Just finished Saint Peter’s Fair. What a delight… could see where it was going almost from start but who cares? To lose oneself in 12th Century England, well, mainly England with a bit of Wales thrown in, is good therapy in these 21st century troublesome days!
Would really like to know more about Brother C’s time as a sea captain (pirate?) and his time in the Holy Land. Does she touch on these later?
Still intrigued about the absence of cannabis in the herb garden. The opium poppy seems well used as a medicine would have thought weed was too. However, a quick googling seems to reveal that it use does not seem widespread, at least it was not mentioned in written source, until the 14th/15th century and then largely in the Middle East. Does not seem to have reached Western Europe until later as a medicine/leisure substance. Odd. Hemp was widely grown as a source of fabric and rope; one would think other uses might have been exploited.
As an aside, I used to use hemp strands making plumbing joints (no pun). Before PTFE tape you would it round joint threads with boss-white paste to make a waterproof seal.