RichardHerring.com - Warming Up

8660/21579Our Air BnB in Cornwall is pretty good. It's attached to the house of the people renting it out, but completely separate and the hosts are playing it exactly right. They said hello and told us to get in touch if we need anything but have otherwise left us to it. We've been at other properties where the owners are next door and get overly involved. If you want to be friends then let us stay in your house for free!There are a couple of locked doors that presumably connect with their…

8659/21578One of the perils of very minor celebrity is that sometimes you get recognised by someone, but they don't know where from. Or assume it's from school or work. Today at the Eden Project we were waiting to go up the Rainforest Canopy Walkway (a vertiginous metal stairway to a platform at the top of the huge dome) there was a lady ensuring that the right number of people were on the stairs.F

8658/21577Onwards to Cornwall and another suspiciously smooth and uncomplicated drive. We're staying in a quiet village near St Austell. And when I say quiet that's exactly what I mean. The minute I got out of the car I said, "Wow, listen, isn't it quiet?"It turns out we're only about 3 miles away from the coastal village we stayed in in 2016, when Phoebe was one and a bit and we upset some old ladies in a restaurant when I was proud of her for blowing her own nose.I tend to side more with them…

8657/21576First leg of our trip to Cornwall today, heading for a stopover at mum and dad's in Cheddar. It was one of the smoothest journeys we've had to Somerset and the only really notable thing that happened was in Luton.We became aware of the fact that a car a few vehicles ahead of us was belching out exhaust fumes. We drove through a big cloud of the stuff and it stunk out our car. As we approached a roundabout the spurting turned into more of a blanket. The white van behind the car…

8656/21575I thought Wolfie's death would hit me once I was home, but I am still just in a daze from it and whilst it's definitely affected my mood I haven't really shed a tear yet.Would seeing her dog bed, lead and collar send me over the edge? As it turned out, no. Not even when I put her dog bed in the outside bin. It would be wrong to try to donate that to some other dog, or use it again if we get another dog, mainly because after 9 years, it's scuffed and damaged and stinky.

8655/21574And just like that, it was over. The minute you leave the Edinburgh Fringe feels like it was a ridiculous dream, though whilst you're still there it's a never-ending nightmare.I had made life easy for myself this year by staying in the actual hotel that Stand 3 is a part of, 28 York Place. It was an excellent place and the staff were friendly and helpful and I heartily recommend it to anyone who is looking for somewhere to stay in Edinburgh.

8653/21572My secret guest turned out to be Daniel Sloss, who was a bit confused about why he had had to remain secret, but was a fine, funny and thoughtful guest. The shows continue to be a pleasure and today I had fun away from the show too and did some socialising. I have probably got the balance of solitude versus catching up with pals slightly askew this year, but maybe only by a day.Sarah Millican was in town seeing shows and we decided to catch a couple together.

8652/21571It hasn't been the jolliest of Fringes for me off-stage, but the podcasts have all been terrific fun. And today was the first (pretty much) sell out (I think we could have got 3 more into the sweat box), with Mike Wozniak proving, as expected, to be a sublime guest for his third appearance. If a disturbing three for three now on the new emergency question about eating food intended for animals.A

8651/21570I didn't know much about David Correos before I booked him for RHLSTP, but I know an awful lot about him now. We got into some very personal areas with the New Zealand Taskmaster star and I can't wait for you to hear it (but I am going to have to). I liked him an awful lot and I think you will too and if you don't know him already you have a treat in store.It was a slightly unusual crowd in today, which I have felt like it has been a few times, of people who don't seem to know the…

8650/21569I felt quite a bit better by show time. The prayer actually partially worked. Which is weird because you'd think if God got round to answering a prayer He'd do the whole thing, rather than half-arsing it. But I was grateful to Him for doing this much, as well as making the trees and animals and the purple-headed mountain. He's a busy guy. Maybe He shouldn't be partially curing old comedians and trying to stop wars or something. But I always do the easy stuff on my to do list first.

8649/21568My bug has moved down to my chest now, but my thermometer says I am still at the correct temperature. And that's after it enjoying two minutes up my bum. Remind me not to put it in my mouth again.Luckily today I only had one RHLSTP to do and the guest was only Joz Norris so I didn't have to work too hard on the prep. I love Joz and view him as my comedy son and I knew it would be a fun one where there was little point in prepping.

8648/21567Feeling pretty lousy again today with this stupid, potentially fatal bug. I thought Edinburgh was going to be fun when I was feeling well and my dog was alive, but it's a bit depressing when your throat hurts and you're missing your family and you can't go home. Thanks for all your kind messages by the way.Much as I'd like to die, I think the psychological effect of losing a pet and a dad in the same week might be too much for my kids (Catie might even be upset) and so I have to think…

8647/21566We had hoped we'd get a couple more months with her and I really didn't want this to happen when I was away (though I said my goodbyes before I left), but Wolfie left us yesterday.It's very hard to be away at a time like this. I'd have liked to be with Wolfie when it happened and be with the family after it happened. I did Facetime her before my show and though she was a bit out of it her ears did prick up when I called her a good girl.

8646/21565I never thought I'd be offended by anything on Netflix, but they really managed to get to me today via the email I got first thing."We've added something you might enjoy.... Alley Cats"Really Netflix? Do you think so poorly of me?I've taken great care to only watch the best comedy on your service, hoping you'd see me as someone with great taste who likes 30 Rock, Community, Bojack Horseman, early Rick and Morty.... why would you do this to me?It's like an elderly aunt you've never met…

8645/21564Wandering or lightly jogging around the city over the last few days I started wondering whether, if my life depended on it, I could locate every property that I have stayed in during my 28 Fringes (30 if you include the ones I didn't perform at).I have quickly ascertained that I could not. My life would be over.

