To kick things off, a little word about food and drink on tour. We Etheringtons are a thirsty bunch and I always enjoy a little time away from home because it allows me to indulge in the finest beverages available.
For example...
Don't go arguing about aggressive markets - I'm a HUGE coffee fan and THAT is my kind of deal. Thank you very much, Silcocks Funland.
My brother is more into his 'eats' and would heartily recommend Gusto Trattoria on Southport's Lord Street. They host a nice evening jazz band and a fine pizza menu. In their own words Gusto's offers "surprisingly affordable casual dining." Genius.
Now, I promised a Hall of Mirrors and so I shall deliver!
If anyone's taking notes, that last one is my personal fave.
Anyone old enough to have seen that seminal Tom Hanks movie, 'Big', will remember the scene at the fairground with the Zoltar fortune telling machine. No? Here's a reminder.
Look away if easily scared.
As a fan of the film you can imagine my delight at discovering not only that Southport's Penny Arcade had a Zasha machine of a similar design, but that it still WORKED! Here's the proof:
The mechanical old girl actually wrote this! Amazing. It's a little hard to read though so here's my favourite line:
"You could succeed in most things, if only you wore more sensible shoes."
How did she know about my ill-fitting trainers???
But enough daftness, it's time to wrap this report up by returning to the book tour and World Book Day itself! After a long exciting day of workshops, Lorenzo and I were transported to the lovely Pritchards bookshop for a joint signing session with the mighty Steve Cole. It is a humbling experience to share space with an author of so many popular children's series, especially when he turns out to be both EXTREMELY nice and a Spiderman fan.
Obviously our respective stock levels were slightly different and Lorenzo and I soon found ourselves in new territory. We were faced with readers who wanted to buy our books and get sketches but we'd SOLD OUT!
And then, like an ancient prophecy rising from the past, one remarkable group of super fans solved the problem for us. And they did it in a fashion that would have made Sid and Rivet proud.
Grabbing the empty boxes used to transport Steve Cole's mountain of stories, they thrust them into Lorenzo's hands, baying for art, with a wild proclamation tripping from their fevered lips ...
"Down with World BOOK Day ... Love live World BOX Day!"
I've said it before, and I'll say it again ... Monkey Nuts fans are the BEST!!!
Many thanks to all the staff and students and everyone from Trinity St Peters Primary, St Lukes, Formby High, St Oswalds, Holy Trinity Primary and all the schools we saw in the multiple sessions at the Meadows Leisure Centre.
We look forward to seeing you all again soon ... with Baggage!