London Film & Comic Con 2005
For all of us but Robert, this is our very first convention of this sort. I didn't know what to expect! : ) I had always wanted to go (since becoming so attracted to the LOTR films) but was never close enough to one to actually attend. When it looked like we could go this year, I was beside myself with excitement! At different times I found myself getting anxious, eager, nervous and giddy. When Robert was sent on a trip and was going to be gone over this weekend, I was confused over what to do. The boys and I were so looking forward to this! He would also miss our sixteenth wedding anniversary and the Goodwood Racing Festival that he had been looking forward to for some time. We are used to having to celebrate special occasions such as birthdays and anniversaries on days other than their official date. That is part of this military lifestyle. However, when plans fall through for activities that cannot be postponed, that is harder to deal with. I prayed, planned, received counsel from friends and finally decided that I would take the boys on my own. We would leave early, park at our usual train station to catch the Tube into London and get off the train across the street from the building where the convention was being held. I kept wondering if I was doing the right thing. We desperately wanted to meet certain celebrities (more on that later) but if I lost one of the boys, the price would definitely be too high. I found myself praying to the only One who knows my future that if something bad was awaiting us there, that He would stop us from going. After that, I was more at ease. : ) I printed out maps, worked out all the details, packed the backpack with necessities and waited. On Friday morning Robert walked in the door! We were so happy that our weekend plans were back on. We stuck to our plan of leaving the house early so here we go...
Here are my guys on the train to London. At this part of the journey we are above ground...further into London this train goes underground. We left our house at about 7:10am and got on the train about 8:30ish. We are still a bit sleepy. I am tired from not being able to sleep well. Funny how anticipation can interfere with a good night's rest. : )
What is the big deal about meeting famous people?
My guys pose with the car from Knight Rider.
We got to the convention hall about 10am. Since the regular ticket prices didn't start being sold until 11:00am we went ahead and got the early bird prices. I knew they would cost more but I didn't know that the price would be the same for all of us instead of a reduced rate for the kids (like the regular tickets had). Ah well, it was worth it to be able to start our exploration before the crowds really got thick.
After getting our tickets for the talks we wanted to attend, we made the obligatory bathroom stop and then went to check out the lines for autographs. William & I wanted autographs from Billy Boyd and Josh & Will wanted ones from Matthew Wood. We discovered how the lines work, got our tickets and waited for our numbers to be called. Since our numbers for M.W. were in the 200's and ours for B.B. were in the 300's, we knew we had quite a bit of time to look around before getting into a queue (line).
Josh, William, Robert & Connor pose with a gladiator.
Billy Boyd's Talk
Billy's talk was at 11:30am so we wandered around looking at stuff in the convention hall until it was time. I felt like such a kid! I kept asking Robert when it was time to go. His idea of when it was time and mine were vastly different. If it'd been up to me, we would have gone in probably an hour early just to get good seats. : ) Robert and the boys didn't want to sit there that long (understandable really) so we didn't go in until 10mins ahead of the start time. Of course, we ended up sitting in the back. But it was fun anyway to hear Billy talking (I love accents different from my own!) and acting so funny. The first part of his talk he did a sort of "Jeopardy" style Q&A where he threw out an answer and the audience was supposed to come up with the question. It was fun! : )
Warwick Davis (from the movie "Willow") signing autographs. We couldn't afford to get autographs from everyone so I tried to just take pics when I could. I did get to see Mr. Davis later when he was leaving the building. I was on the phone though, so we pretty much could only trade smiles. He seemed like a nice person. I wished him a safe journey. It would have been fun, I think, to have met him.
Autograph tables from an upstairs restaurant
By the time Billy's talk was over, we had some hungry men on our hands. Since the lines were pretty packed (so very thankful for Robert's presence as I would have been pretty freaked out by the crowds of people and the task of keeping everyone together!!) we decided we'd better eat lunch before it was our time. They still hadn't called our number group yet but it was getting close. We tried to eat in the same building but couldn't justify paying so much money for cafeteria style food. We ended up getting our hands stamped (so we could come back later) and finding a restaurant outside.
