Graeme was next out. For some reason, he was the one I talked to the least.  Naturally, one of them would have to come in last in that area, but I certainly wouldn't have expected it to be Graeme.  I made a point straightaway of telling him I was awed by Nothing Changes. His reaction cracked me up....reminded me very much of the interview where he talks about the band getting "gleeful" after the concerts.  :-)  Gleeful, that's exactly what he was.  What I wanted to know, but completely forgot to ask, was if he wrote both the words and music for it.  He signed my CD cover, and posed for this photo with me.  Such a sweet guy!

The last one I saw was John!  WooHoo! He probably thought I was nuts, but my reflex action, when he stepped in front of me, was to throw my arms around him!  =:o  It didn't seem to faze him, and I got a wonderful hug in return.  Still, I felt a bit embarrassed by it, so I didn't talk to him much, either, at least right then.  He signed my Strange Times insert, and I couldn't think of a single thing to say to him, other than I loved the album.

About that time, I noticed Ray standing in the middle of the room, alone!  Having a Moody Blue standing alone in a room full of fans is completely unacceptable, so I headed his way.  That's when the grandkids chat took place.  I adore that man!

Things were really moving along by this time.....those with working cameras were doing their best to get all the photos possible, a half dozen different conversations were going on at once, the Sharpies were getting a real workout with the autograph signings.....it was great!

I suddenly remembered that, with the extra stuff I had for him, I'd forgotten to have Justin sign my Strange Times cover. He did, and Maggie asked if we wanted a photo together.  What a question!  We both said of course, and she raised the camera for it. I stopped her, saying I'd never gotten a decent photo with this guy, and I wanted to do it right this time.  Justin laughed and waited while I took my armload of stuff and laid it against the wall.  When I turned back to him, he was standing there with his arm stretched out to me, and, believe me, I didn't waste any time snuggling under it!

Will wonders never cease?  I actually remembered something I wanted to say to John!  He was standing a few feet from me, (alone!) and smiled as I approached.  I tapped him on the chest (I guess I'll never learn <g>) and said, "Hey, you!"  He laughed and said, "Me, what?"  I told him I was sitting in the front row at the concert (his reply was "Uh-oh") and, since I had my camera all warmed up, I'd like it if he gave me lots of smiles.

About this time, Maggie joined our conversation with a bang.  She related a very funny story about how her husband had reacted to John's "attention" to her at a show last year.  John listened, wide-eyed and grinning, while I tried, unsuccessfully, to stifle my laughter.  At the story's end, I told John not to listen to a bit of it, that his "flirting" was the thing that made the extra effort to get close to the stage worth it.  He then smiled that precious smile of his and said, "Well, aren't you sweet!"  He promised to do as I asked, and he kept that promise.  Too bad my camera wasn't as cooperative!

Justin, in the meantime, had gone to the other side of the room, and someone called out for him not to leave yet, because they hadn't gotten a photo with him.  He turned and said, "Don't worry, I'm not running off.  We've got time for all the photos you want."

I took one last opportunity to speak to him, because I felt I'd sort of glossed over how much I loved Strange Times earlier.  When I told him again, with a little more emphasis, he said, "You mean the CD?  You've heard it then?"  I said we'd been at the record store at 8:00 that morning, to make sure we got our copies.  He smiled and asked if I liked anything in particular.  "Well, I think English Sunset is my new favorite Moodies song", is how I answered, "but the whole thing is simply wonderful."

Then, I shook his hand and said, "Justin, thank you for being willing to meet with us like this.  Really."  He replied, "Thank you for being here.  It's very much our pleasure. Really.  I hope you enjoy the show tonight, and especially the new songs."

Once they'd gone, and the guards led us out to the concert area, I looked at my watch.  We'd been in there just about 25 minutes!  Thank you, Moody Blues, for being so generous with your time and yourselves.  What a great bunch of guys!  :-)