Rosie Goes to See James at the Welcome to Sunnydale Convention in Paris - Part Trois
Part trois of my adventures in Paris...
Sunday
Due to my having to pack up everything and move it down to Dee Dee’s room and going to get le petit dejuener from la boloungerie (sorry, I can’t help slipping in a bit of la francais!) we were a little bit late laving for the con but got there pretty much at 9am. And much to our amazement, James was already there and taking photos - he arrived before us which has got to be a first! So we just joined the line which was as slow moving and relaxed as the day before. All 3 of us had a picture that needed to be retaken so we consulted and they said just to show them to the photo crew as we were going in, which we did and so I was now going to be having 3 pictures, and I had a prop for one!
James was again dressed in a black t shirt and jeans - and I’m pretty sure they were the same ones too! - and was being as huggy as the day before, still smiling and happy. He greeted me with “Hey Rosie, how was your night?” as we high fived in greeting. I didn’t really have time to say anything about it as we were going for the first picture so I asked if we could be doing a high five. So we did, with us both looking towards the camera. (Palm to palm - that was nice!) then I held up my prop - a book on Quantum Physics I had borrowed from the library! (I really wanted String Theory for Dummies but we didn’t have it!) I thought it would be fun for me to be looking at it with a very puzzled face as he explained it, as it’s very much a James thing. He thought it was hilarious - so I opened the book up randomly and looked very confused, James put his arm round my shoulders and it turned out he was doing a puzzled face too with his hand on his chin and thumb on his mouth. The whole line watching was laughing and it came out great as you can see the book title clearly and it was very handy for hiding my chin again!
Then I had my retake photo so I asked if it was Ok for a hug - James said yeah, of course and gathered me in against him as I also asked if he would smile please? Both arms round me and I had both arms round his waist - it felt as lovely as ever and so of course I was smiling. After the picture was taken James still had one arm slung round my shoulders and said, laughing “I gave you a BIG smile!” and then gave me a quick squeeze before letting go. I was all giggly and gabbling as usual - thanked him for the photos and left to go and collect my bag. I’d gone right over to the table and it took a few seconds to penetrate through my James fog that they were calling me back. Apparently I had my eyes closed in the last photo so they needed to take it again. I had to hover off to the side whilst DeeDee did her photos and then stepped back in. James looked a bit surprised to see me again so quickly and I apologised, saying that I messed it up, and he was grinning at me and without me saying anything else, he put his arms round me again and we had another cuddly picture - and this time I got it right. We didn’t have our heads so close together in this one but James was smiling again. I do remember something about me saying it was such a shame I had to come back and do it again…!
There was a bit of hanging about then waiting for autographs to start and I went and did mine with Nick first. He remembered the event I had the photo from - the lunch in LA, but I can’t remember what we talked about. I do like his irreverent off-the-wall sense of humour!
Then I was in James’s line with DeeDee, Sheila and another English girl we had befriended. It was a long wait because as usual James’s line was by far the longest and he was talking to everybody. We passed the time swapping stories and discussing the security guard - he was so little, we decided we could take him! He didn’t look up to much, he was shorter than me!
Also from the line I could see a lot of the French fans were greeting James with kisses - he was getting up to do the double kisses and seemed fine with it. I very briefly considered it, but almost immediately decided I couldn’t, it would just be weird. I was greeting and leaving my French friends that way, but wouldn’t do it with English friends, so it would be totally weird and contrived doing it with James. I was sticking to our normal handshakes!
It wasn’t Steve sitting with James, it was one of the con people and she didn’t take my photo from me so as I said “Hey James” I realised I was holding too many things and didn’t have a free hand to shake; so giggling, I had to drop everything on the table first. Then we were able to, squeezes included and I handed him the photo to sign saying “it’s another curly one!” which it was. James laughed as he said “Nice!” and then proceeded to write “I’m curly!” on it much to my amusement.
I asked “How was your night?”
“Perfect! I slept!” was the answer and we both giggled (yes, I do seem to giggle constantly in James’s presence!) Then I told him that I had made more friends at this con than any I had been to before - I had so many email addresses, a whole page full. James was delighted to hear it “Fabulous!” he exclaimed, drawing it out and was saying that and other interjections all the time I was talking.
“Everyone is practicing their English on me!”
“That’s great” replied James, grinning
“Except my French is rubbish, but yeah, it’s been great” and James continued to make happy agreeing noises.
