There's a big smile on my face this morning.

Because The Canberra Times published one of my photographs. It's in the Capital Circle column, and it's a picture of Woosang, looking absolutely lovely, with a book in her hand and a smile on her face.

Sounds like the journalist got onto Gunzel, because the information that didn't come from me is heavily opriented towards railway history. But I think that linking BookCrossing and railways is good. In fact it's a story about linking and hitching!

( Click here for a big pic of the story. )

Canberra gathering

Such a lot of fun tonight. Great to see so many of my favorite people in one place.

I turned up early to catch Scott, who used to be our group organiser, but has been finding it difficult to attend. He's a lovely guy with a wonderful sense of humour, so it was good to see him.

Unbalanced turned up, and wanted help to move his normal three bags of books in from the car, so I went with him, and when we came back to Starbucks I was overjoyed to see a familiar face sitting in the big window seat. Tessa P, my favorite travel agent, worker of wonders, slaving over a hot terminal to make my holidays happy. She just happened to be there having a coffee with a mate, not for the BookCrossing meeting.

We've got an OBCZ shelf now, and it's well stocked with books. Even better stocked tonight - we must have brought in a good hundred books.

Sue is back from Borneo, and she turned up with her two adult daughters. I was able to give her a couple of books she needed, but it was great to see her again. She took Bilbo Kiwiberry to Vietnam and Angkor Wat. How cool is that?

Calissa was there, adding to the smiles all round. We gave her a book on Elizabethan poetry, which I thought was pretty funny. Later on her father turned up with the most enormous camera and I may have been a little silly in front of the lens. Hmmm.

Peggysmum, of course, showing off her BookCrossing T-shirt. We're going wild releasing in Queanbeyan tomorrow before the wedding. Romance books up and down the main drag.

Woosang and Gunzel412, having what passes for a joint bucks and hens night with us. They've both been married before, so I guess that's not quite as important. More fun to be with a bunch of BookCrossers anyway.

Melanie#### came along, adding to the pile of books, and taking a few with her. Some really good books tonight.

jools12ty showed, with a neat new beard. I'm not game to grow another beard; it would grow out multicoloured. Salt and pepper and ginger.

Heidi-Aussie. Once upon a time our gatherings were me and her and we'd journal each other's books and latch onto anybody new with desperation. Nowadays we have a quorum each night and we're all old friends.

I think that's everybody. I like gatherings.

( Click here for small pix )