Ffiesta Planning

Had a great meeting with the other Fforganisers in Swindon today.  The updated de Vere/Finis, renamed the Village, is looking good.  There is now a Starbucks where you can go for the ambience a la Stubbs if you want to not buy coffee, although they do do a very tasty cheese and marmite panini as well.  And you can not buy that either if you are a not a marmite lover.  Although of course we all did.  And Gill and Laura managed to drink hot chocolate with whipped cream much more elegantly than I ever could.  I would have had a full cream moustache plus some on the end of my nose.

The next Ffiesta is coming up fast and the planning is going well.  Thanks to the efficient among us we look set to have a really brilliant, if somewhat surreal, weekend. Some old favourites (Name that Fruit, Lego Building, Lobster Space Invaders, Hunt the Lobster, Gala Dinner and Fancy dress, Poetic Angst etc) plus some new and improved stuff.  We've got an optional quiz in the bar the evening before the whole thing kicks off, and a picnic for anybody that wants to stay on the day after it ends.  Hopefully nobody will get crushed by a Hispano-Suiza.

Jasper will be giving us an exclusive reading and will be available for a Q&A session as well as being around and mingling the whole weekend.

The bus tour is returning, better than ever thanks to Derek, although he's got a lot to live up to.  I believe he's been trudging round Swindon seeking out the best route to take in all the sights

Instead of Hamlet and Zombies we have A Midsummer Night's Dream - The Panto, complete with minotaur and Damevers (Oh no we haven't... Oh yes we have!)  Hamlet will still be an important presence though and after the success of the synchronised speed soliloquy in German last year we are hoping others will take up the challenge in many different languages...including Klingon!

After the Gala dinner we have a talent contest - Ffordians Got Talent - though I think The Next Factor might be a better name.  I will only take part if you are very unlucky, but I'm certain we'll have some brilliant acts.

You can take croquet lessons from an expert (really) and there is a treasure hunt around and about, plus dodo whispering demonstrations, grow your own roundabout, knitting, extreme spatula makeover, colour by numbers and loads of other stuff.  Blimey, I'm exhausted just thinking about it.

And I mustn't forget Crusty Cards, I fully expect them to be the next big thing - can YOU collect them all?