Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre

God, wasn't Edinburgh fun? And easy? All you had to do was wake up, go out and flyer until enough of the sitting duck punters who were traipsing the streets waiting for a show to go to had been persuaded to come to your show, then do your show in front of a room full of people, then go to the bar. Then wake up and do it all again.

Now, back in the real world, it's suddenly a totally different slog. Cos now we have to book a tour, and this is clearly why other people have agents, promoters and management companies. (Don't get me started on trying to get an agent, we've tried before and we'll try again, whenever I'm in a hurry to hear the words "not the sort of act we handle" and "our books are full" again).

So today was a satisfying day, which shows how easily I can be satisfied. Six hours on the phone, following an earlier day on the email, and we added one definite date, one definite but date tbc, two possibles and only three outright No's (never sure how to abbreviate the plural of No, as noes looks wrong to me).

As for the rest of my efforts, I can confirm I have left voicemails on 48 machines, messages to be passed on with 17 assistants and secretaries, re-emailed a dozen or so people who have just taken over the job from the person I emailed the first time, found half a dozen places who simply never answer their phones, and chatted pleasantly but aimlessly to a dozen people who aren't really the decision makers. And tomorrow, more of the same.

Oh, if it was all as easy as just ten days ago... ago... ago... ago...

Since the Socks have done their final video diary (oh to have Stephen Grant's OCD, sadly we just finally couldn't be arsed) it's up to me to round up. With Tips for Next Year (if, indeed, we do next year):

- Line up more extra-curricular gigs. We had a stonking run this year, but didn't line up any guest gigs before we came. So we had lovely extra gigs at Sideshow, Calvin Winter's VIP Lounge, The Bongo Club, Pubstock, filming for Current TV and the Culture Show (and we even had the offer of Spank, but it clashed, how weedy is that?) but really could have worked it more like Stephen, never forgetting that Edinburgh is a showcase you can exploit for when you get home (last year we did chat shows and stuff, which we didn't push for this year).

- Rethink the poster strategy. This year, for the first time since 2001, I didn't use Diabolical Liberties to flyposter our show. And why? Because, during preview week, they never answered their phone, which gave me the first weekend during which to see how ineffectual their postering had become. Thanks to the efforts of the council removal men, I've never seen fewer posters covering Edinburgh. And those few I've seen have been for the same handful of Avalon, Bound & Gagged and famous-off-the-telly shows. So I saved at least £150 a week there, and instead gave signed posters to the punters leaving our shows (only on weekends and a few other nights because we only had 500 posters and, humble cough, we played to well over 1000 punters this year). Next year I needn't spend that much on printing, but what to do to be more imaginative, eh?

- See more shows. I really saw sod all this year. 16 shows, and 11 exhibitions. That's pathetic isn't it? One of the exhibitions (Cardiff and Miller at the Fruitmarket) was so good that Heather and I went back to it 4 times, but that's no compensation for depriving so many shows of our attention. It's almost like we were on holiday or something.

Actually do you know what? My real ambition is to be too busy to do Edinburgh next year. If I could be so deluged with paying work, or if that TV production that we're working so hard towards came together, it would be very satisfying to give Edinburgh a miss. I mean I love doing the Fringe, and (if the box office doesn't burn down between now and October) we've made money from it. But it would be great to give it a year off, and have a really impressive reason to. If you see us up here next year (and we already know the title of the show and have started writing it, and designed the poster!) you can rub it in that, clearly, we've got sod all better to do.

See you then, eh?

Right, we're off home (like, who plays Monday night? Duh)

Kev F & the Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre

And so, as it all winds to a close, we end on a high note having finally received our Scotsman review. Happy happy joy joy...

This is the music that brings our audience into the room every night. We'd like to do a proper video for it someday, but for the time being, enjoy...

Our fave raves from this year's Fringe..