Fun times and hard work

Ok, I know the blog is late…do you know what I have been doing? Well basically loads of shows and high jinkery at night here at the Edinburgh Fringe!

Right, so we had to cancel the kids show as Ashley got a virus and the rumour that I stood on a baby wasn’t true in the least! But the show was great fun and people brought in babies everyday…just babies…and a few smaller kids, so it was hard to entertain kids when babies were wandering the stage. Ashley ended up on the floor every day with small sticky babies crawling all over her.

The kids show got good reviews and MY ONE WOMAN show The Godley Hour has had two FIVE star reviews and ONE four star review!

Though am happy doing my thing it has to be said that Edinburgh fringe has changed…dramatically, it’s no longer about people going to see a wee show in a small venue, its all about EVERYONE going to see people they have watched on telly. It’s heartbreaking as many small theatre shows, comedy gigs and amazing interesting shows aren’t getting an audience as the big telly comics are hoovering up the crowds.

Most people I meet are very despondent, not negative but just gloomy as they cant get people to take a punt on an unknown show anymore, people on the street ask “have you been on the telly?” and if they don’t recognise your face they don’t want to come to the shows.

That aside, me and Ashley are pretty exhausted and because we are in someone else’s flat for the fringe we are covered in bruises, as we keep whacking our elbows and arms off door handles and unfamiliar furniture…I look like a battered wife!

Husband isn’t here with us and I miss him dearly. He is right to stay away as he is bored with Edinburgh. Everyone gets bored, especially with flyerers coming at you in droves shoving their flyers into your face…it cant daunting but be kind to them, they are doing their job!

The weather has been either really warm or BATTERING rain which scatters the tourists into shop fronts, the good thing about the rain is that it stops clutches of Italians from standing 13 deep on the small cobbled pavements of Edinburgh’s ancient streets and making us all nearly get flattened by a tour bus as we try to go round them and fall into the busy road.

Why cant tourists just go single file? Why do they have to stand in an annoying circle on a tiny sidewalk and open a big map and point at the skyline? The good news is, I kick my way through them. It doesn’t make me popular but it makes me happy!

Ashley has been a blessing and makes me laugh; she looks after me and keeps sending me for a nap when I do late night gigs. I have done Late and Live at 2am and am doing Spank at 2am soon…fuck I am tired.

I also realised that I am the most ethnic person at the fringe; I am THE ONLY white, working class, uneducated, Scottish woman over 40 doing comedy! Surely a grant will be allocated my way soon?

So life is hard work and good fun the crowds coming in to my show have been awesome and I am humbled at the return business every year after year, I thank thee all from the bottom of my wee Scottish heart!

Come see me at Pleasance Dome beside the upside down purple cow in Bristo square every night at 7pm…I will make you welcome.