Friday 24th April 2026

Reasonable night's sleep...woke at 0415, as usual, but managed to get back to sleep after fifteen minutes or so. Woke around 0800 and lay in bed listening to Today. Got up around 1000 and descended to the kitchen to make tea...brought porridge back to eat in bed. Showered before driving down to the cafe at Spode for my obligatory latte. Akin FaceTimed me from a street in Stamford Hill...she'd been knocked off her bike when someone opened a passenger door on her. She was a little shaken, but no bones broken...however, she discovered a sizeable gash in her leg. I advised her to head for home and get it cleaned up. Lovely sunny day. Drove on to the Plume of Feathers at Barlaston to meet up with Andy Smith and Stuart Hewlett, who had driven up from Coventry. Managed to bag a table in the sunshine, and ordered lunch...I had a delicious steak pie. Did some catching up, but ended up mostly discussing our various ailments. I drove them up to the start of the circular walk at The Upper House, and left them to it. I drove back to Penkhull and enjoyed an ice cream on The Green. Aki texted to say she had headed for Homerton Hospital...needed stitches. I put together a packed dinner and headed in to the theatre. Did some exercises and ate before warm up. Only 200 in tonight...they were very quiet, but evidently enjoyed the show, judging by the reaction at the end. Had a beer with Stuart and Andy before they set back off to Coventry. I was approached by a bloke and his wife who said they had had their first date in March 1990 seeing Good Golly Miss Molly! Drove back to Bakewell Street. Made a packed lunch for tomorrow before ascending to my room.

Thursday 23rd April 2026

 

Woke around 0830 after a reasonable night's sleep...badly needed, bearing in mind the two shows we have today. Got up and made tea. Watered mein hosts' plants. Drove over to Whitmore Lakes for a big breakfast...ended up ordering their Full Monty...three oatcakes stacked between a full English with a fried egg on top! Felt a bit nauseous afterward. FaceTimed Aki before driving in to the theatre. About 300 in for the matinee...they were a great audience. Standing ovation. I sat outside on a bench and ate my packed dinner. Got accosted by several silver haired old ladies, who had all loved the show. One of them hailed from Durham, and was still dancing in her 90's...another was born in Morpeth! Only about 200 in for the evening show, but they were lively. The cast of Around The World in 80 Days were in. Another standing ovation! I repaired to the bar to say hi to Jo Blagg, and Mary Worsdale, who had both worked in the office at the theatre back in the 1990s. Drove back to Bakewell Street, exhausted...

Wednesday 22nd April 2026

Relatively good night's sleep, for once...back a little stiff in the morning, but not as bad as recently. Lay in bed listening to Today before rising around 0930 to make tea. Brought porridge back up to my room. Drove down to Spode for coffee, but the car park was full, so parked up at Sainsburys and had my coffee at Starbucks. Aki FaceTimed from Rowing Club...looked like a glorious day down there...pretty good here...sunny but a bit too windy. Did a little shopping in Sainsburys before heading back to the digs. Took a turn around Bakewell Street Park...a pleasant bit of greenery, but looks rather neglected. Cooked a frozen steak pie, with roast sweet potato, and greens. Pancake to follow, with a dollop of stewed rhubarb. Had a brief chat with Catherine Lomax, a producer that Liminal Space have taken on, about a possible collaboration with the New Vic on Moby Dick. They are in very early discussions with Colchester Mercury Theatre, and with the New Theatre Royal, Lincoln, but it doesn't sound as if they've gotten very far. I'll have to give it one final push at this end to see if there's any chance of progressing the notion of a co-production with the New Vic. Drove in to the theatre for warm up. About 250 in this evening...they were really up for it...a couple of cacklers in the audience got 'em all going. Drove back to Bakewell Street afterward, watched Big Mistakes, and then soaked in a hot bath...

Tuesday 21st April 2026

Woke around 0830...back very uncomfortable. Aki got up and showered. I descended to make tea. Overnight oats and stewed rhubarb for breakfast. Aki packed her suitcase, and we put it in the boot of the car. Did a little gardening on behalf of mein hosts...watering plants in the greenhouse, then drove to Whitmore Lakes for a coffee in the sunshine. 

