Blogging in Shadows

*OpenCon 2011*



OpenCon was a weekend event for people who are polyamorous/ non-monogamous.

It took place at Osho Leela, a retreat space in the Dorset countryside.  OpenCon attracted over 60 people from the Europe and beyond.  This is the second year the event was held.  I was hesitant about going, but I did, and I had a very good time.

I thought the Osho Leela location would be a bit too New Age and hippy for
my liking, but it was just fine.  The gardens were beautiful, the staff were
nice, and the atmosphere was relaxed.  Sure there were pics of their
glorious leader ™ dotted about the place, but that was it.

I didn’t know what the weekend would involve as there wasn’t much
information on the website.  I’d initially heard about it in 2010 but that
year there was some pretty negative wording on their site that put me off
attending.  I would have felt less apprehensive if there were information
especially in regards to accessibility, diversity, and what was and wasn’t
acceptable behaviour at the event.  This may have contributed to some very
poor behaviour from a couple of men, and that was the only major thing that
tainted an otherwise good time.

I arrived at OpenCon on Friday evening, travelling with my girlfriend and
another couple we met on the train to Gillingham.  The event started with
dinner and a welcome, followed by the first session.  I loved ‘What do you
want to get out of OpenCon’.  It was a great way to spark people off into
doing their own workshops.

I’d booked a twin room to share with my girlfriend.  These were situated in
beautiful pine cabins, which also included a kitchen and a private bathroom.
Dormitory accommodation was also available, but I think the £35 extra for
the room was well worth it.

I loved this being a catered event. I especially appreciated the free hot
drinks available whenever I wanted some.

On Saturday I enjoyed a nice breakfast, and then went to a session on
‘Flirting’ which was great fun!  I realised that I’ve got a long way to go
before I can flirt with people without nerves getting in the way.

After a tea break, I went to ‘Poly in Detail’ where a small group discussed
their polyamorous lives in an extra-long session slot.  It was nice to have
so much time to talk about common issues, and share how we all discovered
Polyamory in the first place.

I left the ‘Poly in Detail’ session a little early as I wanted to set up
things for my ‘Poly Smut’ session.  I read several erotic stories with the
theme of Polyamory, swinging and other types of non-monogamy.  The attendees
were all very relaxed, enjoying the mattresses laid out in the warm room.  At
one stage I wished I could have a lie down so I could listen to someone else
read to me instead!

After my workshop I spent some time chilling out on the grass beneath a
beautiful blue sky.  Even though it was October, the weather was very warm,
and the setting was just idyllic.

I went to the start of ‘New ways of Communication’ workshop after the break,
but I became a bit sensitive to the second half of it.  I sat out in the
social space, had a cup of tea, and chatted with some new friends.  I felt a
lot better for that.

Dinner followed, and after that there was an ‘Open Mike’ session which I
didn’t attend, but I heard some very good things about.  My girlfriend had
an early night, but I got dressed up, and headed back out as there was
supposed to be a disco.  After waiting around chatting enjoyably with
various people, I realised that the disco wasn’t going to happen before
tiredness overtook me.

Sunday morning saw me tired and grumpy as the fire alarm outside my room had
been beeping all night long due to a low battery.  I intended to return to
bed after I had my breakfast, but the living room to the pine cabin was
being used by the ‘Poly Stencils’ session.  I soon abandoned the idea of
getting a rest, and instead I observed the lovely artwork that had been
created by some very jolly people.  I especially liked the poly dinosaur
designs.

I attended a ‘Poly Kink’ workshop shortly after, which included an impromptu
spot of play with some impact toys.  The discussion was really interesting.
It was nice to hear that so many other people had the same concerns and
questions about kink.  It felt like a very safe space to share my
experiences and thoughts.

I hadn’t gone to the chill out quiet space until Sunday, so it was a bit of
a discovery for me to find it was such a gorgeous room.  I sat on a comfy
seat with lots of cushions, the sun shone in making it pleasantly warm, and
my friend and girlfriend knitted and talked together.  It was just lovely.

I had my final meal at OpenCon, which was delicious.  My girlfriend and I
went back to our room to pack our bags, but instead of leaving straight
away, we took a leisurely stroll around the gardens.  We admired the trees
heavy with fruit, all the different Buddha statues, and the varied spaces
that we hadn’t seen before (such as the sauna).

I said my goodbyes, hugged a lot of happy people, and then made arrangements
to leave.  I had quite a bit of trouble booking a taxi, but another
conventioneer took pity on us, and drove us to the train station.

My girlfriend and I left with smiles on our faces, feeling very relaxed and
happily poly.

Thanks to everyone who made OpenCon such a great weekend.