George

Busy first day at conference. Spent most of the day lugging boxes about for exhibitors and putting up posters - and getting very hot. It was so much sunnier and warmer than I'd expected!

This evening we had our welcome reception at the Royal Albert Museum in Exeter. This room intrigued me, with its dodgily taxidermied giraffe, Gerald, who was previously known as George. Poor old George; not only was he butchered and re-stitched in an amateur fashion, they then changed his name, too. He was right next to an African bull elephant, shot by the same bastard hunter, Charles Peel, insides boiled and eaten, and skin dried, before Peel and his party 'marched back to civilisation.' Nice.

Back to the room at 10pm, quick call to Tim, then bed.