Edinburgh...Day two

Sunday was anything but a quiet day, so will give a very quick overview of the day with reviews coming separately.

Woke earlyish, before 0800, got up fed, showered, and ready. 

My friend, Chris, was coming to EdFest from Preston on a mammoth mission of seeing five shows before grabbing first train back on Monday morning, something made no less easy by him being in a wheelchair.

I met Chris at Waverley Station and got to the taxi queue to grab a cab up to Pleasance...we waited our turn and got rather miffed when a cab, empty with light on, would rather drive on by than pick up a fare which required him getting out his ramp so the chair could be wheeled on.  Another couple of cabs mysteriously never turned their lights on, but shortly afterwards a very friendly & helpful cabbie stopped and we were on our way up to Pleasance.

We found ourselves a place to settle, grabbed a quick drink, before heading to our first show, Itch: A Scratch Event (very interesting & funny), only to accosted by Mike McShane (he of WLIIA infamy amongst other things).  Lovely chit chat, marred only by the fact I was bursting for the loo!

After Itch, another drink and this time in the company of Mr Stephen Frost and his marvellous eyebrows (look at me name dropping names that only really mean things to Gag Hags!).

Then it was time for Paul Merton's Impro Chums (wonderful as always), followed by another drink, before I handed Chris over to be with my fellow flatmates for the week for the next two shows, whilst I headed across town to see the ever hilarious Jo Caulfield: Cruel to be Kind.

After Jo, back to Pleasance to meet up with Chris...another drink before we decided we would head to Assembly Hall early and have a drink there as we had to wait until midnight for our last show of the night, Alan Cumming: I bought a blue car today.

Outside the Pleasance is a taxi queue...rows of black cabs with their yellow lights shining brightly into the night.  This was where we experienced, yet again, an empty cab, yellow light blazing, look at us before driving off.  My patience by this time was wearing thin, and thankfully the next cabbie was even MORE helpful and friendly than the earlier cabbie.  He also informed us that we could make a complaint about him doing that...he, himself, found it disgusting the cabbie had just driven off.  In we got, and headed to the rear wheelchair access of Assembly Hall...which ironically has the HIGHEST stepped kerb I think I've ever seen!!  Lovely cabbie number 2 gave me the driver number of the earlier cab that drove off, and a complaint will surely be made...

We were swiftly inside Assembly Hall, only to discover (once outside the venue room where Mark Watson was about to go on) that we couldn't get to the bar from this side...only way would be if I wheeled Chris (or Pissed Priss as he shall now be known!) down the Royal Mile and then back up what is a rather steep incline to the front of Assembly Hall.  I asked if it wasn't possible for us just to wait where we were, which the staff kindly let us do. I popped off to the bar again, only to discover no bacardi - I was offered Malibu and almost instantly gagged - and we actually had a jolly old time waiting outside the room.

The staff we got chatting to were all very lovely lads, but the best entertainment came from a group of older ladies and gentlemen (and I mean that with utmost respect and that they really WERE classy folk).  We ended up chatting to them as we all waited together, having giggles.  One of the chaps was an actor in the 40s/50s before becoming a producer of programmes and films...yes yes I really should've asked who he was, but instead I WOWed him with my five year old daughter's brilliant card trick...

Alan was, for want of a better word, AWESOME!!!! I can't wait to write that review...BEST. SHOW. EVER.

Post Alan glow thankfully kept me smiling for the next few hours, because sadly Waverley station was closed, and not open as Pissed Priss had planned (with waiting in the waiting room until the train at 0530ish).  This left us pondering what to do...whereas I could leave him in the safety of a station, I couldn't leave him waiting outside...it's not what mates do.  So we took a wander over to the National Gallery and chatted and waited it out...man alive Edinburgh is cold at 0400!

Once the station opened, I took Pissed Priss in, and then headed back to the flat for some much needed sleep.

So a very long day involving me be up and about for 21 hours...thankfully day three was a chilled not-much-planned day!!!

Reviews to follow...