Well, what a busy few weeks it’s been!

It’s been another month full of children’s shows, comedy gigs and trying to squeeze a bit of rest in between. Looking back, I don’t think I’d have wanted it any other way.

A few weeks ago we headed up to Hull for the Big Malarkey Festival, a fantastic family festival organised by the libraries every year in the park.

We were invited to perform Blue Badge Bunch and Slugageddon, and what a joy it was.

Thankfully, most of our shows were packed with children and families. We even finished the weekend by delivering one of our disability awareness workshops on the Sunday, which is always one of my favourite parts of the job.

Watching children laugh, join in and realise that disability doesn’t stop you having fun is exactly why I created Blue Badge Bunch in the first place.

It reminds me every time that these workshops really do make a difference.

After Hull we finally had a bit of a break.

Well… sort of.

The heatwave arrived.

And wow, it completely knocked me sideways.

I couldn’t really do much for nearly a week, which frustrated me because I’m someone who always feels I should be doing something.

But sometimes your body has other ideas.

Instead of fighting it, I tried listening to it.

The positive side was that I got to spend four days with Lucy Apple, and honestly, that’s exactly what I needed.

It was lovely to switch off, spend time with Lucy and her friends and forget about work for a few days.

We even went to the beach.

Now here’s something I never thought I’d say…

For the first time in 27 years, I actually went into the sea and had a paddle.

I nearly ended up flat on my face!

Can you imagine it? Trying to stay upright while the sea keeps washing the sand away from underneath your feet. It’s hard enough standing still when you’ve already got the wobbles, never mind when the sea is trying to knock you over!

Somehow I stayed standing, although I don’t think it looked very graceful.

It might not sound like much to some people, but after 27 years it felt like a little victory.

When I got home it was straight back to reality.

I’ve been back on the farm helping get everything ready before a very busy few weeks ahead.

Anyone who knows me knows that working on the farm is my mental health tablet.

It gets me outside, surrounded by nature and good people, and gives my brain a break from constantly thinking about comedy, admin and life in general.

Without the farm, I honestly don’t think I’d be able to do everything else that I do.

The next few weeks are going to be busy.

I’ve got Blue Badge Bunch at the Parallel Festival in Windsor on Sunday, championing disability awareness, and then it’s all about getting everything ready for Edinburgh in August.

I’ve been making sure I build rest days into my diary this time.

Today was one of them.

I wanted to work another day on the farm, but my body simply said, “No.”

So I stayed in bed all morning, watched far too many TikTok videos, then got up around three o’clock and cracked on with my comedy admin.

And do you know what?

That’s okay.

Everything is now organised apart from finishing this blog.

I’ve even batch-cooked a big curry ready for the busy weeks ahead!

Who knows what adventures are waiting over the next month?

Whatever happens, I’m making sure I rest whenever I can.

Because if there’s one thing I’ve learnt recently, it’s this…

Rest isn’t being lazy. It’s part of doing the job.

Next Week…

Next week I’ll write another blog about Disability Pride Month, my trip to the Parallel Festival in Windsor, and then before we know it, it’ll be time for another adventure at the Edinburgh Fringe.

I’m really looking forward to sharing that journey with you all.

Until then, thanks for reading.

– Benny Shakes