And so it begins...

Well - here we are again. I am sitting outside in the garden of the Black Horse in Hose. We have just eaten our fill, and as I sit here typing away, I can hear the sound of the birds calling. And various not quite so natural sounds. Adrian is practising his tap dancing. Anna is playing the keyboard. And Ruth is learning the clarinet. The peace of a Saturday afternoon shattered by an impending Mikron performance!

This feels like the first night proper of the summer tour. We are going to Tyseley tonight - leaving the Swan in the Rushes and Loughborough behind us. The Swan is a great place to stay, but it can't compare with the boat. And what's more the weather is glorious. At the moment. When we were here earlier on in the week, it was teeming down with rain, and bitterly cold. But tonight I am sitting out in my brand new sandals and shorts. Unpleasant for others to see - but a sure sign that the boat tour has begun!

The weather has been a bit of a nightmare so far this summer. Our first night out was at the Foxton Locks Inn. A fantastic venue, and one that I really hope becomes part of our regular schedule again. But the rain was streaming from the skies, and the audience were huddled under blankets against the cold. Possibly not quite as cold as our performance last year by the telegraph museum in the spring tour when we were enveloped in a thick bank of freezing fog that rolled in off the sea as we started - replacing the blue sky with an impenetrable wall that, combined with the lights, meant that we couldn't be sure if anyone beyond the first row of audience was still there. They were, fortunately. Although I think everyone was glad to be able to get inside to the warmth of the pub afterwards. As indeed were we after the Foxton show. Not the best introduction for Anna and Adrian, our two new members, to the joys of a Mikron tour. But I think most of us enjoyed it, really. I certainly don't mind the elements - it is an integral part of the job, coping with the weather, and dealing with the often less than perfect performance conditions.

Well - off to work!