Pausing bfeore dinner at Torchsong...

[fajrdrako]

beckster6701 is kindly letting me use her beautiful laptop during a pause in the Torchsong convention programming.

I should rest for a bit, but at the moment I am high with joy on the wonderful, wonderful session with Carole Barrowman on stage in person and John Barrowman on SkyChat. That man impresses me more all the time - personable, clever, kind, and very, very funny. As is Scott... in a Speedo.... There were so many great moments. For example:

• To sign off, John pulled off his shirt and did a dance for us in his chair
  
• He showed us his boot - it looked just like the one I wore last year!
  
• He talked to (and was teased by, and teased in return) Tom Price and Mark Sheppard
  
• Lots of teasing between Carole and John, and Claire too, mostly about sex (hopefully I'll have time to transcribe the sordid details later!)
  
• A funny few moments with his mother, who's as much of a goofball as John is
  
• Young Henry Edwards, young son of artist Tommy Lee Edwards, came to the microphone and asked John if he recognized him. John did, and talked a little about the comic he and Carole did with Henry's dad. Henry thanked John for phoning him at Christmas.
  
• One of the boys there - and his was clearly a huge surprise for John - was young Adam, who appeared in The Making of Me. John was delighted to see him and all the more sorry he couldn't be at the con, where Adam had come all that way (with his mother) to see him.
  
• We got to see Harris and Captain Jack on screen. Though John had complained earlier that a fan at one event had licked his face, which he hates, it's clear he likes it when one of his dogs does it. It's the imposition by strangers that bothers him.
  
• He told the full story of his injury, including mimicking his mother's unsympathetic scolding at the time.
  
• John Barrowman taked about some upcoming writing projects he is doing with Carole, including a Torchwood novel and a series of adventures novels for teens.
  

This was such a wonderful afternoon.... thanks to John Barrowman.

Did I explain about Tom Price's injury? Tom, who plays PC Andy, is one of the Torchwood stars in attendance. He made us gape by walking in on Friday night with his arm in a cast. Shortly after his arrival in Chicago, he was knocked down by a cyclist and his arm was broken. He appeared on stage this morning (like a trooper) but was clearly in pain - and even more so at his autograph session. At his talk, a nurse in the audience showed him how to fix his sling so his arm would be more comfortable. He accused us all of mothering him. Quite rightly.

There have been a lot of killer-cyclist jokes going around. John's first comment to Tom: "Didn't anyone tell you they drive on the right in America?" For his own scheduled talk, Gareth came on stage with crutches, as a joke.

Joking aside, Gareth David-Lloyd is the only uninjured Torchwood star here, and he should maybe be hiding in a bubble to keep him safe. His talk was terrific, too: intelligent, smart and sexy.

And Peter Wingfield.... Well. I will report sometime later, as I took notes. He's as delightful as everyone has always said he is. I was impressed, more impressed (and besmitten) than I expected to be.

I have abused beckster6701's kind hospitality enough; time to let her use her own laptop.

Can you tell I'm having a wonderful, wonderful time... Oh, and in case you hadn't noticed: Torchwood fans are lovely people.