I’m just recovering from diving into our swimming pool here in Cyprus. It’s like a British summer at the moment, ie.not that warm and our villa’s pool is not heated. It was like diving into ice! I’m freezing and even after a hot shower feel chilled. No wonder those poor sods lasted such a short time on the Titanic (there I go again, comparing my minor worries to far more serious situations).
The trip out here has been lovely. If you’ve read my previous blog you’ll know that I’m out in Cyprus doing decompression gigs for the armed forces, as they make their way home from Afghanistan and Iraq. It’s a chance for them to chill out for 36 hours before they get home and have to deal with stupid questions from civilians. They are prepared for this by me asking them stupid questions and being rude to them. At the last gig I took the piss out of a guy for being a driver – insinuating he wasn’t very brave and just drove about Afghanistan saying stuff like, ‘I’m not going south of river into Helmand at this time of night.’ Someone told me drivers actually see a lot of action as they have to deal with lots of IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices- not sure if that’s right – there’s lots of army lingo I just don’t get). They’re a nice lot the armed forces. I know I could never have been a soldier. When they talk about being in action, they’re just seem so matter of fact and practical about it. They see a problem and just work out how to deal with it. I’m often reduced to a screaming red-faced angry Terry Scott type figure just trying to get my packing done.
Home in two days and tonight’s our last gig. I’m actually getting a fair bit of work done. Still need to find big finish for Edinburgh show but I’ve written a couple of sketches to go in it and have also got some great ideas for Omid’s next series. Hope he likes them. I still waste too much time checking out facebook. At the moment I’m looking up lots of ex-drama school mates – it’s fascinating. No one seems to have aged except me. I don’t think comedy is a very healthy profession.