Then I said “I have a couple of things for you. Firstly…” I gave him a box of sweets “Sugar free so you should be able to eat them. And they are from Marks & Spencer’s so they’re posh!”
“Fabulous. Very posh!” he replied - in an English accent! “Thank you” (he is always so appreciative of anything he’s given, however small!)
“And…a book” and I handed it to him, whereupon he started giggling as he read the title ‘The Physics of Superheroes’
“Physics AND superheroes!” and he continued to chuckle as he looked at it and started reading the back. I went on “Yes, it is an ex-library book, but as I work in the library, I saw it and I’m all “James would like that!” - couldn’t get a new copy, but thought that is SO one for you”
“That’s totally one for me” James agreed, still giggling and then went off into more laughter as he looked at the front again “Physics of Superheroes!” he could hardly get the words out for laughing. “That’s fabulous. Thank you darlin’”
I went all wistful “it’s so lovely to see you”
“It’s so good to be here, I’m having a great time” and he was still giggling about the book!
“I’m going to try and come to Ghost of the Robot in January”
“Right on! Oh yeah...”
“I’ve bought my ticket anyway. Don’t know if I can get a flight!”
“Oh no!” exclaimed James in genuine remorse (or great acting!)
“yeah, got the ticket to make sure”
James agreed “You’re good to get the ticket first cos it’s not a big house”
“Exactly. I’ll probably stay with Patti and come up with her - she’ll be there anyway”
“Right on!” James stuck his hand out and said as we did out handshake “It’s good to see you again darlin’” (he really does say it like that without the last g!)
I went all girly-giggly and said “Awwww! Love you babe!”
“Love you too” and there I was giggling away like I’m about 12, all flushed and not having a clue. He has SO still got it! He reduces me to a shy giggly little girl with just one look even now!
There was then going to be a long gap for us until the talks at 3.30, though we did hang about to firstly hear if any of us had won a space on James’s meet & greet (no) and then just to see James leaving the auto area so we could admire him. I positioned my self by the door facing the way he was coming. He spotted me from quite a long way back, grinned as he caught my eyes and kept on smiling at me as he approached with that fabulous confident James walk (that we can all recognise even from the back going away from us!) and gave me a little eyebrow wiggle as he went out the door. He didn’t say anything but it was still totally worth it!
Back to the hotel for lunch again - we ate in Dee Dee’s room and I rejigged everything into my bags as I had to take it all with me for the afternoon session as I was leaving straight after, but needed my monopod. But it was all very leisurely and eventually we went back to the con and into the main hall to claim our seats. Sheila decided it was too hot in hers, so let me sit there. She was on the other side of the hall, more central and in the second row. They were running behind again - had just finished a presentation of some kind (might have been about vampire make up?) and there was still an “exclusive” to go before James and Nick’s Q & A, with no indication as to what it was. They introduced a guy on stage and he started talking in French. I wasn’t really concentrating as I was fiddling with the camera, but asked Oceann what he was on about. She said he was talking about a French TV series. Suddenly something clicked in my brain, and I asked “Metal Hurlant Chronicles??” And it WAS! He was the producer Guillaume and we were going to see Shelter Me, James’s episode! Yay, what a fabulous surprise, I was so excited! Guillaume introduced James and he came bouncing onto the stage, having now changed his clothes and was wearing a blue t shirt and jeans with grey tennis shoes, so it was a good thing I was already set up with the camera. They talked a bit about it beforehand and then we got to see it on the big screen (well, 3 big screens actually!) and it was great. Okay - understatement, it was bloody wonderful! Yes, I am biased, but James was absolutely fabulous in it. He played his character Brad sad and kind of sweet and beautifully understated and vulnerable. For such a short thing - barely 20 minutes - they got a lot in and made it so you weren’t sure which way it was going to go. Was Brad good or bad? Was he telling the truth or was he a crazy pervert? And it was very claustrophobic, just in that basement. I found Michelle Ryan a bit wooden and less believable - she seemed to be ‘acting’ more. James was just playing it so naturally. When it got to the bit (SPOILER ALERT!!) where they were kissing and she was undoing his shirt - and then it cuts to the next morning, there was an audible groan of disappointment from the audience! We are so shallow!!
