Thoughts of the day.

After last weeks comedy tour - 3 countries ,Five Days ,four towns - it’s time to take a rest, and you don’t need to be religious to consider Sunday as a good day to do that. We all need a ‘home’ even if it’s not your birthplace, a ‘home’ it’s somewhere where you are safe and able to be yourself, so today I’m a ‘sloth’ in tracksuit slippers and unwashed. Listening to some great music on BBC Radio 6 (THE radio station for all good music btw- thanks internet) . Thinking of how good it feels to be home with all my stuff and loved ones around me I can’t imagine how it must be for the majority of refugees who had to leave it all behind in a war zone because of some religious nut jobs and foreign interference, poor them. Everywhere we were on our tour ‘The Rufugees’ were a main talking point, the few religious or/and macho men among the refugees who are causing a backlash against all migrants. The biggest fear seems to be the increasing influence of Islam as a repressive religion, people...

Helsinki to the airport, 2,70 eur on the train (for a twenty minute trip) not bad, fast clean and efficient. Helsinki airport has the advantage of being small, although there's a Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 they are only about three steps apart. Security and check in all friendly and fast, no complaints. I still hate security though, especially when traveling alone, my prosthetic joints set of all the alarms and the guys at security see that as an opportunity to test their techniques, I even got swabbed for drugs this morning, I consider that a compliment (they think I'm rock n roll). No drugs on me except nose spray for my cold which is threatening to drown me in snot. Security is a drag when you wear this much clothes, coat, belt,shoes, hoodie ,gloves, then another bin with laptop ,phone and camera . It's just all the hassle of getting all that shit back together with people behind me impatient to start waiting. Now we wait for our flight to Riga and then Riga -Brussels, ...

Yesterday I was really looking forward to our gig in Tallin, Louis Zezeran is a great organiser and always gets the crowds out. It was a full house again(!) and although my nose was blocked and my head feels like a snot factory I felt good and 'comedy hyped'. The first half went well with Stewart Johnson starting then two local comedians who really rocked. Then the second half, I saw and heard a 'warning light' when the young Estonian Comedian had to tell some people to shut up during her set. After Louis' set it was on me as headliner, the first 15 min went well and the crowd were up for it, then this girl (sort of attention seeking selfie bitch) just started loudly talking, not heckling, just talking to her boyfriend who was really embarrassed by her 'look at me' attitude. I told her a few times to shut the fuck up, made some jokes about it, advised her boyfriend to stay single etc etc -- the traditional way that usually works, but this girl would just...

Tartu. Tartu is one of those towns that has 'something' hard to put the finger on ,but it seems at ease with itself. I don't know why but I seem to be attracted to these baltic states, it's not really rock n roll here, but there is something about the 'attitude', the dark humor and no overpopulated streets. So the gig yesterday in the 'Wilde' Bar was 'ok' (my set) I wasn't on a 'roll' as in Riga but it was acceptable, about 250 (mainly students) in and it was really warm on stage under the lights. Sweat sweat sweat and then go outside in -3 degrees and wake up this morning with sore throat and blocked nose - nothing that a brew of tea and a hot shower won't cure. Stand-up comedy is such a international language, it's great to be part of the 'community of comedians' we all seem to speak the same language and have the same irritating behaviour patterns which can be annoying for outsiders. In an hour we leave for ...

Day two in Riga was another day of walking around sucking in the sights and the feel of the city, there are some great looking buildings here, would like to come back in the summer and do some cycling around, but now it’s grey and wet ,no snow (boo hoo). In the evening we had our first gig together, Louis Zezeran , founder of so much of the comedy in the Baltics hosted the show slick as ever, the cellar was packed with (mostly young) students from all over. It was a really nice gig, an open minded audience that knows their comedy, not the tight assed easily offended pc mob. The cellar we played in ‘Nakablab’ is an alternative music venue, so the setting was just right for some ‘rough around the edges’ comedy. Good on ya Riga! See you again sometime. I wonder if the sun still exists? So now it’s 10am on day three and we are getting ready to drive the three/four hours to Tartu in Estonia, the first town in the Baltics I ever done Comedy a few years back, so it’s a bit of a ‘coming h...