Still Not Enough Rice Pudding

Yesterday, I went off to that there London for a most marvellous press party at the Cittie of Yorke for Newcon Press's 5th birthday party, combined with the launch of the marvellous Liz Williams's new collection, Glass of Shadow. It looks so pretty (it has a rare cover by the fantastic Anne Sudworth, featuring Sooty the cat!) and I can't wait to read it.



EDIT: Should point out, you can order this and many other good books here:
http://newconpress.co.uk/

I am giving myself a break from too many words today, though. I don't have a fuzzy head as such, but I didn't get much sleep and I'm filled with a sort of malaise that has led to me spending most of the day procrastinating and feeling sorry for myself... so I ashamed to say the editing things and comedy writing I should have got round to today have gone the way of the polishing and ironing. Whoops! Meanwhile I have watched my neighbour out of the window as he has been tidying his garden and pegging out his washing - which has now all been rained on. Sometimes, making the effort is a bit redundant. Yay for procrastination!

But yesterday - oh the wonderfulness of socialising with all my friends, being in a pub and being able to just relax and enjoy myself. I hope Ian Whates enjoyed himself as much as we all did.

Meantime, you mght like to know I'm going to be at the Bardic Picnic in Northampton at the end of the month, and they've done these lovely flyers (that don't mention me, but never mind that, I'm going to be there. *Sigh* Just not worthy enough of mention, Donna Scott, off that cloud with you!

I've been incredibly busy this month, doing loads of editing, lots of the day-job... and now I'm working on a play. Well, not a very long play - a 'mummer's play', which is a bit of a traditional thing that people do round here around the solstice, besides throwing rocks at the moon and burning a wicker man. Jolly good fun, and will be part of the bardic entertainment we are putting on for the Bardic Feast next weekend. I'm really looking forward to it! There'll be good food, wine, music and poetic delights galore.

What else have I been up to? Well, I went to the launch of Dodgem Logic at the end of last month, which was an ace night. Jake Moore hosted the night, starting with a funny letter to his uncle Alan, then introduced some burlesque dancers, the sweet whimsy of Winston Echo and the fabulous Retro Spankees (check them out, they are very good!) and m’friend Joe Brown and Alan Moore joined them on stage for a few songs, one of which is on the free CD that comes with the first issue. I’ve heard it a few times now and it's certainly catchy, with some beguiling mad lyrics. It was lovely to meet the peeps behind Mustard magazine too, Alex Musson and Pamela (I have all the issues – it is very funny).

This week, I hosted our comedy night down at The Vic. I felt a bit creaky going on stage after a month away from gigging, but amazingly got some lovely comments off people who had been to the night, which was lovely, and all the more welcome as I've been feeling a bit low lately. All I can say is, wait until I'm on top form!

Next on the agenda is a gig on 19th, which I've booked the acts for - that's a musical night at the Vic with the gorgeous and funny Helen Arney and the wondrous Tim Sansom, so if you are in Northampton that night, that's a free lovely night out.

I've got loads of plans for creative stuff for the New Year - a story to finish, poems to dispatch, gigs to organise, books to work on. I have to make sure I don't burn out, but I need to get back on the gigging wagon too. Just watch this space!

I ventured into Northampton yesterday… popped into the Fishmarket to see Joe who is going to work on my portrait, went to the library to find out about lit events going on (they are apparently very keen to do more, so I am going to chat to the coordinator lady sometime), then a bit of grocery shopping… and whilst we were on the way, we bumped into Alex and Izzy. Alex is theatre director for the Royal and Derngate and a couple of weeks ago was one of the people on Come Dine With Me – which I love – nice fella. Turned out that Alex was going to be doing official photography for the fireworks display at Delapre Abbey. Oh ho – not just any old firework display – but Crackers!

So, we said we were going along too and we should all go for a drink after – lovely!

We thought it was going to be a tenner in, and bloomin’ worth it – but it turned out to be absolutely free! Fantastic! And, considering that 10,000 people were expected to attend, I thought the queues were pretty short. They opened the gates fifteen minutes early in fact.

As we entered the site, the crowds were bit scary for me as we were all packed in until we got into the enclosure part of the site. It felt like we were waiting for the mothership to land, but I was surrounded by enough hicks to be sure that I wouldn’t be the aliens’ first pick for a probing.

The start was a little delayed because some idiots wouldn’t move when they were told to, but it was funny listening to the repeated tannoy messages, which very subtly began suggesting that we should all be on the watch for terrorists and that we were likely to be driven mental by listening to the announcements repeatedly. I also had to hear the heart-breaking conversations of some of the girls that we were standing near – they were about thirteen or fourteen and imparting advice to each other about doing *nal etc. They seemed to be competing with each other as to who could be the loudest and even told each other to f-ing stop f-ing swearing – as there were kids there. Nice.

It was very exciting as the show started. It all began with a bit of a film about risk-taking. A cartoon of a listless-looking man sat watching TV, watching images of warning signs preceding flowers and fireworks, car bombs, aeroplanes, shots of New York, trains being cancelled, people walking round with masks on.

As the film progressed, the character gained a hard hat and safety goggles, even though he was just watching at home. Contained fireworks fizzed inside columns next to the screen and eventually, the top of the screen was ‘on fire’.

This being a 360 degree-show, our attention was caught by lasers shining on smoke rings, crackers going off behind us, rockets zipping along wires… and then, several girls with sparkler-headdresses and suits were lit up.

Sparklers on poles were carried through the crowd and other parts of the display were triggered. We watched a burning figure on the screen climb up and up, and then a person appeared. The crowd cheered! The boiler-suit-clad figure was a girl. She addressed the crowd, talked to us about risk, quoting Francis Bacon, Marie Curie and Abba. She shouted out to the audience, “Shall we take a risk?” and as they shouted back, she began stripping… and she didn’t stop. The girls near me cried out, “Cellulite!” in horror, but she was a real woman and she took it all off, waving her arms as a fountain of fireworks covered her and the platform lowered to the ground. I didn’t hear N complain, except about her lack of shaving. Tough – I don’t think that was the point. It shut the girls up though, which we both agreed was a good thing.

Then the fireworks really got going and soon we were surrounded by a wall of fireworks, going over our heads in a huge dome.

I think it was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen!

Afterwards, we met up with Alex. We could hear a few people talking about Come Dine With Me as we got near… it became clear that most of Northampton had recognised him from being on the show, and a couple of lads did come up and ask him if he had been on it. It was nice that they all seemed to be impressed, and weren’t mean or scathing. I don’t know whether I’d be a bit snappy if it was me, but it’s not likely to happen. N does get people asking him if he’s ‘that comedian bloke’ after appearing at venues where I have also appeared and I haven’t been recognised at all. It may just be that I have ‘one of those faces’. Either that, or people aren’t looking at my face.

We have been told that some gits had stolen half the fireworks we were supposed to see that very afternoon, so goodness knows how amazing that show would have been! I was pretty impressed as it was. I just hope the teabags realise that these are display fireworks and don’t blow their faces off with them – idiots!

I did have someone call out to me as I was leaving though. “Hey, Bard! Bard of Northampton!” But that was only Dean, and as he then asked me “Is it Donna?” I think he may have shouted that as he had possibly temporarily forgotten my actual name. Ah well!