James and Guillaume came back on after and asked if we had enjoyed it. Now we had seen it, they could talk a bit more, so James explained he had been attracted by the script, and he had played it in a sensitive way, not trying to be creepy at all, just straight because he knew they would put in all the creepy music afterwards to set the atmosphere. And it worked perfectly - if he had played it creepy it would have become a caricature. For me, it was the understated sadness and vulnerability of Brad. Yeah, he wasn’t ‘good’ exactly, but he was just human. A perfect example really of what James says about Sci fi having no heroes or villains. It’s all shades of grey and that is true of everybody - we all have less desirable traits in us, and Brad was no exception. Jen was an idiot though - talk about a major over reaction! You would think she would have at least talked to him first and got an explanation - and anyway, she started it! She came onto him when he wasn’t sure and then she reacts like that? Ha - she deserved it!
(Ok - since then I have got the DVD and watched it again and now I wish it had been longer so they could have done more with character development. In 20 minutes it really had to be rushed through to get it all in. If it had been twice as long, they could have done so much more with the ‘is he/isn’t he’ scenarios, raised the tension even more, and a bit more back story for her. So much more for James to work with!)
James said afterwards that he was very proud of it and proud to be able to show it to us, it felt like he was giving us a gift, all wrapped up. As he should be, it’s so beautifully done.
So that was a wonderful unexpected surprise and I was really glad things had been running a bit late or we might have missed some of it!
I stayed in Sheila’s seat for James and Nick’s Q & A. That was fun too - they came on and James was saying “So, who can we offend in the next 40 minutes?” Nick protested a bit and James said “Not anyone here - Hollywood people!” and they giggled a bit and high fived! They were a bit naughty together, though having the translator calmed them down a bit. James had sat on my side so I got more of him in profile, but luckily there were quite a few questions from my direction so he looked round giving me ample photography moments. DeeDee asked question at one point and name-checked me during it! As soon as she said my name, James looked round and immediately made eye contact with me, grinned and gave me a little wave! That was lovely and unexpected - and I have no idea what Dee Dee’s question was!
Again, nothing new came up that I can remember; it was just listening and taking pictures. Someone asked if they had a question for us - Nick’s was “Who’s had sex at the con??” (and yes, some people answered!)
Nick had been asked to do the Snoopy dance again, so he said he would do it at the end. We were all calling for James to join in (“No way!”) but he stood and watched whilst Nick did it and laughed his head off!
After that, Clare had another Q & A (best question “What other colour would Glory wear?” Answer “Darker red!”) and then all three of them came back on to do a final Q & A together before the end. I managed to get a lot of really nice photos; despite James being in the same chair so he was in profile again. I do remember that during it someone (and it was a guy!) did ask in the middle of it all so it kind of got lost - or ignored! - who had the biggest penis? No one answered - but Clare so should have got in there and said it was her - major comic opportunity missed!
They did talk about James wearing the sock in Buffy and although they clarified that it isn’t really like a tube sock you put on your foot (!) Nick did ask James “how do you keep it on?” James - “Big balls, man!”
And that was pretty much it. Lots of cheering and whooping as they left, but I couldn’t stay and linger - I grabbed all my stuff and was off like a rabbit (sorry Anya!) collected my suitcase and zoomed off up the road to the Metro station. If I hadn’t been in a hurry I would probably have hung round the other door to see James leave, but no time. Not that it mattered in the end, because of course, I managed to miss my flight anyway by getting the time wrong. 19.00 is not 9 o’clock - James Fog has a lot to answer for!! - so it was all a lost cause anyway when I got there and found out.
It was a bit of a sad end to the weekend to make such a stupid mistake, but I was saved by the wonderful Louisa, who was absolutely amazing. I had to stay at the airport over night and catch the 7.30 flight in the morning. Charles de Gaul is not a good place to get stuck. Everything closed at 11 and the only food and drink available was through the machines that only took coins. So everyone there was going around asking everyone else if they had any change. (I had 5 Euros!) And plug adaptors did not fit in any of the plug sockets so I couldn’t charge my phone of laptop after they ran out of power.
I made it through the night with the company of Grae and Lucy from the con and ended up having a breakfast that consisted of 2 Mars bars as I decided it was the most filing choice for my 2 Euros! So got to fly home and then had to drive directly to work (after a reviving tea stop at Fleet services!) as I was supposed to be working all day. But hey - another experience to add to the collection (not one I want to repeat!!)
A great weekend - there’s so many lovely people still so passionate about Buffy and so many new fans still discovering it. I made lots of new friends, I got to see Shelter Me and I got to spend lots of time in the company of a very happy, huggy, smiley James which was the best bit of all!!
