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The mystery of the triggered fuse continued and after investigation, the only thing I thought it would be was if our outside plug was on the same circuit and it had somehow got wet in the continuous downpour of living in England.
I don't often use that plug and it has a cover which seemed tightly shut, but I opened it up, gave everything a wipe and shut it again and when I turned the switch in the fuse board everything stayed on.
If anyone needs any electrical work in the Hitchin area, please do get in touch. Probably only if it's this very specific issue though. I don't think I am ready to do wiring yet. I did learn how to wire a plug at school, but can't quite remember what goes where now. The need to wire plugs seems to have died down a bit since the 80s for some reason. My memory is brown goes right, blue goes left and stripy green and yellow goes wherever there is left. Please do not rely on this blog for electrical advice. Unless you think I am right, then give it a shot. What's the worst that can happen?
I suddenly had a burst of energy today and I don't know where from, as I've not exercised much this week and was eating crap all weekend. But suddenly I am feeling alert and wanting to get stuff done.
I had a rehearsal this afternoon, but came out of the gates this morning full of beans and recorded a Newsround and did a couple of hours work on some book ideas. I am trying to get three ideas into a state where I can see if a publisher might be interested and after a few weeks of being stuck in the mind swamp, everything is flowing out of me. I am still interested in doing Everything Happens For No Reason, even though my plan to do a chapter a month got a bit stymied by my secret job in November and then brain rot in December and January. I hope to get another chapter together soon for paid subs on Substack. I am also trying to novelise The Cheddar Beheader, partly inspired by the huge response to the Instagram clip. If I get anywhere I will put the first bit up for Substack paid subscribers.
Why not become a Substack paid subscriber? I only need about ten times the number of people I have at the moment in order to be able to just publish all my ideas that way!
I am not going to be one of these pricks who puts half a blog out in the hope of forcing you to pay. Pay if you can, enjoy it for free if you find it possible to enjoy this stuff, hate it for free by all means. But I hope you don't mind me throwing the kind people who donate the price of a coffee a month (man coffee got expensive) a little bit extra.
I am just glad to be feeling a bit of excitement at writing again.
My efficiency took a bit of a knock when Chris Evans (not that one) texted me to say that the Newsround I'd recorded had lost sound for the last couple of minutes. I had failed to charge the mics properly. So I had to go back and charge them and then go back and record the last bit again- as if I remembered anything I'd said.
To speed things along I left the base mic plugged in so it would charge as I used it. Buoyed by my success as a spark earlier, I thought I understood everything about electricity now. Sadly although it did look like it was recording, my second take also had no sound. I think because the base mic was plugged into the mains. Again my electrician skill set is very small.
I didn't find this out until I was at rehearsals, so once they were over, I returned for a third attempt at the ending of this stupid bit. I had had a shower and changed clothes since the morning, so had to fish my T-shirt out of the laundry basket to try and make it look like it was one take. It would have been funny if I hadn't realised and I did consider just leaving it, for the fun of the mismatched footage. As it was I had washed my hair since doing the first bit, so it looked different enough anyway.
The strength and weakness of Newsround is that I don't really prep anything (as I show at the end, my notes for the episode were Terry Nutkins and Aliens), but having three goes at the end meant that as much as I lost some bits, I did manage to add some new dimensions to the thing. Who knew that working at something makes it better? Don't worry though, I won't be making a habit of it. Weakness is strength. Fail to prepare, prepare to make great comedy. It's the fact that most of this surprises me is what makes it strong.
The work I have done with Ally is some of the favourite work I've done and though he can be a bit mean sometimes, he is the best double act partner I've had. Although it's genuinely rubbish, Newsround is, I think, one of the most genuinely funny things I've done. And thrilling to perform as I really have no idea what's coming next. Give it a watch if you like.
Here's today's ep.
The rehearsal went well. Anna who is playing Rita knows Willy Russell a little bit and he knows we're doing the play. I was surprised to find out that he knew who I was as his son had introduced him to my podcast. Ridiculously he claims that he is now an "anxious dramatist", wondering if his script will stand up to our comedic scrutiny! He has nothing to worry about. We are anxious that we won't do justice to this fabulous play and are very much enjoying exploring its subtleties. Amazing to have a nod of approval from the great man anyway.