Highlander Talk
After we enjoyed a nice meal in a little Mediterranean cafe, we came back. I was so worried that we wouldn't get the autographs we wanted. I couldn't imagine how someone could sign so many autographs and not just give up and go home! I was afraid Billy & Matthew would get tired and leave before we got our chance to meet them. : ) By this time it was time for the Highlander talk so standing in the autograph lines was postponed again. I was trying to be an adult about this but the complaints from our boys echoed my own heart. They were also nervous they woudn't get the autographs.
I do wish we could have met everyone. Adrian Paul was one of the ones I would have liked to have met. It was fun to hear his talk even though, once again, we were toward the back of the audience. He seems pretty nice and really has a heart for the relief efforts underway for the Tsunami victims.
Robert, William, Josh, Billy Boyd (aka Pippin), Connor, & Shirley
FINALLY! Autograph time! : )
Meeting such a favorite of ours was a bit surreal. This first time was a bit rushed as there were still so many people waiting to meet him and get his autograph. I was able to deliver a couple of letters to him, one that was old and had been mailed and returned a couple years ago and one about the Smile Project. : ) When I was trying to help William find a certain item he wanted to purchase later in the day, we had another opportunity to speak with him (the crowds were thinning out). I wish I'd had the rest of my guys with me as they could have helped come up with stuff to talk about. After a short time chatting about the letters, I was at a loss and William is always quiet so we bid him farewell. In this brief exhange, Billy was very funny and his quick wit threw me off track a bit. : ) He had to have been exhausted but here he was being friendly to a complete stranger. I did notice that as the other celebrities started leaving, he remained at his post even though his line was by then only sporadically attended. Since it was only 4ish and the convention hours for that day was until 6pm, it seemed to me a good thing that 1)he was willing to sign so many autographs and 2)he was willing to stay until the appointed time. Who knows but there may have been some fan that could only come in that last minute to get his autograph. It just seemed like he was a hard worker and appreciated his fans. Thanks Billy! : )
Lou Ferrigno (aka The Incredible Hulk)
Again, I would have loved to have met everyone! Mr. Ferrigno was another one I had a letter for so I delivered it to his assistant (he was on a break). He will always be "The" Incredible Hulk to us. Guess that kind of reveals our stubborness...and our age. : )
Josh, Matthew Wood, Connor, William, & Robert
Meeting Matthew Wood was a bit more relaxed. He spoke in his General Grievous voice a little bit and seemed quite amused at Connor's antics in response. He has a very pleasant demeanor and is very approachable. The boys, I think, thought he was the coolest...
Robert, Connor, William, Joe Robinson, & Josh
We also met a very nice fellow by the name of Mr. Joe Robinson. He was in the James Bond film "Diamonds Are Foever" as well as a few other roles (to include an Italian independant film version of Tarzan). He was very friendly and pleased to chat with us for quite some time. He was also a very generous man. We truly enjoyed speaking with him. In the course of our conversation he mentioned Brighton. I got distracted before I had the chance to tell him that is a place I hope to visit sometime soon. It's a location I heard of in one of my favorite A&E productions. : ) Was it Pride & Prejudice or Persuasion? I can't remember...I love them both and sometimes get details mixed up between them. Because of them I plan to visit both Brighton and Bath while we are living here. : )
Our good friend Dave came to mind when we saw this chess set with an Aliens vs. Predator theme!
E...it's a good thing the price was too high or this might be in your house soon. : )
David! Your "stretchy man" appears to be about to snatch Josh & William!! Such a long way from his beloved ship...
Look out Connor!!
WHEW!
What a long day! We left the convention hall sometime close to 6pm. The train ride back to Epping didn't seem nearly as long as it did on the way into London. Here, Josh finds a comfortable way to travel in the Tube.
Aww...isn't this precious? I love to watch the boys sleep. : ) We are almost home at this point but with a couple more stops to make (BX and Burger King) we don't get home until nearly 10pm.
close this window to go back
