from the outstretched fingers to behind the elbow on a bent arm. But people are of different heights and it's roughly average that applies here. My 'ell' measurement is about 48cm, and I am clearly above average height.

The loom, shuttle and pedals make every cycle go that much faster, once they got the rhythm and pattern of the pedals, and it's impressive to see the pace they can reach, and there are jealous looks from the others who can't weave on it. It's even faster still when we factor in how much faster it is to just rotate a pair of wheels to take up what's been woven, as there is no bundle of threads to loosen from loom weights. It might be easier to make intricate patterns on the vertical looms, but in speed this loom is hard to beat. They even like the seating position, although I think it could be improved a little in terms of ergonomics.

Iselin will get her own loom as a wedding present, even though it feels so wrong to give a loom to my wife when we get married. It feels like I'm telling her to stay at home, weaving and giving birth is her purpose. But it's so clear that Iselin badly wants a loom, at least before she maybe gets tired of weaving. Iselin, with Ciara's help, has started to make a weaving reed that is finer, but even now they are trying to use double threads in every loop and reed space, but that has its pros and cons. Iselin is not alone in wanting more loom time, and she has started to push me to make that spinning wheel and carding machine I mentioned, but so far only made sketches of. And it's true, we've been saving wool for just that, and Iselin wants me to try to build them. Kari and Caecilia are also interested in the machines, and sooner or later I need to get something made to even know how to evolve the design, and building that prototype is something I can ask someone else to do.

So on one of my walks I will talk to the carpenters and order another loom, with a couple of improvements that we have discovered and developed. I'll also see if they can make a foot pedalled spinning wheel. The carding machine I expect to be an early alpha prototype that will need lots of improvements. I expect the spinning wheel to work pretty well since I've seen one in use many times and understands it. My mother even had an antique even though she didn't use it. A carding machine is something completely different from the carding paddles I tried to use when I was a kid.

The guards have my borrowed hiking watch and keep everyone informed about the time, but I am so annoyed that everyone else just have sundials, and I want a more organized life, which means everyone else also need clocks. So after the evening meal I start making a prototype for a pendulum clock. It will be about as simple as I can make it, with a pendulum I can adjust the length of to set it, with a weight for operation, and just a 24 hour hand that makes one revolution over 24 hours. The middle of the day will be straight down, so the back of the hour hand gets a sun. Adjustable length of the pendulum to get the clock to run correctly is quite easy when I have threaded rods, bolts and can make a movable brass weight at the end of the thin arm. What worries me is friction and wear, but for the prototype and common clocks it won't be much of an issue. High precision and long life is a later issue.

I knew that Iselin would be fascinated, but that a mechanical watch would appeal to Ciara is unexpected. The prototype will hang in the main hall so the guards and staff can see it and start learning how to use it. Another important factor in that location is so its ticking won't bother me, because ticking clocks annoy the crap out of me if I'm sleeping or concentrating, so not near my rooms. I also don't need to have watches there, because I have wristwatches, mobile phones and the tablet. Oh, bugger! There will eventually be several clocks here, and I need to make them good enough they don't drift too much apart.