My hour for tea is half-past five, and my buttered toast waits for nobody.

So, the comic con rolled into town. I think it was worth it just to see the locals on the local bus, staring bug eyed at young folks in full gear.

I know, I’m old enough to know better, way too old to go (and oh, how often was I told this, to my face, by unkind young ruffians), hell, I’m even getting older than nearly all of the guests, and that includes the ones with credits from the 70s, but still, why should there be an age limit on comic cons and rock concerts? It seems so unfair.  Especially as I’ve not yet stopped listening to music or watching genre films and TV (and these days, it’s damn difficult to avoid the MCU everywhere you turn).

Anyways, I took my very hard won and hard fought for time in lieu and skipped off early. Everyone at work was saying it was wet and damp and perfect Burger Friday weather. So I did that first (there’s a place nearby that is the Shake Shack in all but name). Then onto a train where I found an umbrella. It’s not stealing per se if it’s abandoned, and I figured I’d have need of it (I did) and it was very nice, wooden handle and all, and it went with the bright orange coat (since ruined by grubby trains and buses).

I swear I saw a well-known ex pollie on the train, with his entourage, swear I did (doing his man of the people thing or they’ve cut back on perks for ex pollies, either or). And then off into the crush.

Well, I thought it was a crush then, foolish naif that I was. As Jason Isaacs said, his panel was pretty much seven people reading their phones. And me, Jason, adoring me, up the back, adoring. Ah well.

It was mainly Potter talk (yawn….) but later I made him swear when I mentioned the dog in Case Histories (I’d read interviews, I knew he’d rise up and take a bite, but not that much, oy), after I’d nearly made him weep by presenting him with some non-Potter themed merch to sign (my Case Histories dvd cover, because it was still on the bedside table, yes, I am that lazy/disorganised).

The Nathan Fillion panels were an outright crush, but worth it, even though what you see is pretty much what you get, because he’s funny. Oy, the line, and in the rain, too. (I loved that he followed up on some stories/questions via Twitter later, with additional info – spot the might have been teacher – he’d have been a great teacher).

I was bemused by the number of Castle fans (finally, some people older than me) who were all huffy at all the Firefly questions. Clearly Nathan needs to do two events, as it seems ne’er the twain with the old fanbase.

I will skip over the meh panels (including a Flash one, to my disappointment) and stick with the wonderful Kevin McNally, and huzzah for your mature British thespian and his well-honed stories of ‘the time when…’. I do love a story and British character actors are the absolute best, all that time spent sitting around on set yarning away.

So tales of hangovers and pirates. I did ask if he felt any pressure in playing a real person in Turn and he said he had no idea his character was based on a real person, so no. Well, that answered that.

Elizabeth Henstridge (of SHIELD) was also entertaining, despite her youth, because she’s a British actress and I promised Himself she was more likely to tell hangover stories than any American actor. Heh, I should have put money on it. I would have high-fived Himself if he’d not been sitting six rows away (did I mention the crush?). Not much in the way of sneaky spoilers, but I found her charming, and much more self-assured than many of her peers.

Turn-about being fair play, I was dragged into the Futurama panels, and I’m sure the boys doing the silly voices would have been laugh-a-minute if I’d heard a single word – the acoustics in the tin sheds were atrocious, but whatever. It was so cold in those tin sheds that Billy West had to grab a jumper from the audience. That cold.

Junk wise, I tried to be good, but I’d let Himself go wandering while I queued and queued and queued some more and he came back with UNCLE, Big Valley, Bonanza and Adam 12 comics, as well as a Tardis cake tin and a new flying helmet (don’t ask). I found an old Rawhide covered TV mag, and a tiny fake fish in a tiny jar, which I have on my desk, because it bemuses me (it jiggles when I bump the desk).

So that was three days at the con. I could have spent my life doing better things, like washing socks and cleaning leaves out of the gutter, but nope, I did that.

I did, however, discover what was giving the worst allergic reaction ever. It was Heston’s tomato sauce that was turning me beetroot from head to foot like some kid from Charlie and the Chocolate factory (and ironic considering how Wonka-like Heston’s media image is), with a rash so bad it left scars. So, no more going near anything branded Heston for the rest of the year, if ever. Ouch.

Caught up with some friends, who were pleased I managed to bounce into a good job (and at my age, that wasn’t easy, let me tell you). It’s easy to forget how close I can to ruination. Well, the trip to Melbourne and the con are the first big things I’ve done in a year. Glad I id Melbourne, it made me happy.

Unhappy is waking up to find my feed full of Steed. Vale Patrick Macnee, whom, as you might be aware of, was one of my lifelong heroes, he of The Avengers. Why, just last week, when I found that oh so Steed umbrella, twirling it as I walked along in my Emma homage orange coat and boots. He was, and will remain, such a part of my pop culture life.