One of the bonuses of making things up for a living is that you sometimes get asked to do weird and wonderful things under the guise of work. So it was this weekend when I and two other authors, Laura Lockington and Alex Bellos, along with our host, journalist, author and salonierre Damian Barr, ventured North to Buxton fringe festival, to take part in a ‘Peek and Speak’ hosted by Hendrick’s and their Horseless Carriage of Curiosities. The carriage, stuffed full of all manner of extraordinary artefacts, had been set up in Buxton’s gardens, near the opera house. The idea was that members of the public would contribute a short story, anecdote, limerick or other literary musing, which were pinned up in a tent nearby, in return for a free G&T. We were there to do a handful of story-telling events based around objects that we had brought with us. So we told tales about tortoiseshells, mathematical oddities, and Roald Dahl, drank lots of Hendrick’s, and had a thoroughly lovely time exploring Buxton. On Saturday night we were treated to a fantastical, theatrical dinner in the carriage catered by Bompas and Parr, which took us on a culinary journey through levitating fondue, opiate stuffed sea-urchins and pyromania…
Some photos follow – many thanks to Hendrick’s, Steely Fox, Buxton Fringe and Bompas & Parr for their parts in organising such a wonderful event, and many thanks to the incomparable Damian Barr for inviting me to speak and for being such a wonderful host. See him trying to fit his 6′ 3″ frame on a penny farthing below!
The carriage will be at Secret Garden Party and Bestival – do go and see them.
Bath of Tonic
Ready for dinner
Bompas & Parr's Degu-station menu
The arrival of the sea urchins.
Mr Barr on his penny farthing.
