After recently returning from holiday my saying "I’ve never been sea sick" is no longer true. Angela and I boarded our ship at 11pm and shortly afterwards it set sail. Our first port of call being 30 hours later. The sea was fairly rough but we went for breakfast and lunch the following day, being a true Yorkshireman not wanting to miss out on a meal. It was during the afternoon that we both found out what it was like to be sea sick. Suffice to say that we, along with 70% of the passengers, never made it to dinner. We were advised that the Captain was also under the influence of the weather. The Hey Presto Show – "What a wonderful night" – not my words but those of a member of the Manchester Circle of Magicians. He had traveled across the border to Gods own county. He was complimentary of all the acts; especially Vizage who closed the show with illusions, singing & dancing. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the artists and backroom staff who made the evening a success. During the past month I have seen three lecturers with vastly different styles. Greg Wilson, one of the worlds top close up performers from America at Bradford, who had the audience in stitches all night. Scott Penrose of Max Magic and an advisor on several films lectures at Manchester C of M. His style was "classical" and had some nice additions on traditional effects. Finally Mark Shortland lectured at Leeds magical Association. Mark has won many competitions and finished the evening with his working repertoire. His reasoning why he chose the effects and his explanation of the methods used were explained in great detail. On a final note, last month at Manchester C of M application forms for Blackpool Convention were being distributed. I liken this to birthdays - once you pass thirty it doesn’t seem like twelve months has passed before it’s with you again. | 
