Look, see, be, fly...

As a bit of a treat Helen and I attended a workshop in Leeds with Jonathan Kay, the Fool. I’ve attended his workshops before, without showing any particular aptitude for what JK seems to do so effortlesly, and Helen was in a mood to ‘try anything once’. Ten of us congregated in a big room, 16 stories up in an office block, with amazing views over the city.

It was a really enjoyable two days, getting out of our comfort zones and trying to tap into our more spontaneous selves… with varying degrees of success. Jonathan creates a supportive atmosphere, while retaining the right to chide and provoke. It’s difficult to describe the nuts and bolts of a fooling workshop, except to say that anything goes. The finale, on Sunday afternoon, had one woman assuming the character of an erect penis (she did it rather well, considering), while Helen was in the role of Angelina Jolie’s vagina. They came together in a climax of applause from a tiny audience. As I said to the woman sitting next to me, “That's not something you see every day”…

Granary Wharf, Leeds...