Wales/Ludlow

Another reason why The World Cup is so great - especially with those late kick-offs, is because if you're driving back around 11pm from a show there's a match to listen to on Radio 5 and that helps keep you awake, and keep you safe/alive. Football is awesome. Glad we've cleared that up.

I'm currently watching Ghana vs USA on the telly, I should be sleeping. It was a busy weekend. Dinner around Heather's on Friday was lovely - great company, the five of us enjoying free-flowing banter and the fish was lovely. Feels like we're adults, these days. We don't do pubs anymore, we do dinner parties. I like it, but I just pity my friends when it's my turn to cook. On Saturday I drove down to deepest Wales, it isn't that far away at all - but it takes bloody ages because the roads are slow. Still, checked in to a nice little hotel, watched some football, did some writing, looked at my script a few times, and then eventually drove the short distance over to Mid-Wales Arts Centre. Really good night that one - it worked, more than it usually does. Huge thanks to Cathy for hosting and for making me feel so welcome, and for bringing an audience in too. It's a stunning and very alternative performance space, surrounded by beautiful farmland, but I enjoyed myself very much. Back to my hotel room in time to watch England lose.

The next day I drove down to Cheltenham to meet up with my mate Matt for Sunday lunch, a very welcome catch-up, and I even got him to be in the sitcom - we filmed his cameo appearance at a nearby bus stop. I'm nearly there now with The Paul Richards Disasters - just need to film the scenes with Abi on Thursday then it's all down to the editing, for which there shall be shit loads.

The drive from Cheltenham up to Ludlow was bumpy, and Ludlow itself is very confusing and I think I drove the wrong way down a one-way street more than once, not sure, nobody told me off but it's just one of those places. Eventually found the venue (Anita, the organiser, found me wondering the streets with a cajon in one hand and my CD player in the other). Ludlow Fringe has some really great names performing this year (Christian Reilly, Andrew Lawrence) so it was a pleasure to be involved. Not a huge turnout but they really, really tried for me and I appreciate that, and I still enjoyed doing the show - those who did make it seemed happy enough.

Drive home felt long, but the football (and also a Joe Jackson live album) kept me going. I arrived home exhausted and having made a slight loss...but not a huge loss out of this weekend. I know if I'm to continue doing this making a loss isn't the way to build a future, but we're talking £40 here. Considering the miles I've driven (hundreds) and hotel costs, that isn't so bad. If I wasn't doing this show I probably would have spent that money socially anyway, and somehow performing my show in front of new people, interesting, exciting, people, feels like a worthwhile way to spend my money, and my weekend.