Bristolcon

It is kind of unusual for me to go to two genre conventions within three weeks of each other. What is more unusual is getting evacuated from both hotels in the middle of the night. I'm getting a dab hand at leaping out of bed in the early hours and legging down fire escapes while still pulling my pants up. I seem to be becoming something of a convention fire tourist. Sadly I can't really compare and contrast the sleepwear of SF con-goers to that of fantasy con-goers, because Bristolcon's version was a little earlier, at midnight, when most of those staying at the hotel were still in the bar. Still, it has to be said, it is one freaky kind of coincidence.

Anyway, the con itself: Marvellous. It is only a single day but they do seem able to pack all kinds of good stuff into it. There are a lot of art threads at Bristolcon, which keeps Sarah happy. There was a superb art show, and one of the best panels was that of Ian Whates talking to GoH Anne Sudworth, who is maybe my second-favourite artist (after Sarah, of course). There were panels on colonising the Solar System, on Steampunk, and there was a useful panel on avoiding making a twit of oneself on social media. Lets see how long it takes me to forget all the useful tips I heard at that one.

It was also good running into lots of old friends and bumping into a few new ones that I'd only previously spoken to online. Bristolcon is like that; it is small and friendly and if there's someone there you know you don't have to look too hard to find them.

Anyway, I'm here in Bristol, and I can't leave without taking a look at the Clifton suspension bridge. Never seen it before, and since I'm researching Brunel for a novel right now it seems fitting to come down and take a look, even though the bridge itself isn't in any way relevant to the WIP. And look at it! How impressive is that?