Britain's Only Deaf Stand-Up Comedian

Went to Lee Hurst's Backyard Comedy Club in Bethnal Green...its always worth going - even if you have to buy tickets you can get £5 off if you are a member (costs nothing to become a member) and then when you do go you get free tickets in the post for other nights at a later date. Went with Tom tonight on two of the 5 free tickets I got in the post...and got to see Lee Hurst and another few comedians, but the piece-de-resistance (if thats how its spelled) was the final act of the night - Steve Day: Britain's only deaf stand up comedian and he says if there is another one, he hasn't heard of them!

It was a bit surreal...not the gooseberry-wearing-walrus-dancing-on-a-porkchop variety of surreal but it was interesting surreal. Listening and reacting to a comedian who couldn't hear your laughter felt odd, with the lighting he couldn't even see the faces of more than a half dozen faces in the front row to judge reactions and at the end, yes people clapped loudly and enthusiastically...that is except for Tom who raised his arms and waved his hands in the 'deaf clap'.

Check out Steve Day's Site here and check out his show - you won't be disappointed.

Club 06/07 Week 8

This week was:

• Tree Planting Week
• Thanksgiving
• Anti-Bullying Week
• Christmas Sale
• Cash Giveaway Auditions
• Poplar Indoor Rainy Season

This week we...

• planted trees for young people to take home & painted some ceramic flower pots ...btw...more of the bulbs we planted a while back are starting to sprout and the wild flowers are still doing well and the Paradise Zone Gardening Centre is due to open in the spring...not really...saying that...I suppose we could grow stuff like plants and herbs and sell them for fundraising...what a good idea...
• had some anti-bullying poster competitions which Daniel & Kieran won...lots of talk about bullies...even Gordon Brown mentioned it in club - ok not quite in club...a letter that Tony got from Gordon Brown in reply to his letter on the issue of bullying had what Gordon Brown said about bullying...so he said it in a letter in club...and on the subject...Thomas and Tony both got replies to their letters but I didn't get a reply to my letter and 7 postcards even after signing one with Love & Kisses...I don't understand - I suspect ageism.
• had a stall in the Christmas Sale manned by Craig, Sarah, Thomas, Josh, Keeley & Michelle and made £45.60...hula hoops and historical romances went well...and Craig's sales pitch seems to have been able to sell almost anything to anyone...along the lines of pyramids to Egyptions but failed with Laura who turned down the beautifully carved antique, oh so lovely and would look perfect on any mantlepiece or living room shelf or side table 'Lovers' statue even at the rock-bottom price of 50p.
• made marshmallow and chocolate Pilgrim Hats...decorated with icing buckles...Henry used the 'one for me-one for cooking' approach...and Lorrie had an abstract version of the icing buckle while some versions of the Pilgrims' Hats were more art than hat
• more George Greenies started coming out of school for the morning...now we have 2 weekly groups and one monthly...and Tony is the first Langdon Parky to join us...yay!
• Thanksgiving turkeys - with feathers featuring what the young people were thankful for...Keeley & me were thankful for finally getting all the bodies, heads and feathers of the turkeys cut and glued and labelled...and that in the making of the turkeys no small children were harmed...reminds me though of nightmares I used to have about turkeys in the attic and feathers flying like ice in Edward Scissorhands...and finding out later that when I was little we used to keep turkeys in the attic and my dad used to pluck them there...it wasn't a dream.
• painted some pine cones for the Christmas Tree...yes the ones I mentioned picking on Tuesday and putting on the radiator to open...if u do this at home you can collect the seeds that fall our after they open and plant them...somewhere nice where you can check on them in years to come...probably in soil as that usually works better than concrete, water or tarmac.
• had a Thanksgiving version of 'I went shopping and bought...' (great idea Josh) instead we said what we were thankful for and listed what the previous people were thankful for...the lists included friends, families, club, legs (that was Keeley...mmmm?), volunteers, the good in the world (that was Sarah - she's like that u know), a brother, a new baby nephew (that was Thomas who just became an uncle to the youngest person to ever come to club - Billy who was only 2 days old when he came) an unborn baby (Sues), a parent & toddler group (Nick's) and lots more great things I can't remember because I am getting old...sorry no am old.
• the indoor rainy season bucket shuffle continues...rain on PCs & TVs...the plants get watered well...as does the carpet...I love an indoor shower...I'm singin in the rain...just singing in the rain, what a glorious feeling I need never go out again...

