This is the airport.  Up at 7am on a plane to Umea via Malmo.  The picture is from the airport. Back in London today Rankin launches his exhibition at The South Bank,  outside the royal festival hall. I wish I was there. Linton Kwesi Johnson is there. I am one of subjects of this photographic exhibition.  You can see it here.  Click.  Look forward to seeing it when I get back.

Tonight I’ll be performing Something Dark my one man show, for the last time EVER. I will never perform it again. After three years, three whole years of taking it around the world, from Zimbabwe  to Cornwall from Holland to Hull, finally it’s over. I wrote the play to give the back story to my career as poet and essentially about the unending search for my family. The last line of the play is thus: Secrets are the stones that sink the boat,  Take them out look at them, throw them out, and float.  

This performance was the most beautiful. The  audience gave  a standing ovation and I can not tell you what a high I’m on. Afterwards I went to News café and did a radio interview. News is the number one vegan resteraunt in Umea.  I ordered a steak Rare – it was cooked to perfection and accompanied with hazelnuts and mushrooms in butter – glorious. The weather is so cold but beautiful. Umea is Swedens centre of theatre and I met someone from the board of directors of Sweden National Theatre. The gig was very very very special. Though I know it is the final performance I may still be open to international gigs. Who knows.

Meanwhile I must get back to England to finish writing the morcambe piece.