9am: The heating engineer is on site attending to the aforementioned heater: much headscratching. Lots of lighting cable to be taped in place. Performers starting to arrive for technical rehearsals.
10.30am: The heater is working! A leaking fuel pump connection apparently: now sorted.
Steve Moffat, our admirably calm stage manager and sound man with Tony on lights are getting their head round the acts and their varying requirements. Steve is a veteran of Oiseau Rouge 1 and Faring and although we have a much more complex lighting rig this time, there's much less feeling of stepping into the unknown.
1pm: Tom Macphail and Steven Cooper are putting finishing touches to the front of house: levelling trip hazards and laying a rather smart red carpet. Much debate about the best way to fix carpet to concrete and gravel. Signs to put up.
Lunch in the tent: a bacon roll and a doughnut with a private juggling show.
4.15pm: Afernoon spent running extra cables and swapping lighting connectors. Finally I am off to change for the Opening reception and leaving everybody to it. The bar stock is arriving: a good sign.
5pm: The Town Hall: Bump into Matthias McGregor who did the original design for Oiseau Rouge 1 and was very involved last time. He reminds me that he suggested blogging and Facebook two years ago, but none of us knew what he was talking about. Somebody mistakes him for a Norwegian conductor. Explain to the poet, Kenneth Steven, and his BBC producer that none of this entitles us volunteers to free tickets for anything (other than the opening reception): it's just good fun. He is waiting to interview 'Max' in a cupboard at Radio Orkney for a forthcoming Radio 3 programme on GMB. As usual lots of vague promises of 'see you in the club over the weekend' which will all come to pass.
There's an hour until the Huddersfield Choral Society concert in the Cathedral. Might swing by the Tent to catch the end of the show and/or club after it: and that's day one!
Good News: the sun is out again.
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