I met a fellow BDer!!

[Guinevere]

As usual my account is belated...

As you could gather from Esty’s report, we already met in London on Monday. Although it was the first time we met, we immediately got on splendidly and had a great time together. She is a wonderful person, very outgoing and friendly and we share many interests, (in addition to Tolkien.) I feel I have found a real friend in her!
We went to see the LotR musical which I enjoyed very much ( I had been a bit sceptical about that, but Nafforc’s excellent review had convinced me that it was worth seeing.)
We did a lot of walking in London und saw a Shakespeare play in the Globe on the second evening. (It was “Love’s Labour’s lost” and fortunately I had prepared myself and read it beforehand.)
We then spent a day in Brighton where we visited the Pavilion and walked along the sea and in the old town. It was interesting, but I like Oxford much better.

Before going to the Oxonmoot we waited in the “Bird and Baby” for Hookbill who proved to be a very interesting and nice young man. He showed us then the way to Lady Margaret Hall, which I found to be a beautiful place.

After dinner (which I found delicious) we met Squatter – I’d been looking forward to meeting him in person, since I have for years very much enjoyed and admired his brilliant posts on the Downs. I therefore was at first rather awestruck. But he turned out to be very nice and friendly (and handsome, not looking like Cardinal Richelieu as I had been picturing him for ages )
As he mentions I talked very little, but then it was interesting enough to listen to all those fascinating people, and I was intent on understanding everything.
I hadn’t been in an English speaking country for more than 30 years and so am more used to reading and writing in English than to speaking it.

The various lectures I attended on Saturday were interesting and I had no problems understanding them, but I admit I got very little of “the Lord of the Goons” and some of the “Ents”.
Nafforc whom we met later, was also very nice, and had a gorgeous costume at the party.

I also enjoyed the Art Show very much, especially Anke Eissmann’s beautiful pictures and Esty's lovely quilt.

On the whole I had a very good time in England, and I hope to go there again before long.

[Mithalwen]

I met Poison Ivy on Saturday. She lives about a mile from me and over coffee and splendid chocolate biscuits we discussed many Tolkien related topics. I am sure we will meet again if I didn't scare her too much

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Oh, how nice! I got to know Poison Ivy at Oxonmoot, and she is a lovely person. I'm sure you both had plenty to talk about!

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

OK

This summer I met Brinn, Di and Encai. . . It was all good fun allthough it was not Tolkien that was the major conversation subject.

I also met Laitoste on a trip to York a few weeks ago, it was very lucky that she by chance was passing through at the same time I was.

Anyways these where all very nice people that I would love to see again, but it would be fun to meet a male downer as well.

[Macalaure]

Last Saturday, we (Rikae, who was visiting me, and me) met our first Downer (apart from each other, of course):

We've been meeting with Esty - in the city she lives in and I come from.

Over some coffee/tea/cocoa in a café next to the city fountain we spent time chatting about life in Germany and the US, talking about the past and present of the Downs, and gossiping about Barrowdowns couples - known and suspected future ones. We also had the honor to sign our screen names beneath the illustrious Guinevere, Squatter, Hookbill, and narfforc.

As many other Downers already had the pleasure to be able to notice, Esty is a very nice, charming, and outgoing (which was very helpful, considering that both Rikae and me belong more into the introverted department) person, who one simply enjoys spending time with.

Pictures of us may or may not appear on the photo thread, depending on whether we happened to take one which does not feature me looking goofy.

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Let me add to Mac's report: I had looked forward to meeting Rikae and him - I love to get together with any Downers, but a BD couple is something special indeed! They were so cute together , and we ran out of time, not out of conversational subjects. I do hope we will have a chance to get together again in the future to "fill up the corners"; I know we have much in common and would enjoy finding out more about a romance that was precipitated by werewolf playing!

I'll check out the photos to see if there's at least one on which all three of us look good!

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

I can actually write on this thread... it seems so strange! It's very hard for me to actually realise the black-and-green something I am posting this message on has anything to do with the real person I spent last two days with. It is only a few hours since Brinniel has left Prague. Her coming here was really unpredicted - while I knew that she is coming, her plans got changed several times and I was not expecting her this time. But now, all of a sudden she told me she's going to come this weekend. So it was all made on spot, but in the end I think it turned out well. We met on Sunday morning, and then I accompanied her all the day, visiting monuments and other things. The same on Monday.

I think my mind has not yet fully understood what actually happened. Maybe my brain is in something like a shock, and only very, very slowly it is becoming able to reflect past events. I can't actually find words to describe how I feel about Brinn, as she suddenly became a person so complex to me that I simply can't. But one thing I can say for sure already: this was a great experience and I wouldn't trade it for anything.