#Swanwick66: Impressions of Day One

The year has flown by: it seems like only yesterday we were waving the coaches goodbye in the rain last August - and here we all are back at The Hayes once more. The first day is always a chaotic jumble, so here's just a few of my highlights to be going on with:

Hugs from old friends that made me forget my stewarding duties;

Meeting 'white badgers' and trying to make them feel less nervous;

Awarding Katie the prize for most fluorescent outfit so far;

Cheering when Fliss was presented with the Quaich;

Seeing Zana looking well and happy;

Noticing that the custard is a paler shade of yellow this year; 

And being thrilled with my thank you present from Diana and the Committee.

Tonight's guest speaker was Christopher Lee (not the dead one!): prolific author, broadcaster, former Archers scriptwriter and adviser to the Foreign Office. His opening comments were that "writers look smug and self-satisfied; they are miserable sods who are not nice to other people." 

We were advised never to marry a writer and more to the point, never be a writer. He went on to say it was a lousy, lousy job and why would anyone do it. But he also admitted it was a great life and a fabulous thing to do. And you know what? I doubt if there was anyone in the room who would disagree with him.