Good Omens
We saw an owl on a train the other day. We were waiting on the platform at Leeds Station when a train to Middlesborough pulled in and there, peering out of the window, was a barn owl in a cat-basket. A good omen, I decided, for our trip to Edinburgh.
I have to say, the trip was a lot less stressful than I thought it would be. My saintly father even came with us as far as York to ensure that we were able to move the ugly horse from one train to another with a minimum of fuss, and once we were properly off on the journey, it was actually rather fun. I managed to trounce Daisy (my nine-year-old companion) at squares and we ended up having a very interesting conversation about the death penalty and why it might be a bad thing.
The only really hairy part of the journey was trying to manhandle our luggage from the train and over to the taxi rank. Daisy got unexpectedly embarrased at having to carry the horse and spent the next twenty minutes telling everyone in the queue that she was too old for a rocking horse and that it definitely wasn’t hers. On the whole, people were very understanding. One lady even asked if she could take a photo of us to put on twitter. She turned out to be the woman who runs LoveFringe.com and we had a very pleasant chat about all things Fringey. What’s more, Daisy has never been shy about having her photo taken, so by the time we reached our accomodation, we were both in pretty high spirits.
In fact, we were so excited, that we headed out immediately and went on a bus-tour like a proper pair of tourists. Daisy (who up to this point hasn’t really been out of England) was very keen to know, “Are people in Scotland very different from people in England?” So far, I have not been able to get any sensible conclusions out of her, but she is very fascinated by the Scottish accent and is doing her best to perfect her own – a pastime which has already drawn us no small number of disapproving stares.
The bus tour was actually rather good and we may go on another one tomorrow.
Walking back to our accommodation, we then made an exciting discovery. It turns out that the house we are staying in is on the same street as Greenside – the venue I’m performing at. In fact it’s only about a minute’s walk away and you can see the tower of Greenside Church, where the venue is situated, from the pavement outside the house. As Daisy is the world’s worst walker, this is a bit of an unexpected boon and I close my eyes and say a silent prayer of thanks to the barn owl.
What’s more, the venue seems to be staffed by some of the friendliest people in Edinburgh. I’m in Studio 2, which is a purpose-built theatre space in the church grounds. It’s absolutely lovely. In fact, the whole place is incredibly welcoming and utterly relaxed – so much so that there is even a massage tent in the garden at the back. We’re given a proper guided tour by Darren, the venue-manager, and promised free bacon sandwiches at the welcome meeting the next day and both Daisy and I go home feeling happy and excited.
On arriving back I find that my phone is full of unread text-messages and remember with some surprise that it is my birthday. I am momentarily resentful about being so far away from home but it doesn’t last for long. Edinburgh is brilliant and thrilling and exciting and I wouldn’t really want to be anywhere else.
