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 3rd October 10 Beverley Food Festival

A very wet day ahead... the forecast was for continual rain, and it did rain all day.  I was picked up by one of my facepainter friends Maggie just before 8am.  She was a replacement for Lesley, who phoned last night saying she wasn't well, and that Maggie would pick me up.

I like Maggie... she's friendly good to chat with.  She's a careful driver too, just as well in the conditions.  We got to Beverley before 9 and found a free car park about 5 minutes from the town centre, which is totally taken up with stalls from the Food Festival.  I found Helen and introduced her to Maggie, who's not done this event before, whereas this is my fifth, I think.  Helen found Maggie a spare stall and after a quick walk around with Helen, i decided that I too would do best at this stall.

I was already in costume so I was ready to start work immediately. I made several balloon models as demonstration models or decoys... to draw in the punters... and it worked, with the added pull, directed to adults with children in tow, of  'Hello, do you know anybody who likes balloon animals?'.

So, I must have done about 50 models today.  I looked after Maggie's stall whilst she was at lunch and when I went, she kept an eye on my stuff.  During a part of the afternoon, when it was just drizzling, I had a request to run a unicycle workshop, so I did, with a small boy trying the four wheeler and two wheeler before the kids one wheeler.  It provided a change for me.. which was good.  It became less busy after 2.30 and I'd been asked to be in the main marquee for 3 to present a 10 minute piece on composting food waste.   This went well, and there were some questions from the audience afterwards.

I bought a stick of Brussels sprouts on the way back to Maggie, who was packed and ready to go.  We walked back to the car and in the pouring rain, drove carefully back to York. There was loads of standing water on the roads and the horse lorries were sending up fountains of spray, quite spectacular.

So, I was soon back at home, and took quite a while to warm up, but did loads more fruit and lots of writing.

Sunday 14th June 09

Early start as due to be picked up by Maggie, a facepainter also booked for today's gig who is driving across to Beverley, so she was happy to pick me up... I was ready by 8.45 and we were there before 10, with the event due to start at 11am.

The event was an Armed Forces Day; 'A free family event celebrating Our Armed Forces - past, present and future'. Not really my cup of tea! I provided a non-military alternative, circus workshops and balloon model animals. I ignored the stuff going on around me, and worked with the children, who, of course, have no say over what their parents do or take them to. I personally feel that this country spends too much on our army, navy and air force, and they are hardly a 'low carbon' part of our economy! I do appreciate that members of the forces can help out in emergencies both in this country and abroad, but the offensive warmongering we wage in other countries is difficult for me to be positive about. I'm sure there is a green alternative, but I'm no expert and would refer people to the Green Party Peace and Defence Policy as a starter.

I enjoyed the day, despite the meaty BBQ smells, military songs (although I found if weird that between the live music, The Beatles and Paul McCartney songs were played!) and the heat. I had a coffee Mocha in CAFFE NERD and this helped, alongside copious tap water brought from home. I worked from 11 til 4.30, with 20 minutes for lunch and one 15 minute break mid afternoon. I was kept company by a familiar character, 13 year old C, who is very keen on me/what I do and was with her friend, a couple of years younger, and they wanted to do everything all the time. I was happy to oblige them, and they had loads of goes on devilsticks, unicycle and trying to juggle.

Was back just before 6, exhausted, and ready for the noodles, veg and cashew nuts which Gill had prepared for tea.

A snoozed in front of the telly after tea... almost unheard of... when do I ever fall asleep before 2am? But woke at 9ish and wrote my blog, dealt with emails and half-watched Dr Alice Roberts discovering ancient humans in the Americas.

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!

Sunday 9th December 07 'Beverley's Festival of Christmas'

Woke with the buzzer of the alarm clock at 7.30 and slowly got up and got down to breakfast for 8am... had cereals and a resonably nice plate of beans, fried eggs, musrooms and tinned tomatoes... not a very good attempt at a vegetarian 'full breakfast' but actually plenty for me!

Then met my hostess for the day who showed me the two sites I was due to entertain at and where the procession was to leave from at 10. Then I went back to my hotel and got changed into my Fiddlesticks gear.. I decided on the usual shorts, tee shirt and waistcoat, not my 'very cold weather costume of dungarees and fleece.

I took all my stuff up to where the procession was due to go from and left most of it at Boyes, which had a safe place for my stuff. I did the Santa Claus procession with my whirling devilstick and enjoyed it lots.

Then back to the Boyes stash and took my circus and balloons kit to the spot where I'd been told to perform at, and there was a band setting up. I told the woman that I'd been told to perform there and she was quite haughty and said 'We always go here and we need to set up now' even though I had a 45 minute slot there first. So I found a nearby spot, not as good or prominant, but didn't feel like complaining to the organisers as they have enought to do 'on the day' but thought about mentioning it later in the day. The 'Alley Cats' woman had the audacity to tell me that when they came on I must stop doing what I'm doing. Which I did, standing around in the cold, when I'd have preferred to keep going to keep warm and keep the entertainment going... Then later, at the end of my second show, they started playing before I had completely finished... I'd indicated I'd be just another couple of minutes but they rudely started. Cheeky and unprofessional, although their music was good.

However all my shows were well recieved and had good audience participation, including two teenagers who had met up with me during a previous Beverley gig, and 'crashed the show' with unicycles, much to my joy... and theirs as I got them a hatfull of cash for the show. But this time the two 15 year olds did a short demo of staff, or pole spinning, and some good athletic unicycling.

When I moved to my third show area, away from the Alley Cats, I did a load of balloons which was good, and taught some teens to do the 'dogs dinner' model. I met John, the dad of one of the boys, who had invited me back to their place after my work to talk to the boys about 'how to be an entertainer', some of the tricks of the trade... such as info about Equity, insurance, advertising, how to ask for a fee, agents, getting stuff at wholesale prices, etc. I had some nosh with them and slowly warmed up, they were perfect hosts and very kind. Cathy, their mum, gave me a thank you card for spending the time with them and giving them so much useful info, with £20 in it, which was most unexpected and lovely.

I got the 6.34 bus back to York, very tired, and Gill fed me some re-fried rice and assorted veg... lovely and most welcome, despite the early tea with John and Cathy at 4pm.

Sunday 7th October 07

Beverley Food Festival