Jerez to Jersey

Three days off -well, let me re-phrase that - 3 days 'working' in the very un-glamourous world of TV is not good for bike training. Went to do a show in Jerez Southern bit of Spain on Weds travelling Jersey-Guernsey-Stansted-Jerez, Late arrival followed by a delicious, but not good for you, dinner.

Thursday to the Harvey's Sherry/Fundador Brandy bodegas to do the show all about Whiskey - they use old Sherry barrels to mature some whiskey to give it a sweeter amber colour and taste don't you know - and for the only day we needed to film a live show, it rained. Not much but enough to move from the courtyard to undercover. So Sat truck, miles of cables, 6 cameras with 6 Spanish cameramen, a cast of 60, plus floor managers, producer, director and a healthy collection of PR people. So enough to keep them setting up and having dramas all day. I keep unusually  quiet at such times, mostly because they all know what they are doing and it takes 14-16 hours for them from set up to de-rig, as opposed to me and my 40 minutes live.

After show parties are for everyone to congratulate everyone else on how marvellous they were - and to be fair they were all truly marvellous at there particular roles, even the audience. This then splinters off into another party for the individual groups, so whilst the PR types congregate, the crew de-rig and me and the director find a bar to sup beer and praise ourselves. Paul (the director) & I understand each other well enough after 4 live shows to know when we need to have a quiet moment.

Later the rest catch us up in the bar and much drinking was being done into the wee hours under warm Spanish skies.

Friday is good-bye time as this family of talents says adios until the next time we work together and I fly to Madrid, to pick up an Easyjet flight to London, so that I can get to Jersey with Flybe. The 1725 departure out of Madrid, after three gate changes that have you scurrying around the airport left at 2240, an uncomfortable 5 and a quarter hours late. Another hotel night in Gatwick then, followed by the early 0730 flight to Jersey this morning - Saturday.
So, plenty of eating, drinking and waiting in airports, not much, if fact let's be honest - no bike training and today must be a sleep catch up before the talk is back to bikes and aching limbs. To help me sleep, the knowledge that in 12 days time I must be fitter and leaner than it appears possible to be.

Maybe I can sleep myself thinner and fitter?
Keep the support coming, leave comments and remember to use Coop share number 12 for the charity.

Murray