I think the fire burned a little too brightly in these three!!! (Anne-Marie, Alys and Fiona)
As I sat down at a long table with my friends, I thought how ironic it was that outlaws were mixing with nobles or, in some cases, mortal enemies! And, yet, the most surprising event was yet to come. I didn’t know it, but I would soon be mingling with the guests at the high table!
Picture taken during the Medieval Banquet
You see, when I was lining up to get autographs from Robert Addie and Terry Walsh, I bought three tickets for a certain raffle. I had almost forgotten about it until Janet announced that they were going to start drawing the names of the winners.
When I learned that one of the prizes would be a seat at the high table, I immediately thought that it was the perfect prize! Someone was going to be a very happy fan, indeed. As Janet called out the number 153, I assumed that fan wasn’t going to be me. However, in a bizarre twist of fate, the winner didn’t appear to claim his/her prize. That’s when they drew another number...
I thought I was hearing things at first because they called out the number 85, one of the three tickets I had tucked inside my wallet! I stared into my change purse in astonishment, then waved my ticket around in excitement. I may have yelled “Bingo!” and leapt to my feet as well...I honestly can’t remember! *g*
The view from where I was sitting!
After some confusion about whether I needed to bring my soup, I took my place at the high table. I was almost sitting across from Anthony Valentine and only Dan separated me from Nickolas Grace and Robert Addie! I was ecstatic, but then terrified...I'm not a very outgoing person (despite my online persona) and I can be embarrassingly shy and reserved around people I don't know very well. I think you can probably imagine what I must have been like around these actors I had admired for so many years!
I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t also been sitting with some members of the SA committee - Janet, Dan and Julie. I also met Julie’s boyfriend, Peter, who would successfully propose to her later that evening. Nevertheless, the con committee kept disappearing, so I was left alone with the celebrities!