Oh and we were told on Tuesday we had an audition for ITV's Cash Giveaway for money for our Youth Africa Project, on Wednesday we met up to decide what we were going to do, Thursday made the props and got help from everyone at club and Friday finished them and practised the pitch and Saturday, after the sale went into the West End for the audition - which took the form of 7 people in white umpa-lumpa suits (and red ribbons), with Timmy (the Fairtrade banana) and Geoffrey (the Make Poverty History Sign) strutting our stuff for the camera for 60 seconds followed by questions, smiles and sighs of relief that no more energy drinks would be needed.

Everyone did fantabulously...and our pitch was loved...how could they not...and our project was loved...how could they not...and we were loved...how could they not...if we don't get further then it will be because of a break-down in communication where the person in charge tells someone who is not in charge that we are the best and we should have whatever money we need but the person who is not in charge thinks the person in charge has said that we failed the test and should should not get even any honey if we plead ...you know how these things happen.

Club 06/07 Week 7

This week was: Children in Need

And this week we... made all things bear-like including...

• bear wordsearches & pics
• bear biscuits
• bear bird feeders
• bear/Children in Need posters
• bear evaluation - pass the bear - only person holding the Pooh (that is the Winnie variety) can speak.

Junior club made a 'Make a Wish' Calendar to sell for Childen in Need & had some competitions at 10p each to enter. Last year we knitted teddy bear scarves & hats to sell bear friends and the year before young people sold tickets to a Teddy Bear's Picnic.

Other Stuff:

• We won't mention Tuesday night - we have said enough on the matter...lets think of canapes instead.
• Josh S met the challenge of introducing a new game/aspect to club activities by starting the Table Tennis Doubles craze...the reason he says - it gets more people playing at a time, more team work and people who aren't that good can partner with better players and get to win for a change!
• Katie is leading the way for the Christmas CD...sadly "I'm a Little Christmas Teapot" did not make the cut...more traditional carols were chosen but will be sung while doing teapot actions to give the 'teapot atmosphere'....you can take a little bit of that atmosphere home with you this Christmas and share it with people you love...oh the wonder of it all.
• Cathedral & Phase 10 encountered conflict this week and Nick represented the UN in the war games...and felt the pressure...but nobody is competitive...and winning isn't everything...there were no injuries...only to pride and/or egos...and Nick came out of it unscathed.
• George Greenies Pool skills are improving since the beginning of the term...pool cues are being used one at a time, being held less often like pencils or javelins, balls are being hit, correct colours are being hit and being potted and without potting the white as well...the young people are taking turns and not moving the balls out of the way as much as they used to and are letting their opponents take two shots when they foul...the white ball doesn't leave the table as often and when it does it is placed more often where it should be rather than where they want it to be...I never knew there was so much to pool...and that's not even going into the whole maths/angle area...
• Also got a new volunteer for Fridays...YAY!!!! Name to be revealed in future posts...just a little hint for now - male hatted young person - I know I said too much.
• Oh and also it rained this week...so? you say...well the builders are fixing the guttering on the roof and on Friday evening...instead of the usual drips in the IT room (i am not referring to people) we had a good old waterfall there and all along the front face of the club...the plants were watered, as were the paper flowers on the wall, the chairs and the carpet...I had buckets, pans, drip trays, tea towels, bins, newspaper out to catch the flow and it seemed to work...not as well obviously as guttering would - that would try to keep the water out of the building I suppose...i just thought having the builders would mean less flooding not more...I expect i should just watch the weather forcast and plan accordingly.