A Good Friday!

I was working today, but I didn't mind as it was a very short shift (9am until 2pm) and my companion was Sue, who is lovely. Sophie dropped me off and went to the gym, and work passed very quickly. Sue volunteered to answer nearly all the calls for me, so I could get on and catch up with lots of jobs, which was a huge bonus. I was very grateful. She also fed me Sushi and cheesy crackers! What more could I ask for!

We were lucky that the weather was fine and dry, otherwise it may have been a different matter! At 2pm, Sophie collected me and we headed home to relax before our evening out to see Jamali Maddix (known for Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Taskmaster) at Derngate in Northampton.

We had booked a table at Lola's (formerly John Franklin's) for 5.30pm and we arrived in plenty of time, parking easily in the car park next to the theatre. We perused the tapas menu, choosing Spanish tortilla, ham croquettes, Padron peppers, chicken strips, patatas bravas, and bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. A bottle of the house red to accompany the food was a perfect choice.

Gradually, the bar filled up and we sat back, stuffed full of good food. It was a short walk around the corner back to the Derngate, and we learned that the show was to take place in the Royal Theatre. We had front row seats! I was not expecting that!

We sat down, and I said I was nervous as I didn't want to be picked on and dragged up onto the stage. The woman usher found this hilarious! While we were waiting for the show to start, awful rap music was played, which I found irritating. I hoped that we were going to enjoy the show...

Jamali Maddix announced a warm-up comedian first, and he was very funny. He came on wearing wrinkled, scruffy clothes, but he made us laugh out loud, and it was great to see him so close. Sitting in the front row made us obvious targets, but thankfully, he didn't pick us out, which was a relief!

After the warm-up comedian, there was a twenty-minute break before Jamali Maddix came on. The first thing I noticed was that he had lost weight, and this was the topic for the next half hour. I have to say that Sophie and I didn't laugh as much as we did for his warm-up man, but he was funny and it was great to see him close-up. He asked me if I watched Michael Barrymore on TikTok, but I hadn't a clue that he was on the app, so I said no, and thankfully, that was all! He had a lot of interaction with two couples in the front row, though, so I think we got off lightly!

The show ended at about 9.30pm, and he said he would be in the foyer for photographs, which I thought was a nice touch. We headed home and managed to get both cats in before bed. I had no idea what day it was, as it felt like a Saturday, but I'm back at work tomorrow!