IDEAL HOME SHOW

Started early and got to the show by 9.00 after marveling at the complexity of the underground system. Was there ever a map showing the lines as they are on the ground –or underground – like a ball of string with loose ends stretching out to Heathrow and Cockfosters??

I went upstairs at opening time to see Lynn Green who as usual was selling toastabags and she kindly gave me a sandwich freshly toasted. My pitch is opposite a knickknack cum folk art emporium selling everything from the ubiquitous wooden duck to intricately carved face masks too small for a face. A herd of wooden giraffes loom overhead in the centre of the stall. He says they delivered 7 vans of goods, and they only have 3 vans to take it away afterwards. Next opposite is a late booking that set up early this morning in a shell labeled Backdoor Shoes. They sell bottle tops to fit over a drinks can and seem to be doing very well. They can attract quite a crowd whereas I am lucky if people see what the product is. The shell only just accommodates the Dryline so it’s hard to make it obvious. The most interesting thing that happened was when another late booking started hammering on the wall next to the knickknack stall and half a dozen framed pieces and odds and ends came crashing down to the floor on the other side. The man with the hammer appeared on the other side of the stall looking sheepish, and began to pick it all up again, wondering how he was going to fix anything to the wall.