Gosh; thanks for all the support, folks. It gives me a nice, warm glow. Or maybe that's from spending most of yesterday manning (or personning) the hook-a-duck stall in hot sunshine at the Birdsedge Village Festival.

I had no idea that Birdsedge even existed until last year, when a friend asked if I wanted to help out at the festival, and attend the concert in the evening. Birdsedge is a small village in the northern Peak District, and has quite a strong folk tradition. So some of my more folkie friends in Sheffield know people who are involved in the festival, and they asked if I'd like to help, and it seemed like a good idea.

Not too surprised to find that some of the tat - sorry, prizes - we had to give out were left over from last year. Pleased to find that our efforts had raised £74, minus the cost of the tat, towards whatever it is the money goes towards. (Look, I show up once a year, take money, blow up balloons, stop toddlers from falling in the paddling pool and try to help kids decide whether to have a small bouncy ball or a plastic recorder. I know that Birdsedge has a festival every year and that the ladies loos in the village hall are painted an alarming shade of pink, but that's the extent of my involvement.)

A good day out though.

There are several out of copyright dodo images at [www.davidreilly.com]
if anyone is interested.