Various things have kept me away from electronic media till today, more or less since I last wrote, but events march fast upon us and not the least of these is the 2012 International Medieval Congress, to which I shall be departing tomorrow (or, looking at the clock, today) and at which there has in recent years been a bloggers’ meet-up. I’m not sure we’re up to strength this year but since there will be at least five of us and possibly more Magistra has been canvassing behind the scenes and has settled upon the following time and place: the Stables pub at Weetwood Hall, on Monday evening, from 20:00. I and she will certainly be there, I perhaps from earlier, and if you are a blogger of any kind you would of course be very welcome to join us. (Please, bloggers and others, bear in mind that some who might attend do not necessarily want their real names and their blogs linked more widely, and we ask you to be suitably careful about that.)
This was taken shortly after a lengthy formal dinner, and doesn’t it show?
This is a retro style about to take off on the catwalk, known as ‘elegant dishevelment’… (Derek Zoolander eat your heart out!)
Have a pint of Copper Dragon for me, and I shall be thinking of you all.
“Formally wasted”, perhaps? Or is that a comment on the job market? Who can say… I will have that pint, and lament your absence Kath, it won’t be the same without you. But there will be other times more propitious!
I hope you’ll have a great time there!
Sorry for giving you a funny look and running away – got scared.
Well, your identity remains a secret, even from me, so you have that comfort!
Dear Jonathan,
I’m Elisabet, from Barcelona, and I’m a PhD student (now I’m “associated” with the University of Lleida, with Flocel Sabaté). I study mentality and daily life in the tenth century in the Catalan Counties.
Now, I’m doing a review of your “Rulers and ruled in frontier catalonia…” for the “Anuario de Estudios Medievales” and I’ve just decided to tell you: “hello, I’m following your work”.
In September, I’m going to Oxford for four months, and if I’m not wrong, you’re now there. Isn’t it?
Well, I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Hullo Elisabet, a pleasure to hear from you. Chris Wickham had mentioned to me that you were coming to Oxford, in fact. As far as I know at the moment, I will still be in there in September. That must make it slightly awkward for you reviewing the book, but hey, it’s already been out eighteen months, just delay the review till after we’ve met, which I will look forward to. I was sorry that we didn’t get your paper at Leeds! The title sounded fascinating.
it was lovely seeing you, as ever.
And you also, but so little! The worst of the global nature of academia is that one makes friends who are so far away…
On the up side, you always have a bed when you end up stranded in a random, distant location…
In theory yes! I have always found the international league of black-clad deviants a better bet for that, but the standard of accommodation can be a lot less predictable…
I meant to pop in earlier and say thanks for organising the meet-up! It was lovely (though somewhat overwhelming) to meet everyone. But I would like to know more about this Copper Dragon – I only have memories of a somewhat forgettable French (?) chenin blanc…
It was good to meet you also! And in so far as there was organisation, really Magistra deserves the credit, I just used it as an excuse to put yet another picture of me on the blog… Copper Dragon is the brewery that serves the Stables, though on this occasion only with one beer (the Golden Pippin, Kath, of which I drank one for you and several for myself), the others all being Whitbread-supplied if I’m any judge. But, well, there’s not really any need to remember this information: we shan’t be back there again (though part of me wants to bus up there for a pint next year anyway…)