Writing days have been going OK but I'm not getting as much done as I would like. I am working on the ballad of Judy now. This is proving particularly difficult because I've chosen a traditional ballad form and I am struggling with the stresses and beats that it entails. The research is interesting though. I have decided that Judy is a refugee (in keeping with the idea that Punch and Judy as a performance has crossed continents to get to Britain in the form that it now appears in) and I am reading lots of refugee/asylum seeker testimonies.

I had to sacrafice Thursday's writing day (2nd November 2006) as I had a gig in Cardigan. Dave (my partner) and I drove down during the day and met up with Sue Hamblen (poet and organiser of the evening) at about four o'clock ; it was great to hear some of her poems during the night, particularly the 'big woman in PVC poem' which is excellent). She very kindly put us up for the night.

When we got to the venue my name was up in chalk! There was a poster of me in the venue window (I was excited because it was using one of the photographs that Dave Finchett had taken; it looked really good).

I did two twenty minute sets and was paid £100. The gig went well although I was a little nervous at first. I did my Punch poem again and fluffed it a little by missing out a couple of lines. The next day Sue gave me very positive feedback about this poem. Strip poety went well (this is the performance piece that I do regularly); I even did a bit of ad libbing and audience participation! They've invited me back so that might be somewhere to take P and J when (and if) it gets finished.

I also met a local artist who is part of a collective based in the Cardigan area. This may be a useful contact for imagetextimage the group of Wolverhampton artists and poets that I am part of. An exhibition in Wales maybe?

Something I did think about as a result of this gig was that I might be better producing business postcards rather than business cards. Two people asked for copies of some of the poems that I had done as part of my set; this is not the first time that this has happened. I thought that I might produce postcards with poems on and contact details, using the money set aside for business cards. I could then give them to people that asked for poems and/or contact details. Or sell them perhaps.

On the way home I saw some red kites; this wasn't planned but an interesting diversion.

I've typed up the text for my website which I need to send to Ken ASAP. I've run it by a couple of people who have suggested alterations and changes in tone which I will think through and act upon before sending.

I've also emailed the Arts Council to ask if they know of any good spoken word courses or possible mentors as I still have the £475 that was meant for ARVON.