The annoyance of illness at Fringe time

You look forward to it all year – the most vibrant, beautiful city in the world becomes a vast jungle of bodies everywhere and not enough room to swing a cat…the Fringe engulfs the city with its myriad of shows and performers all eager to get bums on seats or people gathered round them…even if it is in the most inconvenient of spots to juggle fire.

It’s an exciting time, and no matter how much residents moan, there is nothing like sitting in a venue in the early evening with the buzz of activity going on enjoying a leisurely drink or two.

I have enjoyed the buzz, exhaustion, frustration and full schism of emotions that the Fringe gives you for the past 6 years – mostly as a reviewer and punter.

However, my body decided this year, enough was enough and decided to refuse to cooperate for the majority of August (as I write this now my wheezy chest is quite a distraction, never mind the oh-so-attractive coughing fits…mmmmm)

This is not something I like – sleeping through days of Festivaling is not fair. What started out as “man-flu” which I blamed on the fact there’s no sun involved in the Scottish summer, soon turned into a full blown bug, complete with a chest infection for good measure. Boo! I haven’t even been able to pick up my Press pass.

Now on the mend, I aim to see as much as I can in the last week and hopefully ensure this Fringe is just as memorable as its sextuplet of predecessors. I will allow my body never to curse me with sickness for the August period ever again.

The only event I made it to before the bug truly knocked me for six was Club Noir’s Burlesque evening on Sat 13 August at the HMV Picture House, Lothian Road. And what a night. Grand, inviting and full of fantastic performers, with the added bonus of Mr Magic himself getting onstage to give us a good old sleight-of-hand magic trick. I was lucky enough to be picked to go onstage as one of his glamorous assistants as I was deemed sober enough…the one advantage of cold and flu medication!