Paul Daniels' Diary

13th         When last I wrote I was on the way home from Southampton.  I would have liked to have gone to the Water Rats and Lady Ratlings lunch but I got home too late and too tired, so I just slobbed around for most of the day.   I went and filled the car up just out of curiosity to find out how much petrol I had used.  The journey to and from Southport had cost 41.50 pounds.   Damned amazing and I am so glad I bought the Prius.  It’s so much cheaper and more convenient than public transport.

14th         On Monday I insulated my shed with polystyrene and slung fenders along the length of the ‘quayside’ outside our house. Then I started a big ‘get ready’ for the weekend by experimenting with tiny lights in netting.   A bit of cleaning and tidying up on the boat and then went down to the Magic Circle to deliver a letter of support for a man called Jack Delvin.   The Circle is full of ‘politics’ and power struggles.  I don’t get it.  Magic should be fun, not serious.    I am supporting Ali Bongo for President and Jack for vice president because they have worked harder than anyone at the real business of performing as well as doing the backstage committee meeting boring stuff.   After offering a few thoughts on entertaining children Debbie, Graham and I spent some quality time having a meal in Prezzo.   Lightning fast service…not.

15th         Tuesday was a bit more work on the shed and then getting poshed up a bit to go to a meeting regarding a Tescocomparison.com commercial.  I had agreed to make the advert after a bit of investigation into how good they are.  It was a good meeting with a good production team and then Debbie and I went off to the House of Lords.  No, don’t get excited, I have not been made into a Lord (yet… fingers crossed) and we went into my favourite building in the world to celebrate the 80th birthday of an amazing man, Lord Greville Janner.  We had a nice tea and nibblies on the terrace and stayed on for a later meal.   Very famous people spoke in praise of Greville and Topol even sang a song with ‘altered’ words to suit the man and the occasion.   What a good time, what nice people, what a nice man.

16th         Up early with more work on boat and shed and garage, a radio interview before going to the local pub to have lunch with Graham.   He had come round to have a look at how well our garden is doing, and it is!

17th         More or less the same mixture as before, interspersed with some nice bookings coming in and then we got dressed up again to go the annual Bonhams Private view of The Henley Sale.   It’s a good job I gave up collecting oddities or I would have been bidding on all kinds of things.  Bill and Jilly were there and we all walked over the bridge to have dinner at the Villa Marina in Henley.   It was a good time but Bill seems to be developing a crock of a knee.   I hope it’s not serious.   Debbie’s Mum is suffering similar pains and the doctors so far have failed to find the source.

18th         The big event of the day was me going to get fitted for a Ring Master’s costume.  That was a bit of a lark and I had a lot of fun in the shop.               The rest of the day was spent on the boat and packing picnic hampers.

19th        Oh no… the day started rainy and cold so we delayed setting off for the Vintage Boat Rally, at Fawley Meadows just outside Henley.   Eventually we decided to make the best of a bad job and as we set off it started to clear up.  That started one of the best weekends I have had in a long long time.  Everyone was friendly and helpful; the shops were interesting and the boats, large and small and fascinating, were wonderful.  How can you not be moved by the parade of Dunkirk boats?  How can you not marvel at the trouble people take to dress up  in vintage clothing?  How can you not wonder at boats that are over 100 years old and immaculate because of nothing else but tender, loving, care?  The weather was fine and when it became early evening I unpacked the lights I had brought.   All day I had the sensors soaking up the light, mostly from sunshine and Debbie and I spread strings of lights in the upper structure and then the bundled netted lights went along the bulwarks.  I worried that they were not going to be bright enough and added some small lanterns with candles in them.  To hang them I had brought some coat hangers and I chopped them into S shaped hangers.  It was getting darker and they all twinkled brighter and brighter.  The boat looked great.  The effect was exactly what I wanted, delicate and faery like.   Bill joined us for the trip and it ended a perfect day.

20th        I went back the next morning, this morning as I write, and dismantled all the lighting and cleaned up all the bits and bobs.   Debbie was doing her radio show so I took the boat upriver and Hobbs were kind enough to let me berth on the same pier as the large New Orleans boat.   They were having an organized lunch with the chef JuanCarlos from the Caldesi Restaurant.   Debbie came from the studio and joined me, with Bill and Dee for this incredible lunch.   Afterwards we brought the boat home, collected the car from Fawley Meadows, and decided this had been a great weekend.   Tomorrow, Hello Tesco Team… and back to work.