I met a fellow BDer!!

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Four Barrow-Downers got together at the event of the year in Birmingham, England a week ago. I travelled there for 'Tolkien 2005' and met Lalwendë and davem right away on Thursday - they are friendly and warm-hearted, easy to feel comfortable with immediately! Later that evening, we met narfforc, who is a very funny person - his accounts of the LotR parody he is writing kept us and others laughing! For more reports on the event and the various activities and people we experienced there, please check the Tolkien 2005 thread.

Pictures will be forthcoming...

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

Has there not been a meeting for so very long? Let it be changed! Today I met Cailín in my hometown of Aberdeen. No seer-dreams, no wolf-attacks, all very normal.

She has come here to study for a year at the University of Aberdeen. Fortunately I had some wisdom to share with her (having studied there for four years) and so we had a wander about: looking at beautiful, stuffed animals and sketching our names at the top of the King's Tower.

It's hard to do her justice with words. Her ability to speak or read several different languages is phenomenal (no matter how much she tried to play it down), and made me feel rather uncultured by comparison. She comes across as she does on the Barrowdowns, perhaps slightly more soft-spoken than I had pictured her. She is charming, pretty and funny and I enjoyed my afternoon with her greatly.

I feel like it would be almost a host's duty to visit Loch Ness with her in the coming year but I'm not sure she'd be keen on such a terrifying ordeal.

[Mithalwen]

Well clearly such things are like buses since I met Lalwende and Davem at Oxenmoot on Saturday.....

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Mithalwen

Well clearly such things are like buses since I met Lalwende and Davem at Oxenmoot on Saturday.....

She almost didn't though folks, so let that be a warning that maybe we all ought to invent a secret Barrow-downs hand signal of greeting like the Masonic handshake. Anyway, Mithalwen's great and we got talking and laughing away right from the start, and we'd like to meet her again as soon as possible!

[narfforc]

There are plans afoot to arrange a Yulemoot sometime in December, somewhere near Sheffield or Barnsley. This is being arranged independently by some of the Tolkien Society members. They are trying to book an hotel for about 70, so if you are interested watch this space, the Oxonmoot 2006 thread or PM me, I will try to keep you informed.

[narfforc]

My what BIG feet you have, are you a hobbit?

[Bêthberry]

Originally Posted by narfforc

My what BIG feet you have, are you a hobbit?

It's all that hair, narf.

[Mithalwen]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

She almost didn't though folks, so let that be a warning that maybe we all ought to invent a secret Barrow-downs hand signal of greeting like the Masonic handshake. Anyway, Mithalwen's great and we got talking and laughing away right from the start, and we'd like to meet her again as soon as possible!

A secret handshake is one thing ... I could cope with that .... just not compulsory footwigs

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

What about name tags? Or custom Barrow-downs T-shirts with screen names and user numbers on the back?

[narfforc]

That is a brilliant idea, I have a multitude of t-shirts with many Tolkinesque quotations written on them, all you have to do is find a suitable outlet, I get mine from www.air-brushed.com.

[Mithalwen]

Originally Posted by The Squatter of Amon Rûdh

What about name tags? Or custom Barrow-downs T-shirts with screen names and user numbers on the back?

Actually the name tags were rather nice but I had my RL name on mine

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Mithalwen

A secret handshake is one thing ... I could cope with that .... just not compulsory footwigs

I suppose we could make do with always wearing fluffy slippers to emulate excessive foot hair - sounds nice and comfy so I wouldn't be averse to it.

Originally Posted by narfforc

There are plans afoot to arrange a Yulemoot sometime in December, somewhere near Sheffield or Barnsley. This is being arranged independently by some of the Tolkien Society members. They are trying to book an hotel for about 70, so if you are interested watch this space, the Oxonmoot 2006 thread or PM me, I will try to keep you informed.

I know about the idea for a TS Springmoot in Leeds, but Sheffield or Barnsley would be much better owing to the fact that Leeds is a dump and also has no pubs. Barnsley has loads of pubs but no bookshops (I can vouch for that I've just been there today), whereas Sheffield has seen many of its pubs turned into cruddy bars but has a few bookshops - and the best real ale pub in the city is oooh, 5 mins from my house (but 20 mins minimum uphill returning ). Tha'll 'ave t'call everywun thee and thar though....

[Mithalwen]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

I suppose we could make do with always wearing fluffy slippers to emulate excessive foot hair - sounds nice and comfy so I wouldn't be averse to it.

