major_clanger | Squashing a busy weekend into ten hours

Busy day in London yesterday - shopping, con-going and partying.

We actually started our day down in Woking, where we'd been staying at my Mum's following a function in Reading the night before. After taking the train up to Waterloo, our first stop was Piccadilly Circus, to drop into the huge Waterstone's there to see if we could find a book that my Mum had had recommended to her (Love and War in the Appenines by Eric Newby). They didn't have it in stock, but after a quick check an assistant confirmed that some of their other London stores did. The Covent Garden branch was suggested, but that was rather the opposite direction to where we wanted to go, so I took down the full book details in the hope I'd pick it up later. We did a quick wander round the sf section, coming away with Brian Froud's Goblins; Brian is one of the Guests of Honour at Concussion, the 2006 Eastercon we're involved with, and we wanted to pick up some of his work.

On up Regent Street for me to make my inaugural pilgrimage to the High Temple of Superfluous Yet Cool Technology, otherwise known as the new London Apple Store. As

bohemiancoast and I explained to Kari WINOLJ at the party later, this is not a mere computer shop so much as a digital lifestyle boutique, and a very pretty one at that. It is also very, very busy and I contented myself with a quick wander around before we headed off for lunch.

Lunch was a small Italian sandwich bar just around the corner from the Apple Store, where any diet plans I'd had for the day were dashed by an 'iced coffee' that arrived as a cream, ice-cream and coffee-bean laden coffee milkshake that did not so much have to be sucked through a straw as eaten with a spoon. Bad but very nice.

bugshaw was after some beads to finish off her latest piece of needlework, so we headed into John Lewis to find the haberdashery. Whilst B was browsing I nipped upstairs to the Techie Toys Dept to admire the latest in flat-screen TVs. Then onto a No 10 bus down to Kensington High Street for Dragonmeet. On alighting though we found ourselves near another Waterstones, which turned out to have a copy of the Newby book - another errand done!

Dragonmeet is an annual one-day gaming con held in Kensington Town Hall, featuring both gaming sessions and a hugh number of dealers. This was our first one, with us deciding to go in part because of our growing interest in gaming but in large part because John Kovalic, aka

muskrat_john was coming along. John is famous in gaming circles as the writer and illustrator of the hilarious (and horribly accurate regarding life as a gamer) Dork Tower, and as the illustrator for a growing number of games such as Munchkin. On arrival, we bumped into

the_maenad before wandering around the array of dealer stalls trying not to spend too much. I came away with the expansion set to Alhambra (see this earlier post) and a second copy of Creatures and Cultists, this one as an Xmas Prezzie for

purplecthulhu.

bugshaw had great fun entering the 'write the script for this Kovalic cartoon strip' competition - all I'll say is that her entry deserves at least the Most Deranged Suggestion prize...

Before leaving we joined the signing queue for John. He turned out to be a delightful chap, who was very happy to chat to everyone whilst signing not only comics but game boxes and game cards. C&C is one of the games he's illustrated, and he kindly customised the box for

purplecthulhu's dubious benefit! ('Dubious', as the cartoon should leave PC in little doubt of his fate as his near-namesake's tentacles.)

Back down by train then to Woking, then up round the North Circular to

coth & Co's Party. We didn't stay for long, B being rather tired and me still having the after-effects of this week's lurgy, but we had a nice time whilst we were there chatting to too many people to mention. Apologies to all those we missed... Then to Cambridge, and to bed.

MC