In the Flesh

This post is dedicated to Steve Ricks,

Many thanks for being so accommodating

I might just have to say that meeting the renowned Steve Ricks was the highlight of my visit to England.

As you may or may not know I ordered my S5 and S6 boots through Steve as well as authentic 7th Doctor hanky hat bands. My biggest project with Steve was to commission him to build me a S6 Shetland Tweed jacket.

(Oddly I don't have it with me. But I'll get to that)

The original jacket that arrived was too big for me and Steve graciously offered another one he had waiting in the wings as an exchange. We found a time to meet on Thursday before the convention in Cardiff. Where else would be meet but here?

He was easy to spot bobbing around in his own S6 Tweed. It made me wonder, as a Canadian fan how much the public reacted to people dressed as the Doctor. But perhaps it just goes without saying. Funny to think in Canada I roam around in tweed and bow ties and no one seems to get a clue.

Steve led me to a quieter part of town, Soho Square to be exact.

I spent an hour chatting with Steve face to face about the sartorial side of Doctor Who. Which of course is what both out blogs are about in the first place. He gave me a new jacket that fit tight in the shoulders but wasn't as big as the first once I'd recieved. It would pass for the convention on Saturday.

It was great to meet the man behind so much momentum in the DW community and to catch up on his latest projects. Furthermore, meeting someone face to face really seals the trust between them.

At the time I wrote this on my laptop in my hotel I appear to have written, "Regretably I did not connect with Steve in Cardiff on Saturday. In the future I hope to cross paths with him at Gallifrey One. Who knows?"


However I guess I hadn't peeked into the future far enough. As Monday rolled around I thought it might be a good idea to try and exchange this jacket yet again. I know Steve is known for his customer service, which is unparalleled after I tell you this next story. 


I sent him a message on Facebook asking if there was anything he could do about the jacket. Thankfully he replied yes. There was a small window where he would be returning on the train from Cardiff on Monday. We had to be at Paddington station at 1:00pm sharp. It was a mad dash to finish our sight seeing and meet the train on time. All this without any internet connection. Luckily my friend Tyler spotted Steve in his Tweed and I was able to wish him a final thanks and bid farewell to a Tweed that went to Cardiff. Now that is an adventure.

(I'm sorry for this taking almost a month to post. I wrote all my entires on my laptop which as remained off and away since I got back from the UK. April is Birthday Month for me so I've been all consumed with work and boardgames. However I have lots to write about. My take on the Cardiff convention, a new bow tie that might be a winner, and discussion about the 3, yes, THREE different burgundy bows that show up in Season 6 of Doctor Who. It's all coming your way, so hang on to your Stetsons!)