Writing this in an internet cafe just off Cowgate road in Edinburgh -- a LOT more comfortable then the phone box where I made my last entry!!!! I've been buzzing around the Fringe Festival since my last event on Saturday. Seen a lot of plays and comedians. Each year, when I'm planning my trip to Edinburgh, I worry that I'm going to be left with time on my hands, that there will be nothing worth seeing -- and each year I'm proved spectacularly wrong, and end up wishing I'd stayed longer so that I could have seen a few more shows!!! Oh well -- here are some of the highlights of what I saw this year, with more to follow later ...

I started off with comedian Danny Bhoy, whom I saw last year as well. He's a lot of fun, though quite straightforward with his comedy -- easy to take. Then I saw Daniel Kitson do one of his "stories" shows, where he basically sits and tells warm, funny, sad little stories. It was nice, though I prefer him as a stand-up. (I'm going to see him perform stand-up later tonight, and I'm taking Anthony Horowitz along -- though I'm not sure what he'll make of him!!!! It's always strange, taking a friend to see a show or comedian you reall like -- what if they hate it?!?) I rounded Saturday night off with a late show at the Assembly Rooms. Saw 5 comedians (plus a large. bull-headed, late addition to the show, who was awful!!!). The best were Mark Watson (a fairly new Welsh comedian who's been making a lot of waves over the last couple of years) and Demetri Martin (he won the Perrier a couple of years ago). The big disappointment of the night was Jimeoin -- this is the third time I've seen him, and while I really like him before, he's done the exact same jokes on all 3 occasions!!!!

On Sunday I went to see John Irving give a book talk. (The only book event I made it to this year. I'd planned to go to a couple of others, but things didn't work out.) It was OK, but I found it slightly boring -- I don't get that excited by writers who talk dryly and seriously. I prefer to have a bit of fun!! Also, at the signing afterwards, a friend of mine was getting her book signed just before me. She asked him to dedicate it to her (put her name in it). He pulled a face and sighed. To be fair to him, he DID dedicate it to her, but he made it seem like she'd insulted him. I was going to ask for mine to be dedicated too, but when I saw him react like that, I thought, "Tosser!!", and didn't bother. Now, on occasion, at my own signings, if I'm racing against the clock, I'll just sign my name and not dedicate -- but that happens extremely rarely, and I always apologise if I have to rush. I believe that it's a privilege for a writer to be asked to dedicate a book -- most writers dream of such moments, but rarely or never experience them. And it's polite -- if fans come and wait patiently in line, they deserve to have their books dedicated if they wish. I have very little time for writers who think they're better than their fans, or who begrudge putting a dedication in a book. I still love John Irving's books, but he's gone way down in my estimation as a person ... Of course, I might just have caught him on a bad day .......