Karen Koren: Hotness leads to Happyness

Lovely... well, actually, that’s a little too warm for me. It’s not good when you have to go into shops more often than normal just to get a cool breeze from the air conditioning.

The Edinburgh team are there for the Adelaide Festival Fringe, and Sharon, who works for me, has already been there for two weeks, promoting four of our shows, including Craig Hill, The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppets, who make a welcome return to the Gilded Balloon this year, and Abandoman who is wowing audiences with his improv rap.

What does that mean? You take objects out of your pockets and he raps about them. Sounds weird I know, but audiences love him.

Finally there are Morgan and West, the Victorian crime solving magicians who are having a ball and will also be back with us this Fringe.

Before that, however, I too will get to Oz. I just confirmed my flights to Melbourne via Perth at the end of March. I can’t wait to get a little warmth from the sun and luckily it won’t be quite as hot as Adelaide. Sharon will be back on March 20, I go two days later – like ships in the night.

The day after she comes back we will be going up to Inverness to launch the new Comedy Festival we are organising in the Highlands.

Aptly named Happyness – it is going to be fantastic, with some brilliant comics taking part. It is to take place over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend May 24–28 and we are determined to make it an annual event.

So pack your bags that weekend and come up to Inverness – where Inverness is Happyness and Happyness is Inverness. We will make it a very happy event but cannot promise you Ken Dodd singing “Happiness, the greatest gift that I possess...” in the streets, but it will be as near as possible.