‘I ate’nt dead’.
And with those 3 simple words, ladies and gentlemen, I will either have spoken volumes, or you’ll be saying ‘he can’t spell, please alert the authorities’.
Those in the know will recognise the sign that Granny Weatherwax would hang round her neck when she went borrowing, in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books. It’s become a bit of shorthand amongst us Pratchett fanatics, and if we see it, we know we’re in the presence of someone that we can say ‘Ook’ to and not be laughed at. Someone that understands the phrase ‘the turtle moves’. Someone that knows what a seamstress really does.
Why am I blathering on about this? Well, not just because I think Pratchett was rather splendid, but because I managed to catch the end of the exhibition at Salisbury Museum featuring his work. It had been on for months and I promised myself that I would get there before it closed, and thankfully I managed it, along with fellow Pratchett nut Alison, who I met via a Facebook group. I don’t go to museums very often (at my age I run the danger of becoming an exhibit), but I have to admit that I was very, very impressed with this visit. The exhibition itself was very tastefully done, a little bit emotional (bloody onion fairy), and of course full of reminders why us fans love his work – plenty of intelligent, witty humour.
Importantly, it gave me a chance to wear a very silly hat, and for that I am eternally happy…and even more importantly than that, I met up with the rather bloody marvellous Alison who, as well as providing me with that extraordinarily modest description of herself, appears to be somewhat fond of hobbits…
Now there is a link here to my roundworld job as an itinerant chilli peddler. During the Christmas Market in Salisbury, in which I endured the slings and arrows of outrageous weather, I see a lot of people drift by. A lot. and so it was one day, whilst I was in the early evening stupour of too many brunch bars and vast amounts of caffeine, I noticed a group of people walk by that were dressed…well, differently. For a start they weren’t wearing the kind of jacket that the weather required (basically a flattened mattress) and they were somewhat flamboyant. In fact, one was wearing a gold suit, and a hat with wings.
And that, dear reader, was the giveaway – I can spot a Moist von Lipwig a mile off. They were Pratchett fans and had been to the exhibition, all in costume and unashamedly willing to wander round Salisbury city centre, running the risk of encounters with ‘the public’. Now ‘the public’ are all well and good, but when Wayne and Waynetta Lagerdrinker are faced with someone dressed as a wizard it’s often not a meeting of minds, mainly because one party doesn’t possess one. So chapeau to them, and if you read this, I hope you enjoyed your trip 🙂
‘I ate’nt dead’ could also apply to me so far this year, what with there being a distinct lack of going outdoors happening right now. I’ve taken the decision to hibernate, albeit briefly. Events are famously a bit crap in January, and the weather ain’t nice, so I’ve hidden away from the world and am going steadily more and more ghostly pale as the weeks progress. I’ve been busy booking events…getting a blog or two written…designing even more spreadsheets to get all orgasmic over (ooh, pivot tables)…and the lovely Alison has been keeping my spirits up (ahem).
But I will be back on the road again soon – as soon as February comes round in fact. And I’m trying out a few vegan festivals this year, which is a bit of a departure from the norm – going to have to brush up on my sales patter a bit, obviously a fair bit of my normal spiel revolves around non-vegan food. But I’ll adapt, and I’ll just have to remember not to say ‘live long and prosper’…
+++ Divide by cucumber error, Please reinstall universe and reboot +++
On totally non-chilli note, it’s sad to hear that Sir Terry Pratchett isn’t able to attend the Discworld Convention this year. It seems that his Alzheimer’s condition is taking its toll and that he’s not up to the task any more. Hopefully he has a few more books in him yet, but it’s tragic to see such a brilliantly inventive mind struggle with the things that come so easily to most of us. I’ve seen the effect that Alzheimer’s has, not just on the individual but on the family as well, and it’s heartbreaking. You expect your loved ones to age and for body parts to fail, seize up or drop off, but the mind is the most precious organ and to see it get mired in the impenetrable pea-souper of incoherence that is Alzheimer’s is just horrible. When it gets to the point that parents no longer recognise their children, no words can convey the empty feeling that engenders. If you are dealing with the disease in any way shape or form, you have my utmost sympathy.
So shall we be a bit more cheerful for a minute? Why, let’s do that. Some comments from the weekend:
The Chilli Hobbit 