Warming Up

Unwise but not illegal - what a shame that’s come too late to be an Edinburgh Fringe title. I suspect someone will manage it anyway. It would be the story of my life. Well most of my life. I’d have to leave out the stuff about pick n mix, but I can’t see anyone finding out about that. So my TV career is safe… oh.

Made a little progress with the RHLSTP bookings. Badgers and Plussers should have got an email with the news and rumours - the rest of you will find out next week. I’ve just done some maths and after this run is over we have podcasts to take us up to the middle of October - and then the plan is to do about 40 or so tour shows, so once that’s over I might not have to podcast until 2026 (but you know that I will).

My daughter’s favourite place in the world has been in the news. Fabios in Hitchin got into hot water with M and S when it started selling ice cream with Percy Pigs in it, but now Lidl have stepped in and said they are welcome to use Henry Hippos in there instead. But I may challenge them on this as Henry Hippo was my idea. No one else could have come up with a Hippo called Henry independently. Big wobbling gelatos.

My beef isn’t with Fabios, who I have to say are excellent. When we were in Hitchin last weekend we tried to get an ice cream there but the queue was out the door and we didn’t have time. There is another ship next door that sells ice cream, and even though Fabios had a big queue, no one was queuing there. It’s admirable that they keep trying in the face of Fabios might, and a good business might be able to pick up passing trade who have come to Fabios but can’t be arsed to queue. In fact that was exactly us. Phoebe went in to the queueless shop and asked the woman behind the counter if they had ice cream, knowing that they did. The woman just pointed at the ice cream cabinet and made no effort to try and sell us any. So we didn’t bother. So not only have they made the mistake of trying to sell ice cream next to the best ice cream shop in Hertfordshire, but they’ve also made the mistake of not trying to sell their ice cream. Must be annoying to be fair and maybe no one had asked before. But wow.

Really great book club with the excellent Ben Macintrye about his equally excellent book Colditz. Listen here.