David Callaghan and beach cricket

Two things I want to say about art before I begin. Firstly, whether one enjoys something or not is subjective. I don't think you can say a piece or an artist is objectively good. There are, for example, bands that are hugely popular, but that doesn't mean they're inherently good. (You might argue that with, say, The Beatles, but that's still only an argument; I know people who don't like them.)

Secondly, you don't have to necessarily be able to understand or explain something you enjoy, or even to verbalise why you like it. The album I have listened to most over the years is David Sylvian and Holger Czukay's 'Plight And Premonition'. It is (perhaps) the aural equivalent of a Rothko, but that's the closest I can get to describing it. Nor can I tell you why I like it more than any other album.

I'm writing all this as a precursor to talking about our trip today to see David Callaghan's latest show, 'Everything That's Me Is Falling Apart'.

The first time I saw David perform at the Fringe was about ten years ago, and I think I've seen every show he's done. The most conventional was a play that he wrote called (I think) "The Closing Ceremony Of The Closing Ceremony Of The 2012 Olympics', which was excellent, and critically acclaimed (at least by The Scotsman).

I think it's fair to say that early on his work was influenced by Daniel Kitson, but now it seems wholly his own. We've seen him in many venues over the years, and on one occasion we made up half the audience. (Not unusual for Fringe shows!)

This year, though, David was in a sizeable venue by Fringe standards, and it was completely sold out. I couldn't be more pleased for him.

The performance itself was a 'technical show'. If you look at my Extra, you'll see a camera mounted on a train that goes around a series of rooms, and on the main screen (not pictured) you see the room with David's animations superimposed over the top. It was quite beautiful.

The show itself consisted of a series of short stories, interspersed with another, unrelated (I think!) narrative. To be honest, I didn't fully understand what I was watching but I do know that I enjoyed it.

After the show, we had a beer at The Royal Oak and decided that Edinburgh on a Saturday, during the Fringe and Festival, is too busy to be enjoyed, so we took the train back to Markinch and went out for a drive.

We ended up in a gorgeous little town called Edie, where we saw people playing cricket on the beach. A little pub had a garden overlooking the match, which was full of enthusiastic spectators. The sound of the cricket and the shouts and cheering made a wonderful backdrop as we mooched about.

And in the evening, we couldn't resist returning to last night's restaurant for another excellent meal.