One of things that made the conference this year particularly enjoyable for me was that it was my first as an everyday punter for some time. For the previous three years, I had been secretary and treasurer of the society (I'm still webmaster), and for one of those also the host in Birmingham. I had forgotten how enjoyable it was just to go along and enjoy listening to papers and talking to old friends without having to worry about the big organisational things.
Friday evening was the conference dinner. A good meal (salmon) with more wine. As so often, the conference dinner lasted too long and the timetable was all messed up, so the Business Meeting was postponed to the Saturday morning, and we went straight into the main paper, Christopher Rowland on William Blake and the New Testament. It was a hugely enjoyable presentation, and for someone like me most educational too. It was fully illustrated, and it was a pleasure to have a presentation (hobby-horse now mounted) speaking extemp, and not reading a script.
Once again, after the main paper, much of the conference retired to the Chaplaincy for a nice drink or two and this time there were some real ales too and for some, a late night.
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