Test run for the walk. Lou was in town so she could get the first half before the train to Brighton. This dress rehearsal is always a bit kamikaze for me, and I can say that with two previous years under my belt. I know what I think the walk can be, but until there’s an audience it’s hard to make sense of it. I’m trying stuff out, scratching. “We need another 5 minutes,” I was told about a residential street. There’s nowt there but … the guys need a costume change. Improv time.
This evening I played with my group, using the truth of the fact I was filling time, joining them in the creation process. A big area that I had earmarked for a story had been filled in with roadworks barriers and a davlav. There was an Amazon delivery guy. It all ended up built into a delightful mischief story, pretty much made by the group but spoken by me. Likely I’ll use bits of it again, but it’ll never be as fresh as tonight when we were all a little unit, laughing hysterically in the rain about something as ancient as the art of making up a story in the moment, but enjoying the fact that we made it together live. I don’t remember who asked “Is the Davlav haunted?” but “I was afraid to call your attention to it, as it isn’t just haunted, it’s dangerous and let me tell you why…” There’s something about visibly flying by the seat of your pants that really floats my boat. Here with this walk I’m the point of a triangle, but there’s no right way up for a triangle and there are two more points. It’s me in my hat thinking I’m leading the way and then all the unusual humans who have decided that a spooky walk is the way to spend the evening doing interesting things as we go. They feed the material. I just have the map. And the mouth. And then some wonderful humans do their own peculiar little scenes as we go.
It’s an evening job for this month as we get used to the fact that the world is getting colder. It’s a friendship group doing something we think is fun in the belief that others will agree. It’s entertainment. I’m happy to have it in the diary.
Things are getting wetter. Maybe we will be rained on lots… My little group tonight helped me see that this walk – it works in the rain as well. It’s easy to forget it, but people havecome expecting a long walk. They get one.
Lou always had to leave halfway to get back home to the cat. We both are slaves to the fluffy ones right now. It was wonderful to have some time with her in my city. I love this place and its ways, I’m part of it now. Lahdahn. Bring on a month of leafy Hampstead evenings…
This is rushed but I’m knackered.
AlBarclay 