Saturday 24th July 10

Up too early for my liking, left the house at 8am and was on the 8.38 to Malton... which got there just after 9am. My work today was a 5 hour session in the new WHSmith in Wheelgate in Malton, just 4 minutes walk from the station. So I got started early, before my 9.45 official start, and although I went to the venue in my removable aircast, I took it off for the gig and wore both my colourful Fiddlesticks boots.

I had been booked to do balloon models but I took my juggle-kit too, which proved handy as there was a fair amount of interest in juggling, balancing peacock feathers and trying out flower sticks. I did about 120 balloon models, had 20 minutes for lunch and was busy for the full 5 hours.

There was a nice face painter called Becky who arrived after I got set up, and she did some really lovely face painting... and arms and hands....

I left soon after 3pm and got to the station just after the 15.10 to York, so I had the best part of an hour to read my NewScientist, this was most welcome.

However on the 16.10 home I nearly fell asleep as the tough day began to hit me but once I was on my bike again I was OK, and I got to Country Fresh just before Richard closed the shop, and I was able to thank him for the fantastic gig The Falling Spikes did on Thursday. He told me that the band had really got off on the audience reaction and thought it had been their best gig ever.

I spent some time sorting out the compostables so they fitted in my trailer alongside the bag of juggling stuff, and was soon home and spent an hour relaxing and eating tea, the last of the bulgar wheat and home grown squash, with a small portion of cauliflower cheese and pasta.

But then I thought I ought to load up the stuff I brought home today so I spent til nearly 10pm in the garden, dealing with the two tumblers and then doing some nettle-pulling in the pond area. This part of the garden seems to have a lot of rubbish in the soil, bits of glass and pottery, and I found a well-preserved clay pipe, just the mouth-end of the stem missing, and the bowl perfect.

Later Gill and I watched Catch Me If You Can which was a very entertaining film.