Sunday
Due to my having to pack up everything and move it down to Dee Dee’s room and going to get le petit dejuener from la boloungerie (sorry, I can’t help slipping in a bit of la francais!) we were a little bit late laving for the con but got there pretty much at 9am. And much to our amazement, James was already there and taking photos - he arrived before us which has got to be a first! So we just joined the line which was as slow moving and relaxed as the day before. All 3 of us had a picture that needed to be retaken so we consulted and they said just to show them to the photo crew as we were going in, which we did and so I was now going to be having 3 pictures, and I had a prop for one!
James was again dressed in a black t shirt and jeans - and I’m pretty sure they were the same ones too! - and was being as huggy as the day before, still smiling and happy. He greeted me with “Hey Rosie, how was your night?” as we high fived in greeting. I didn’t really have time to say anything about it as we were going for the first picture so I asked if we could be doing a high five. So we did, with us both looking towards the camera. (Palm to palm - that was nice!) then I held up my prop - a book on Quantum Physics I had borrowed from the library! (I really wanted String Theory for Dummies but we didn’t have it!) I thought it would be fun for me to be looking at it with a very puzzled face as he explained it, as it’s very much a James thing. He thought it was hilarious - so I opened the book up randomly and looked very confused, James put his arm round my shoulders and it turned out he was doing a puzzled face too with his hand on his chin and thumb on his mouth. The whole line watching was laughing and it came out great as you can see the book title clearly and it was very handy for hiding my chin again!
Then I had my retake photo so I asked if it was Ok for a hug - James said yeah, of course and gathered me in against him as I also asked if he would smile please? Both arms round me and I had both arms round his waist - it felt as lovely as ever and so of course I was smiling. After the picture was taken James still had one arm slung round my shoulders and said, laughing “I gave you a BIG smile!” and then gave me a quick squeeze before letting go. I was all giggly and gabbling as usual - thanked him for the photos and left to go and collect my bag. I’d gone right over to the table and it took a few seconds to penetrate through my James fog that they were calling me back. Apparently I had my eyes closed in the last photo so they needed to take it again. I had to hover off to the side whilst DeeDee did her photos and then stepped back in. James looked a bit surprised to see me again so quickly and I apologised, saying that I messed it up, and he was grinning at me and without me saying anything else, he put his arms round me again and we had another cuddly picture - and this time I got it right. We didn’t have our heads so close together in this one but James was smiling again. I do remember something about me saying it was such a shame I had to come back and do it again…!
There was a bit of hanging about then waiting for autographs to start and I went and did mine with Nick first. He remembered the event I had the photo from - the lunch in LA, but I can’t remember what we talked about. I do like his irreverent off-the-wall sense of humour!
Then I was in James’s line with DeeDee, Sheila and another English girl we had befriended. It was a long wait because as usual James’s line was by far the longest and he was talking to everybody. We passed the time swapping stories and discussing the security guard - he was so little, we decided we could take him! He didn’t look up to much, he was shorter than me!
Also from the line I could see a lot of the French fans were greeting James with kisses - he was getting up to do the double kisses and seemed fine with it. I very briefly considered it, but almost immediately decided I couldn’t, it would just be weird. I was greeting and leaving my French friends that way, but wouldn’t do it with English friends, so it would be totally weird and contrived doing it with James. I was sticking to our normal handshakes!
It wasn’t Steve sitting with James, it was one of the con people and she didn’t take my photo from me so as I said “Hey James” I realised I was holding too many things and didn’t have a free hand to shake; so giggling, I had to drop everything on the table first. Then we were able to, squeezes included and I handed him the photo to sign saying “it’s another curly one!” which it was. James laughed as he said “Nice!” and then proceeded to write “I’m curly!” on it much to my amusement.
I asked “How was your night?”
“Perfect! I slept!” was the answer and we both giggled (yes, I do seem to giggle constantly in James’s presence!) Then I told him that I had made more friends at this con than any I had been to before - I had so many email addresses, a whole page full. James was delighted to hear it “Fabulous!” he exclaimed, drawing it out and was saying that and other interjections all the time I was talking.
“Everyone is practicing their English on me!”
“That’s great” replied James, grinning
“Except my French is rubbish, but yeah, it’s been great” and James continued to make happy agreeing noises.