Headed across town for lunch at Fenton Town Hall...a rather splendid Victorian edifice, which has undergone some refurbishment recently...they won funding to open up and restore the vaulted ceiling in the first floor ballroom, and opened a cafe on the ground floor. I enjoyed a full English for brunch. Aki had oatcakes. Popped back to Bakewell Street to make my packed dinner. Dropped Aki at the rail station around 1430, and then headed for Westport Lake, hoping for an ice cream. They didn't sell ice cream at the Visitor Centre, so I sat on the balcony in the sunshine supping a decaf flat white, and had a little walk around the vicinity, before heading for the theatre. 180 in this evening...I think that's our smallest audience to date. The show went OK...if a little rusty in parts after a three day break. Audience were relatively lively though, and got up to dance in reasonable numbers when required. With two shows on Thursday looming, I opted to by-pass the bar after the show, and headed back to Bakewell Street. Watched another episode of Mint, then soaked in a hot bath while listening to R6Music...

Monday 20th April 2026

Fitful night's sleep...back ache getting progressively worse. Aki got up around 0900 to make tea. I brought porridge up to the room a bit later. Eventually got dressed and ventured out into the sunshine. Drove down to Trentham Gardens for coffee at Pau, which had been recommended by Lyndsey...it was OK...but the venue wasn't very inspiring, though Aki did have a browse around the cycling section of the business, trying on helmets. A huge circus style tent has been erected opposite, sporting posters for the Ladyboys of Bangkok...the 'girls' on the poster look worryingly like Gary Glitter in a Tina Turner wig! Drove on to the Wedgewood Estate and had lunch in the tea room...very swish! Then drove back to Stoke to hook up with Anne Kinnaird, who was on her community allotment in Richmond Street...had fresh mint tea with her and her oppo, Rachel. Anne gave us a bunch of mint, and some huge sticks of rhubarb. Drove over to Tesco...Aki bought a chicken to roast for dinner, and some custard to have with the rhubarb. Back at Bakewell Street, Aki took on the chicken dinner, and I stewed the rhubarb. We ate in the front dining room, then repaired to the living room to watch telly and attempt to finish Lyndsey's jigsaw puzzle...she and Aidan had driven off to west Wales for a few days of walking the coastal path.

Sunday 19th April 2026

Managed to get a reasonable night's sleep, though woke with back ache again. Got up about 1000 and descended to the kitchen...brought tea and porridge back to the room. No sign of mein hosts, but Lindsay had evidently done the washing and pegged out my socks and smalls...no mean feat! Drove down to the Spode Museum for coffee...got mobbed by fans! 

Very amusing...though it meant I had to talk rather more than I'd anticipated...I needed to rest my voice after yesterday's double-header. But they were very nice. Drove up the road to pick up Sean and Jenny, then drove to Wrinehill for Sunday lunch at the Hand & Trumpet, which one of the cast members had recommended. Lovely pub, and the food was very good...Aki's lamb was particularly good. Drove back to Sean and Jenny's to watch the Man City v Arsenal game. It was a cracking game...the atmosphere was electric. Man City came out victorious, and can now catch the Gooners! Drove back to Bakewell Street for some soup and a roll, then drove to Hartshill to join James and Anne at Vinyl Night in The Sanctuary. Enjoyed a beer and a chat before the pub closed at 2100, and we drove back to Bakewell Street. Had a bath and fell into bed, exhausted!

Saturday 18th April 2026

Woke around 0800, and got up to make tea. Brought tea back to bed. Drove into the theatre for brunch. Popped back to Bakewell Street to put a packed lunch together for later in the day, and drove back to the theatre for a matinee. Lovely sunny day...but we are condemned to remain inside in the dark...took a photo of the tree-lined car park from my dressing room window. About 300 in this afternoon...great audience...they were well up for dancing on the stage when required. Another standing ovation! Bob and Sayan were in and came to say their farewells back stage afterward...Bob heading out to Crete on Monday, and won't see the show again. Aki turned up at the front of the theatre by taxi from Stoke station. We sat in the bar, and I ordered her some dinner before I ventured back downstairs to warm up for the evening show. About 270 in this evening. They were quieter than this afternoon's lot, but the show went well. Not much of a standing ovation, though Aki got to her feet! We had a quick drink in the bar afterward, and I introduced Aki to the cast, before we headed back to Bakewell Street...