PyCon UK 2023
I'm so lucky to have been able to take part in PyCon UK in Cardiff this September. This was actually my second PyCon of the year - I was also able to go to PyCon Italia in Florence. As a bonus I spoke at DjangoCon Europe in Edinburgh in May too.
The Python community is made up of some of the friendliest, most welcoming, interesting people I've ever met and I had a blast at all of the events.
Alongside speaking, learning loads from the other talks, making some lovely new friends (sorry, "useful new professional connections" if my employer's reading this 😉). I volunteered to help out at the conference, which I highly recommend to anyone, especially if you want to get to know a new community.
My talk was, of course, about Postgres ("How to keep your database happy"), and I left the Python talks to the experts. The Python community seems really receptive to learning about databases, and about Postgres in particular.
Some other highlights of my time in Cardiff, in no particular order, were:- Coffee from Brodies
- Py & Mash from Pieminister
- Chat and beer at Tiny Rebel (try their Cwtch Welsh red ale if you get chance)
- Crocheting hand-made lanyards at the registration desk
- Teaching cross-stitch at the manual technology evening
If you weren't able to be at the conference, or even if you were, and you want to relive the experience, grab some popcorn and settle down to watch the recordings:
A huge thank you to the organisers for such a successful event. I thoroughly enjoyed being part of it and would love to come back next year.
I'll leave you with a picture of "Barry the Snelephant" (named by my 14yo), a Python/Slonik mashup that I created based on a pattern by PyCon UK's Becky Smith!
