The British Mac meat-up

So I did something slightly unusual over the weekend - but that's another story :-)

On Saturday, we drove, through typical British winter weather of strong wind, driving rain ( why do they call it driving rain, when it's weather in which nobody wants to drive ) and a lake also known as the M4, from Hampshire to Shropshire.

The purpose of our journey ? Well, apart from shopping in Telford ( not too impressed ) and Shrewsbury ( lovely old market town, similar to Salisbury and Winchester ), we were there to attend my first ever podcast-in-person, British Mac.

I've participated in podcasting before - I was fortunate to be a guest on This Week in Lotus a few times, and have also recorded an episode for an IBM internal podcast.

However, this was the first time that I'd actually participated in a podcast recording live, in meat-space ( hence the surreal title of this post ).

Will Green, aka @BritishMac was kind enough to host the evening's event, at his studio-cum-den in the wilds of Ironbridge ( a place to which I will definitely return, not having been there since the late 70s or early 80s ).

Will supplied beer, wine, snacks and, perhaps as importantly, heat - whilst the weather was lashing the countryside, we were snug and warm.

I'd estimate that there were about 20 of us huddled around the studio, whilst Will did his usual professional job of hosting the podcast, with the regular features - Apple News, The Rumour Mill, The Pussycat Club, the Old Mac and Mouse etc.

The discussion was varied and interestingly diverse - more importantly, there was a level of interaction that one doesn't usually experience from a podcast ( where there's typically 1-3 people participating ).

It'll be interesting to see how it comes out post-edit, but it was definitely an experience that I'd be more than happy to repeat.

The post-podcast pints, plus a curry at a local eatery, and a few wee drams to round off the evening, also helped to emphasise the social nature of podcasting.

In summary, despite the weather ( which actually got better for a while on Saturday as we headed north and west ), it was an excellent experience, and I was proud and thrilled to be able to participate.

Thanks, Will and assorted guests, it's been emotional :-)