....

Oh yes I would go for that, I have some nice panda slippers ....

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

Originally Posted by Eomer of the Rohirrim

It's hard to do her justice with words. Her ability to speak or read several different languages is phenomenal (no matter how much she tried to play it down), and made me feel rather uncultured by comparison.

I have expirienced that exact reaction from many a brittish person. . . When I traveled South America Brittish people constantly complemented me and started to talk about what a shame it was that they did not know any languages. They felt Uncultured, even though they did not use that word.
And it is not only me who expirienced it, alot of my travel companions did as well. . .
I am starting to think, that you think to little about "forigners" english skills in general.

It may well be that Cailin realy is amazing at several languages, I have never met her so I don't know.

[Cailín]

What is this, Rune – why not let the British think we are all brilliant ?

I have little to add: I had a wonderful time with Eomer yesterday and though it was entirely odd to meet another Downer (I was secretly quite terrified) I soon felt comfortable and neither of us seemed inclined to kill the other. I got quite an extensive tour of the university buildings as well, which allowed me to show off to the ignorant little freshers today.

A description? Well, all rumours are true, of course. Eomer is a kilt-wearing Snoopy-Werewolf crossbreed, who looks like Johnny Depp and has one wooden leg and an eye-patch. Seriously. Picture that. Aside from that, he is just as loveable as he is on the Downs.

You should all come to Aberdeen this year. Wouldn’t that be fun?

I feel like it would be almost a host's duty to visit Loch Ness with her in the coming year but I'm not sure she'd be keen on such a terrifying ordeal.

It can hardly be a more daunting place than Seaton Park, really.

[the guy who be short]

Rune - To the typical monolingual English mind, it is inconceivable that somebody could be fluent in so many languages. As we do not bother to learn other languages to any degree of competency, it surprises us that foreigners do so so well.

Remaining on-topic, of course (), I am afraid I will be unable to meet anybody for another year due to overprotective parents. The fun starts in Uni next year.

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

I forgot to tell about my meeting with Spawn and Lommy earlier this summer.

Well, I was with my family on a trip to Finland and besides being pussled by the mixture of Russian and Scandinavian culture, I had the pleasure of meeting Spawn and Lommy for a few hours.

We used them on having picknickish thing, where I got to try some finish speciality and all the food in Lommys kitchen, wich she had shamelessly robbed. . .
I was suprised that they were both pretty talkative, wich was not how I had expirienced most finnish people until then. We spend most of the time talking about the barrow downs and gossip about other downers . . . In all it was a wonderful afternoon with two wonderful girls.

[Estelyn Telcontar]

The hospitality of the Rivergranddaughter is all that a visitor could wish for and more! The food was not only delicious enough for any Hobbit but indeed worthy of a King's table - and a Telcontar knows of what she speaks!

Though I'm afraid the marks we left on the sandy shores of yonder shores are rather transitory, it was a fitting close to a delightful visit. This was not a first meeting, but a very personal and enjoyable second one.

I defy any Downs member to challenge my record - if I haven't forgotten anyone on my list (which goes back over four years, so my memory may have missed one or two!) I have met 14 of ya'll. And all have survived the encounter!

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

It is my plan to atleast try to breake that record although it will probably take some years. . .

If anybody wants to help me do this and live near Manchester (England), please PM me.

[Thinlómien]

Originally Posted by Rune Son of Bjarne

I forgot to tell about my meeting with Spawn and Lommy earlier this summer.

Hey, we forgot it too... Though, I'm about to do something to it, even later than you...

We had a lot of fun and Rune told us about a freaky Finnish woman he had met while working in Roskilde Festival (I hope he didn't assume me and spawn be like her).

It was really great and Rune and spawn were both really lovely. Spawn is not as scary as she sometimes seems to be here, though I assure you she's as friendly and funny.

Rune talks a lot (and that's a good thing) and is almost as crazy as here. (Though he's maybe somewhat hmm... kinder and calmer than here... ) RL-Rune and BD-Rune are quit similar, but I still can't help imagining Rune (when I see his avvie) as a Karl Marx -looking guy.

It was quite odd to meet fellow 'downers, but only positively so. They were both so nice people that I'd like to see them again sometime. Spawn lives quite near (in the neighbouring city) so I hopefully will see her in the future, but I might have more difficulties with seeing Rune...

And I envy you all brits who get to meet everybody...