8644/21563 I can't get the photos to upload here, so if you want to see them then head to my Substack (why not subscribe while you are there) My dad, Thomas Keith Herring (who for some insane reason decided to go by Keith) is 90 years old today.

8643/21562I've made this trip a few times before. This is the 28th time I have come to perform at the Fringe (and I've been up on a couple of non-performing years too)Here are all the 45 shows that I've been involved with over the last 39 years (all those numbers seem impossible and I can't make sense of them). Interesting to note that Collings and Herrin were doing podcasts in front of an audience as early as 2008 - not quite the first to do it, but certainly well ahead of the curve. Now you…

8642/21561Very sad to have lost the great Jimmy Cricket. I met him a couple of times and know his daughter and son-in-law very well and he was the loveliest of men.I saw him perform in Bristol in 2019 and was impressed not only by his act but with his continued love of the job. He had played huge venues in his career, but it didn't matter to him that this was a modest room with some empty seats. He just performed the shit out of show. I think that's the mark of a true comedian.

8641/21560It's been a social weekend at the Herring house as we've had friends round both days and I ate so much bread and chocolate that I can now report I've now fully put back on the 5kg I lost through not eating after treatment. But what a fortnight of being relatively thin I had! Today there were what felt like about one hundred eight-year olds and younger around (though it was maybe seven in total) with eleven-year-old Phoebe somewhat isolated and sitting on the kitchen island with the…

8640/21559I have never been too big a fan of Tom Hiddlestone. Maybe he represents the kind of confident and entitled public school kid that I encountered at University who just got everything they wanted in life and have no idea that that doesn't happen for most peopl or maybe it's because it feels like he's acting all the time, especially when he's actually acting. Which might seem a redundant thing to say, but when someone is acting too hard, so that you become aware that they're acting, then…

8639/21558Now we've lost Richard J Herring. The 26 Richard Herrings are falling like 26 nine-pins. Once all of us are gone the world ends. If you know a Richard Herring please look after him.You have to admit that Richard Herrings are dying at an alarming rate. It can't be that common a name. Is anyone keeping a record of which of the 26 middle initials have been struck off? Fate has tried to take out the Special K (as the other Richard Herrings call me) but I will survive. As long as I have…

8643/21562I don't know why anyone takes drugs. Just blow up a couple of large novelty swimming pool rubber rings using lung power. Exactly the same effects (also danger of death) I hope I can make all my kids' dreams come true, but I managed to make one of the dreams of one of my kids come true this morning when I realised I needed a poo and found out Ernie needed a poo too. I went downstairs and he went upstairs and he rang me from his iPad and we counted down from three and pooed…

8642/21561Ernie told me he had a Bucket List today - he is not dying as far as I know - but he takes after his mum who on an early date told me she had a bucket list including her desire to build a pyramid out of Ferrero Rocher chocolates (and a classic Herring stand up routine was born).I only know one thing on Ernie's list and it's frankly incredible. He wants to go for a poo at the same time as someone else (on a different toilet) and talk to them on the phone. He is either going to be a…

8641/21560Four solid hours of RHLSTP records in town today and a real test of how well my recovery is going. I hadn't slept great and in the morning at the breakfast table was struggling to remember basic words and names and thought, "Well this isn't a good sign." But by the time I was in the studio in London coffee and adrenaline had done their job and I didn't even feel tired at the end of the session (though did mentally crash on the train home).

8640/21559I had been told a couple of days ago that Bill Oddie had died, but it was still awful to see the news confirmed in print. I loved the Goodies and Bill was the one that I liked most as a child. He was anarchic, naughty and rebellious and even though I was only mildly naughty and quite conformist, I harboured the desire to be a rebel too. And I loved the comedians (and puppets) who didn't care about the rules.All the Goodies were my favourite Goodie at some point in my life. And now…

8639/21558My son rushed into the kitchen to excitedly inform us that he was playing himself at Badmington and the score was 3-2. I couldn't be more proud of him. He knows nothing about my snooker project. Self-playing sport is in his DNA and safe for another generation.He hasn't yet named his personas, but I can't help him with that. It has to come naturally. Let's see if he has the genius to name himselves Me1 and Me2.

8638/21557I haven't really been thinking too hard about "Oh Shit I'm 60" yet. Mainly because I am a youthful 59 and we all know that a year lasts for ages and July 12th 2027 is miles away. It's only 2002 now, as well, I assume.A few ideas have been presenting themselves to me without me thinking too much about them and my body thankfully keeps on giving me serious and less serious conditions to worry about.

8637/21556I realise now that Wolfie has entirely stolen focus from my own cancer struggle. Not only are readers of this blog much more upset by her illness than mine, but also now the family is entirely devoted to looking after her and everyone has forgotten that I have incurable cancer too.Way to steal focus, Professor Wolfenstein. Just like the readers to this blog, Catie is much more attentive to Wolfie than she was to me. Just because the dog can make really sad eyes and then bump into…

8636/21555Wolfie has recovered from her operation in double quick time and was well enough to come home today, albeit with a cone of shame, which makes navigation round the house difficult or hilarious depending on your point of view. I am sure she'd find it funny if I had a cone on my head and kept bumping into things. No one else in my family laughs when she does though.She was very glad to see us and perky to begin with, but understandably a bit lethargic once she was home. It's great to…

8635/21554Better than God. Better than Best. Not as good as Binface.I won't let you know how few new paid subscribers you need to get this far up the charts. But do feel free to give me �£5 a month and get me to the top of that chart.Thanks so much to those of you who have made that step already. I only need another 2500 of you to do it and I could probably make a living from this! But luckily I do this for love (as the 20+ years of not even attempting to monetise it probably attests).