I am looking forward to the Edinburgh Festival once again this year! I don't think I'll attempt to see quite as many shows as last time. You do get hard-core Fringe visitors who try to see six or seven shows a day, but I'm actually trying to have a nice relaxing holiday on top of everything else!

I will try to get online at an Internecine Café to write up some of the performances.

The main point of the festival & fringe seems to be to unearth new talent and give a genuine chance for undiscovered talent.

Of course, not everyone gets discovered and it can be quite an expensive business for performers who are having to speculate on the success of their own production.

I will be in Edinburgh again this year for the first two weeks of August. If anyone fancies meeting up one evening and either seeing a show or eating (or both), please feel free to get in touch.

During February, 2006 it suddenly struck me as a good idea to advertise a broken pencil for sale on eBay. Within minutes the advert was posted and I started to get more and more ideas. Initially, there wasn’t even a photo to go with the ad but as time progressed (the auction covered a 10-day period) I added some interesting photos which captured the imagination of the public (there were 5000 visitors within the 10-day life of the advertisement).

I fielded about 70 questions from members of the public while the auction was in progress and these range in style from humour to art to music to literature (and others). Many of the questions asked were rather surreal and I answered them ‘in kind’.

The auction also attracted a radio audience and was ‘plugged’ on British Radio by BBC Radio 5 Live and London’s LBC (as well as some smaller stations such as Heart FM).

In the first half of 2006 I also advertised the following items on eBay: An Invisible Elephant, The opportunity to be locked in my cupboard for 60 seconds, an odd sock, the Square of the Hypotenuse, a fake tram ticket, an empty plastic water bottle and about fifty other such lots.

Q & A's can be found here:

http://febland.googlepages.com/interactive

Every day I try and make things happen.
But,
Most days,
I am unable to make things happen.

Will things ever happen?
And will it be as a direct result
Of my input or output?

Things can happen!
or is that a myth?

Happenings

As my 'Junk Folder' (in Outlook) approached 1,500 I decided yesterday to try to start unsubscribing to companies that keep sending me the stuff.

I spent about half an hour Unsubscribing - of course, keep in mind that it's not possible to unsubscribe from everything as not all spam contains an unsubscribe option (if found, this is usually at the bottom of the email somewhere in small print).

Anyway, after half an hour or so, I had got back to June 17th!

Just in from a Moroccan Ristorante "Darna" 42 Hampstead High Street to celebrate Mr B's round-numbered birthday.

Caught the bus back as the tube was closed for business.

I think I ordered something called a Lamb and Prune Tajine.

The last time I'd ordered this dish it had upwards of twenty prunes!

Someone had obviously been economising as there were only about four prunes in today's dish!

Recommended.

Just found a new friend on Skype. A nice young lady based in Edinburgh who plays Classical Guitar. Strong chance of meeting up when I'm there in August.

afk = away from keyboard

I will be taking in Chess & Bridge, 369 Euston Road. Steinway Pianos, 44 Marylebone Lane and the Royal Festival Hall on the South Bank.

The evening concert consists of Sibelius Symphony No.2 and Brahms Piano Concerto No.2.

Should get home the right side of Midnight.

I just looked at the clock on my Computer (for the record, it said 21.56) and apropos of nothing, the following question suddenly popped into my head:

"Is that British time?"

The camcorder has arrived (but is still in the box!)...

I am waiting for Mr B to come round and shoot a couple of demo-Vlogs for YouTube - and I've been working on my catchphrase!

Rehearsing with singer tomorrow evening.

Had dinner with Meno last night at my local Indian and later on played Kelly the song on the computer and whizzed her through Asda, Colindale before running her back to the Madonna Hotel!

Oh what a life I lead!