Sunday 2nd October 11 Beverley Food Festival

Woken by my phone at 8am and went down to the breakfast room.  Sharon, I think her name was, wasn't expecting me, as somehow the message had come through that I didn't want breakfast.  I NEVER don't want breakfast.... it is the most important meal of the day for me!

Anyway, I had a bowl of cereal and some toast, beans, tomato and an egg fried hard, and three cups of coffee, and an orange juice.  I then went to my room, got changed, and went to the Market Square to find Helen, my handler today, to find out where she wanted me to be.  She had disappeared but her colleague Helena suggested working in front of a building which I've done my show in front of each time I've done the Beverley Food Festival.  However, it was no longer an empty cinema, but a Browns department store, and it looked like it was going to open later that day.  So I couldn't stay there.

I went and devilsticked outside the main marquee whilst the event was being opened, and then one of the Beverley Town council people suggested I work outside a Building Society which wouldn't be opening today, so I got set up there, and got a Council van moved as it was part blocking the view.

I was busy from then on in, continuous workshops and interaction and all sorts, 100% full-on.  At about midday I took a short break to go and buy a pie for lunch, and I also got two 750ml bottles of 'Gold from the Wold' Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Rapeseed Oil for £10.  But this only took 10 minutes, and another 5 minutes to eat the pie, with various children hanging around and watching for my last mouthful, to then home in and ask if they could have a go with the 4 wheel unicycle, or Deborah the Diabolo (Derek's blind sister) or juggling...... but I wanted a change so I did an hour and a half of balloon modelling, finishing at 1.55 to go and sit in the Market Cross building to do a composting workshop.  Only 4 people turned up to this.... but it was still worth doing.

So from 2.20 through til after 4pm I was busy with more circus and balloons, without a break, full-on again.  That's how I like it as the day goes really quickly!

I waited ages for the bus home.... including walking down to the railway station to see if it would be quicker to go that way, but it wasn't.  Beverley really needs a direct rail link with York, in my opinion!  Anyway, the bus came and I dozed on it all the way to York and collapsed when I got in.  A busy weekend.

Saturday 1st October 11

A busy busy day: cycled up to Haxby in the morning to help with the York Rotters compost bin sale.  I took the jars of different sorts of compost from yesterday with me, and showed lots of people what they might expect to get from the bottom of their bin in a year or two.  I took the leafmould jars and the jar with lots of worms and other beasties.  I stopped at 11 and cycled back, collecting some sticks on the way, and got back at 11.40.

Then at 1pm I set off, in Fiddlesticks costume, to the Central Library, 'Explore' to do the final show for the Summer Reading Challenge 'Circus Stars'. I called into the Anti Gravity Shop to buy a new 'two wheel unicycle' as my old one has got too old to support my weight.  I did my show from 2.10 til 3, and had a lovely response. I'm now in a position to submit an invoice for all my summer's library gigs. 

Came back home via the cobblers to re-stick my Fiddlesticks boot sole, and via another place to get new shoelaces.  Then came home via Richard, and collapsed as I was really hot and tired.

Later I got all my kit together and jumped on a bus to Beverley, and dozed on the bus, got myself booked into the Cross Keys and had a quiet night before the Beverley Food Festival.

Sunday 4th October 09 Beverley Food Festival

Woke with Viking FM on the clock radio playing a weird version of some Fat Boy Slim. Nice!

I went down after a lovely shower to have breakfast... and was surprised to find the breakfast place shut and obviously not in use. I went for a walk to find Helen, my handler, and chatted about my times, and lack of breakfast.

I went back to the Cross Keys and asked one of the staff about the breakfast situation, and was told that when I booked, I'd have been told there wasn't breakfast this week as staff were away. But I didn't book... so I never heard.

I wandered round and found a hotel, the Beverley Arms, which was happy to give me a bowl of cereal and a coffee for £3 which was very reasonable. Got me started for the day... I do need a good breakfast.

Then I went back to my room and got changed and all my stuff packed up, and got myself sorted out in my usual performance venue at about 9.55, and was immediately doing a show with a good audience. This was constant for two hours, when I took a quick break, starting again 15 minutes later, til 2.15 when I was due to go to the main marquee and change my teeshirt to a York Rotters one, scoffed lunch, and did a 15 minute talk on composting food waste. This went well... I think I had about 50 people there and there were a couple of questions afterwards, one about flies, the other about ants.

I got changed again and did another hour and a half of Fiddlesticks activities before packing up at 4.15, gathering some spare Brussels sprouts and getting to the bus station in time. Nice chats to some women on the bus who were holidaying from the North East, and were fascinated by various aspects of my unusual lifestyle. They got off at Pocklington and I read my Garden Organic mag again until getting off at 5.30pm, happy to be so close to home. The bus stop is just 2 minutes walk from our house.

Gill had done some roast potatoes to go with cauliflower, baked beans and cold quiche. After this, there was just enough daylight left for me to do one barrow-load of compostables, loading up my new Compostumbler.

A busy evening catching up with Freecycle and various other computery things, and enjoyed The Sky at Night on BBC1 as usual.

Saturday 4th October 08

Very busy day, up early and made tracks for Bempton station where the 9am train was on time, changed at Seamer and got back to York in time for a bus which got me into the house for just after 11am. At 11.40, Mike the photographer came, as agreed, and took a load of pics to send to the Ecologist, to go with a profile that Sam the journalist has prepared.

Then a quick lunch and soon after 1pm, set out in Fiddlesticks costume on the bike (good to be back!) and arrived at St John's where Sibs was having a meeting and I was due to entertain the children. They are a great organisation, providing services for the siblings (brothers and sisters) of disabled children. I did a shortened show followed by a workshop which seemed to go well.

Back home for a brief tea and then caught the bus to Beverley so I could attend the Beverley Food Festival as Prof Fiddlesticks AND John the Rotter tomorrow. As there's no public transport on a Sunday morning, I have to go and spend the night in a pub, the Cross Keys,... not drinking the night away but in a room for £25 B+B. Did have a pint though, and read nearly a whole NewScientist!

Saturday 8th December 07

A very cold and wet day working.

Gill and the boys left at 9am in a taxi to drop our eldest off at the Scout Hut in South Bank, so that he can get a lift in the minibus up to Snowball Plantation where he's got a 26 hour 'do', which should be fun despite the weather.

I had a bath in stovewater and was ready by 10am with bike loaded to got to the station and off up to Malton. When I got to the station, Gill was there and ready to plait my hair which was a nice suprise. Got the 10.38 and was in Malton by shortly after 11. Taxi up to Castle Howard with a friendly and talkative Nigerian, and was ready to entertain, ignoring the dreadful weather, by midday. I worked solidly til 3, nipping from cafe to shop to ticket-queuea nd back again, just doing balloon models and about three little bursts of devilsticking.

Got changed again at 3 and the taxi came at 3.30 to get me back to the station in good time for the 4.10 train back. Chatted to a pair of young ladies who'd got the train to Malton by mistake, having meant to go to Darlington.

Cold and wet cycle home where Gill fed me and I sorted out assorted stuff ready for tonight's trip to Beverley and a days entertainment tomorrow.

Got the 8.08 bus which came up the Hull Rd at about 8.20 and I got out in Beverley at 9 10 ish... and made my way to the Cross Keys where a room had been reserved for me. Took a pint to my room and collapsed.