Then I said “I have a couple of things for you. Firstly…” I gave him a box of sweets “Sugar free so you should be able to eat them. And they are from Marks & Spencer’s so they’re posh!”
“Fabulous. Very posh!” he replied - in an English accent! “Thank you” (he is always so appreciative of anything he’s given, however small!)
“And…a book” and I handed it to him, whereupon he started giggling as he read the title ‘The Physics of Superheroes’
“Physics AND superheroes!” and he continued to chuckle as he looked at it and started reading the back. I went on “Yes, it is an ex-library book, but as I work in the library, I saw it and I’m all “James would like that!” - couldn’t get a new copy, but thought that is SO one for you”
“That’s totally one for me” James agreed, still giggling and then went off into more laughter as he looked at the front again “Physics of Superheroes!” he could hardly get the words out for laughing. “That’s fabulous. Thank you darlin’”
I went all wistful “it’s so lovely to see you”
“It’s so good to be here, I’m having a great time” and he was still giggling about the book!
“I’m going to try and come to Ghost of the Robot in January”
“Right on! Oh yeah...”
“I’ve bought my ticket anyway. Don’t know if I can get a flight!”
“Oh no!” exclaimed James in genuine remorse (or great acting!)
“yeah, got the ticket to make sure”
James agreed “You’re good to get the ticket first cos it’s not a big house”
“Exactly. I’ll probably stay with Patti and come up with her - she’ll be there anyway”
“Right on!” James stuck his hand out and said as we did out handshake “It’s good to see you again darlin’” (he really does say it like that without the last g!)
I went all girly-giggly and said “Awwww! Love you babe!”
“Love you too” and there I was giggling away like I’m about 12, all flushed and not having a clue. He has SO still got it! He reduces me to a shy giggly little girl with just one look even now!
There was then going to be a long gap for us until the talks at 3.30, though we did hang about to firstly hear if any of us had won a space on James’s meet & greet (no) and then just to see James leaving the auto area so we could admire him. I positioned my self by the door facing the way he was coming. He spotted me from quite a long way back, grinned as he caught my eyes and kept on smiling at me as he approached with that fabulous confident James walk (that we can all recognise even from the back going away from us!) and gave me a little eyebrow wiggle as he went out the door. He didn’t say anything but it was still totally worth it!
Back to the hotel for lunch again - we ate in Dee Dee’s room and I rejigged everything into my bags as I had to take it all with me for the afternoon session as I was leaving straight after, but needed my monopod. But it was all very leisurely and eventually we went back to the con and into the main hall to claim our seats. Sheila decided it was too hot in hers, so let me sit there. She was on the other side of the hall, more central and in the second row. They were running behind again - had just finished a presentation of some kind (might have been about vampire make up?) and there was still an “exclusive” to go before James and Nick’s Q & A, with no indication as to what it was. They introduced a guy on stage and he started talking in French. I wasn’t really concentrating as I was fiddling with the camera, but asked Oceann what he was on about. She said he was talking about a French TV series. Suddenly something clicked in my brain, and I asked “Metal Hurlant Chronicles??” And it WAS! He was the producer Guillaume and we were going to see Shelter Me, James’s episode! Yay, what a fabulous surprise, I was so excited! Guillaume introduced James and he came bouncing onto the stage, having now changed his clothes and was wearing a blue t shirt and jeans with grey tennis shoes, so it was a good thing I was already set up with the camera. They talked a bit about it beforehand and then we got to see it on the big screen (well, 3 big screens actually!) and it was great. Okay - understatement, it was bloody wonderful! Yes, I am biased, but James was absolutely fabulous in it. He played his character Brad sad and kind of sweet and beautifully understated and vulnerable. For such a short thing - barely 20 minutes - they got a lot in and made it so you weren’t sure which way it was going to go. Was Brad good or bad? Was he telling the truth or was he a crazy pervert? And it was very claustrophobic, just in that basement. I found Michelle Ryan a bit wooden and less believable - she seemed to be ‘acting’ more. James was just playing it so naturally. When it got to the bit (SPOILER ALERT!!) where they were kissing and she was undoing his shirt - and then it cuts to the next morning, there was an audible groan of disappointment from the audience! We are so shallow!!
