Day One
Actually only half a day, since the morning was spent travelling to Derby. I arrived incredibly early for the coach, and expected to have to amuse myself for several hours, but I'd just finished an overpriced station lunch and settled down with a cup of tea when other people started to turn up. We all got chatting, and before we knew it it was time to go!
Last year I was in the cheapest room available, and got a single bed and a sink with a shared bathroom. This year I paid a little more to upgrade to my own shower, and was thrilled to discover I had my own toilet too. No more nocturnal trips down the corridors! After checking in I unpacked, went to deposit books and bookcards in the Book Room, and then went to catch up with old friends.
Dinner was lasagne, and cherry pie. I was very good and skipped dessert - there would be plenty more of them throughout the week. Steve Hartley was our evening speaker, who writes the Danny Baker Record Breaker series of children's books. He was very funny, and rounded everything off by seeing how many writers would fit into a giant pair of pants. (Eleven.)