So yesterday was a fine day – firstly, the small person is now here, and helping out with flyering, which is great. She’s such a star.

Secondly, my posters finally arrived. Yay! And what’s more, the print company agreed to refund the ‘premium’ extra I paid for for a wednesday delivery. I mean, that had to really, but it’s nice that they did it without any fuss. Though due to my formerly lost visa card being cancelled, the trouble now is how to get the money from them! It’s proving complex.

But at least I managed to get posters up in many of Edinburgh’s top watering holes, and a few up along the royal mile. Which by the time I get back to Edinburgh today will be covered up by some other show, and I’ll have to stick new ones up and the layering will start again. That’s just the way it goes here. The nice thing about posters in pubs is that they tend not to get covered up.

And I have a tip for anyone flyering in pubs. Stick a poster above the sinks in the loos. That way, you can guarantee that your audience will have clean hands. Nobody wants people who don’t wash their hands after taking a leak to come to their show, so use your postering skillz as a filter, and shun the unwashed.

Today we decamp to Edinburgh proper, though right now I’m still in Berwick on Tweed, waiting for my programmes to be printed. In a nice coincidence I bumped into an old school friend and his mum and dad (who I knew from church and cos they were both school teachers), so the half hour wait wasn’t wasted at all.

and then it’s my first show tonight. Feel free to offer up a prayer on my behalf. or a chant, or sacrifice a virgin if that be your thing. Whatever, send some positive vibes my way for my opening night. I’ve got a few made ideas for things to do, that may or may not come off. In fact, a smaller crowd might be nice for the opening night just to try out some stuff… who am I trying to kid? I want to fill the place! Unlikely, but it would be nice…

(written at 17.01 today)

another eventful day in the run up to the festival. Started easily enough – came up to Edinburgh from Berwick, dropped off all my stuff at the venue in preparation for my tech rehearsal later on tonight, parked the car on the way out of town (about a third of the way back to Berwick, in the hunt for free parking), posted the latest batch of t-shirt orders, and came down to pick up my flyers and posters. Which became picking up my flyers, as the posters still hadn’t arrived. Huh? Having paid for a two day turn around, I’m a little pissed off that they haven’t arrived yet. So anyway, not having eaten at all, I thought I’d head off for some food and in the hunt for free wifi, and then come back afterwards for the posters.

Found the Jolly Judge OK, with their free wifi (allegedly), but didn’t get to try it out as it became immediately apparent at the bar that my wallet was missing. Oh shit, not again, thinks me. Search through bags. Nope, no sign. Search again, and pockets, and everything else. Still nada. This is really not good, not good at all. Edinburgh is a really expensive place to be, and with all the driving I’ve got coming up, having no cash card is going to be a real pain.

So I retrace my steps. Nothing. I come back to the CVenues HQ, it’s not here. I get the number for the Co-Op bank, call to cancel my card and head back to the post office where I posted the t-shirts. the fatal flaw in the plan was the order of the last two events. Not two minutes after cancelling the card is my wallet back in my hand, money still inside, untouched, my having left it in the post office this morning (that serves me right for not having any breakfast – mental fatigue). So I’ve not got my stuff back, which is great, including a useless cancelled bankcard, which is not so great. Thankfully the small person is with me, and I’m going to find out if I can get money out over the counter, if there’s a Co-Op in Edinburgh. But it’s all such a faff. so now I’m finally eating something, still not having actually used any free wifi in Edinburgh at all, not having stuck up any posters or dished out any flyers. What a putz.

So this evening, as soon as my sodding posters arrive, I’ll be hitting the bars and cafes trying to get them stuck up to let peoples know about the show. The nice thing is I’ve already been reecognised a few times in the street by people who’ve said they are coming to the show – let’s hope I haven’t run into my entire pre-booked audience already.