My main focus for the past few days has been organising and promoting the on-sale dates for July's proposed return of Hitchin Mostly Comedy (provided the Delta COVID variant doesn't keep us on ice) and editing the second and third episodes of The McCartney McAlphabet.
Unsurprisingly, sales for Mostly have been cautious. I suspect they'll pick up once we know the Government's plans for 21st June onwards, but even bearing that in mind, the low take-up is concerning. I worry our seventeen-month closure could play havoc with a momentum we may never get back. And while we're prepared for our return to be a slow build, there's only so much we can juggle low figures when the club's not a cheap thing to run, and one too many loss-leaders will spell closure for us.
(What a happy cheery chap I am.)
The podcast, however, is lots of fun. Our first two episodes are now up, with number three being edited and four at planning stages. I'm really happy with how the first two came out and look forward to recording more. Editing can be laborious - as it always is - but we have a good system between us that helps spread the load. And I like that the shows are funny as I wouldn't want it to come over too anoraky. There's a lot to be said for not being over-earnest.
Sadly, I've had to make some big decisions regarding my plans for the summer. The work-in-progress dates I had in the diary for this month's Brighton Fringe had to go, and today, I cancelled the digs I'd booked for last year's cancelled Edinburgh that had been rolled over to this summer, as they needed answers I won't have for a while. I'm trying to be pragmatic and not overthink why I've cancelled. I know something has to shift. I'm still recovering from the upheaval of the last few years. And I'm also still trying to sell my flat, which isn't easy in a pandemic. When that's done, a chapter will close, if not a whole book. Here's hoping for a more upbeat sequel, or even a reboot. I'm not past being recast as long as I can find a suitably battered actor to play the part. I wonder if Clint Eastwood's available?