I am attending the Novacon Science Fiction Convention in Buxton, Derbyshire between the 12th and 14th November 2021. I’m actually going a few days early to have a chance to explore the area first.
I’ve been a science fiction convention attendee since the mid-1980’s, mostly going to the Eastercon events (so called for taking place at Easter). Add a few Worldcons, media-cons and Comicons, (among others) and you get the idea.
Strangely I never got to the Novacons (named for taking place in November), until this 50th year event in Buxton, Derbyshire. With my limited income this always fell too close to Christmas for my spending power.
This year is different. Not only do I have fewer surviving family and friends to get Xmas presents for, Covid and my own struggle with bowel cancer in 2020 actually reduced my opportunities to get out anywhere. With the extensive all consuming lockdown, conventions were of course justifiably cancelled. While I rarely agree with Government policies, the universal lockdown undoubtedly saved many lives throughout the Covid crisis which is far from over even now many of us are double-vaccinated.
My own health crisis saw me hospitalized for eight weeks, (through Xmas 2020 and New Year 2021), and treated at home and in clinics daily up to May 2021. Many friends, including lovely SF fans (especially The Manchester FONT SF group) helped keep my disintegrating morale down to a quiet riot. Even now, I’m sporting a stoma bag and diagnosed with mild depression and high anxiety, adjusting to being a newcomer to the largely invisible disability club.
I am able to get around now. My condition made breathing problematic pre-diagnosis. I had thought my lungs were going but it turned out bowel areas play a big part in oxygenating the bloodstream. My lungs were fine but largely running on empty. In the end I could barely walk a few yards without needing to stop and rest. Now my energy is restoring, and I can walk several miles as long as I’ve not got too much to lug around. My pub signs photo collecting passion is back on course. I aim to get lots of photos in and around Buxton pre-convention.
I have actually been to Buxton before, on several Ramber’s Association treks through the Dark Peaks and my last pub sign collecting trip there was in 2011, quite early on in my quest for signs. The only pub I drank in then was the Milton’s Head which was terrific (though it was a decade ago). The best sign I found in the Spa-Town was The Beltane (now closed and replaced by The 53 Degrees North bar.)
I’ve been looking forward to Novacon immensely, counting the days down on my calendar, as giddy as a child in anticipation of Christmas. I’ve started packing, making lists of the stuff to take, looking at the websites and progress reports for indications of the programming to come. I’ve taken several self-administered Covid-lateral flow tests, fearful of going positive, or some change in the virus or rules to protect us from it leading to the con getting cancelled. So far, all is well.
The BBC weather pages indicate it will be cold but mostly dry (with a little rain anticipated for the Sunday). It’s all very exciting and it will be a huge joy to see everyone after so long out of the loop. My cancer crisis in many ways detracted me from recognition that the Covid tragedy has kept the rest of fandom, and much of the World apart from one another too. We may well have lost many good friends to the virus along the way. More than any con, this will be an emotional journey, a reunion, a thank you opportunity, and a chance to reflect on losses, and make up for lost time. Science fiction is about the future, and this is where we start to put our future back on track after Covid’s rude interruption to our journey forward.
I was delighted to learn that my publishers, Shoreline Of Infinity are attending as it means my pub signs in science fiction book, Watch The Signs! Watch The Signs! Will be on sale there and I may get to sign a few copies too. https://www.shorelineofinfinity.com/product/watch-the-signs-watch-the-signs/
Arthur Chappell
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