James and Guillaume came back on after and asked if we had enjoyed it. Now we had seen it, they could talk a bit more, so James explained he had been attracted by the script, and he had played it in a sensitive way, not trying to be creepy at all, just straight because he knew they would put in all the creepy music afterwards to set the atmosphere. And it worked perfectly - if he had played it creepy it would have become a caricature. For me, it was the understated sadness and vulnerability of Brad. Yeah, he wasn’t ‘good’ exactly, but he was just human. A perfect example really of what James says about Sci fi having no heroes or villains. It’s all shades of grey and that is true of everybody - we all have less desirable traits in us, and Brad was no exception. Jen was an idiot though - talk about a major over reaction! You would think she would have at least talked to him first and got an explanation - and anyway, she started it! She came onto him when he wasn’t sure and then she reacts like that? Ha - she deserved it!
(Ok - since then I have got the DVD and watched it again and now I wish it had been longer so they could have done more with character development. In 20 minutes it really had to be rushed through to get it all in. If it had been twice as long, they could have done so much more with the ‘is he/isn’t he’ scenarios, raised the tension even more, and a bit more back story for her. So much more for James to work with!)
James said afterwards that he was very proud of it and proud to be able to show it to us, it felt like he was giving us a gift, all wrapped up. As he should be, it’s so beautifully done.
So that was a wonderful unexpected surprise and I was really glad things had been running a bit late or we might have missed some of it!
I stayed in Sheila’s seat for James and Nick’s Q & A. That was fun too - they came on and James was saying “So, who can we offend in the next 40 minutes?” Nick protested a bit and James said “Not anyone here - Hollywood people!” and they giggled a bit and high fived! They were a bit naughty together, though having the translator calmed them down a bit. James had sat on my side so I got more of him in profile, but luckily there were quite a few questions from my direction so he looked round giving me ample photography moments. DeeDee asked question at one point and name-checked me during it! As soon as she said my name, James looked round and immediately made eye contact with me, grinned and gave me a little wave! That was lovely and unexpected - and I have no idea what Dee Dee’s question was!
Again, nothing new came up that I can remember; it was just listening and taking pictures. Someone asked if they had a question for us - Nick’s was “Who’s had sex at the con??” (and yes, some people answered!)
Nick had been asked to do the Snoopy dance again, so he said he would do it at the end. We were all calling for James to join in (“No way!”) but he stood and watched whilst Nick did it and laughed his head off!
After that, Clare had another Q & A (best question “What other colour would Glory wear?” Answer “Darker red!”) and then all three of them came back on to do a final Q & A together before the end. I managed to get a lot of really nice photos; despite James being in the same chair so he was in profile again. I do remember that during it someone (and it was a guy!) did ask in the middle of it all so it kind of got lost - or ignored! - who had the biggest penis? No one answered - but Clare so should have got in there and said it was her - major comic opportunity missed!
They did talk about James wearing the sock in Buffy and although they clarified that it isn’t really like a tube sock you put on your foot (!) Nick did ask James “how do you keep it on?” James - “Big balls, man!”
And that was pretty much it. Lots of cheering and whooping as they left, but I couldn’t stay and linger - I grabbed all my stuff and was off like a rabbit (sorry Anya!) collected my suitcase and zoomed off up the road to the Metro station. If I hadn’t been in a hurry I would probably have hung round the other door to see James leave, but no time. Not that it mattered in the end, because of course, I managed to miss my flight anyway by getting the time wrong. 19.00 is not 9 o’clock - James Fog has a lot to answer for!! - so it was all a lost cause anyway when I got there and found out.
It was a bit of a sad end to the weekend to make such a stupid mistake, but I was saved by the wonderful Louisa, who was absolutely amazing. I had to stay at the airport over night and catch the 7.30 flight in the morning. Charles de Gaul is not a good place to get stuck. Everything closed at 11 and the only food and drink available was through the machines that only took coins. So everyone there was going around asking everyone else if they had any change. (I had 5 Euros!) And plug adaptors did not fit in any of the plug sockets so I couldn’t charge my phone of laptop after they ran out of power.
I made it through the night with the company of Grae and Lucy from the con and ended up having a breakfast that consisted of 2 Mars bars as I decided it was the most filing choice for my 2 Euros! So got to fly home and then had to drive directly to work (after a reviving tea stop at Fleet services!) as I was supposed to be working all day. But hey - another experience to add to the collection (not one I want to repeat!!)
A great weekend - there’s so many lovely people still so passionate about Buffy and so many new fans still discovering it. I made lots of new friends, I got to see Shelter Me and I got to spend lots of time in the company of a very happy, huggy, smiley James which was the best bit of all!!