Conflux 1

Lots and lots of good news to only a small bit of bad. The small bit of bad was an asthma attack, which meant I got in to Conflux much later than I meant to and missed 4 hours of volunteering and also missed Garth Nix interviewing Lloyd Alexander. Oddly, I'm much more disappointed in not hearing what Alexander had to say than missing stuffing hundreds of bags. I *did* get to cut much string and cause a nuisance at the registration desk before I turned into a messenger and wandered to and fro, avoiding daleks. There is a volunteer sheet just for dalek-work at Conflux, which is fun and very tempting. Karin Marin suggests it is an important thing to do with one's life, and I seriously thought of writing myself down when I saw Trudi Canavan's Fourth Doctor scarf. Watch this space if you wish to see if I am lured into being a volunteer dalek.

The National Museum is an exceptionally cool place to have an SF Convention. For one thing, they have staff who show us the best way into rooms and get happily enthusiastic about the daleks and favourite authors and about SF in general. The outlook is of the lake and surrounding greenery and the cafe is situated between all the various panel rooms. if you get tired of friends, you can join gaggles of schoolgirls and pretend to be a tourist.

Conflux has an absurd air. There's a feeling of grandeur with the setting and the star acts, and then this feeling of being amongst friends. And then there are the daleks. Five of them.

I still have chocolate left, but only enough for tomorrow. Everyone eats my Freddo frogs and dreams of hot chocolate and open fires. Well, almost everyone. I will not name the person who claimed my chocolate was inferior.

I suppose you want a real Conflux report. You want to know what Jim Frenkel and I talked about for twenty minutes while he was wating for his ABC interview, or how I ended up impersonating Russell Kirkpatrick on a panel and confusing Anita Bell. Instead I just want to tell you that several of us worked out that US visitors have *no* idea what to do with small wrapped chocolates thrust at them by strangers. The most bewildered reaction so far is from Steve Jackson.

As well as chocolate, there were many and many meetings with friends. It was nice to see threemonkeys tonight. He has got taller. So has Russell Blackford. So has Pat from the Nullus Anxietas committee. In fact, everyone has got taller. My neck tells me so.

I volunteered at the art show for a bit today. It is a lovely place to volunteer. Much better than a dalek's interior. The Dreamstone people told me a heap of interesting things about business and I got to see them consult with an artist about exact shades and nuances in the prints for sale. Marianne de Pierres came in to check it out and I got to ask her about the RPG based on her novel and we found we agreed on the value of reviewing in learning about writing.

Dinner was one of those wonderful convention things that just seem to happen. Donna Hanson is one of those people they just seem to happen around. Ethiopian food, and the very best company. Richard Harland, Kenny Snabel, Russell Kirkpatrick, Kylie Seluka, David Coe and family (his kids are totally nice - good value!), Phill Berrie, Trudi Canavan, Paul Ewins, the Blackfords ... drabbit, you don't need a list of names! We had fun, and we were enjoying ourselves so much we missed the opening ceremony (oops!) but we redeemed ourselves later by staying right til the Museum closed. Well, some of us did. Cat Sparks' new Agog was launched and Sean Williams manged to turn Simon Brown bright red and turn Nick Stathopoulos French for a bit with his musical. He also managed to make Deborah Biancotti tap dance .. sitting down. Ms Biancotti remained poised throughout. I do wish I knew how she did that.

Tomorrow is my panel day: 3 panels and then the Medieval feast. I have caught up with the Lenehans (White Mice Worldbuilding - and all sorts of wondrous things are in train. Watch this space. While you watch this space, I shall get some sleep!