Backstage at The Gateway – with theatre manager Sophia Moseley

In a previous theatre life, and it's only now I can share this with you, I saw the ghostly apparition of the lady in grey, and no, it wasn't a member of the local amdram, or following a Prosecco Night at the Pilot with the TIC ladies. This was an altogether different spirit that was quite well known. Now I'm at the Gateway, I'm experiencing something similar.

Anyone here who witnessed the big fire, allegedly caused by the GIs, back in the 1940s? Old burnt wood has a very distinctive smell doesn't it, and just recently, there has been a fleeting whiff of it in the office corridor. Like some mischievous sprite, it's here one minute, gone the next. I have a hunch there's a story there somewhere.

I see my prediction in my last column came true, and Boris is off writing his memoirs, The Truth Behind Number 10. That'll be a work of fiction then. 

Talking about living in the clouds, our Top Gun Maverick weekend was an absolute corker! We had Maverick himself here, suited and booted, free fizz and canapes from Le Pisani. If you want to come along to our next Gala Night, you need to be on our mailing list.

I had my first swim in the sea which was rather nice. I've had a few more since, and I'm pleased to report my threadbare swimwear is holding it together. Mind you, I missed the two day heatwave. We were in the theatre office looking out on the parched Windsor Gardens with windows open and fans on.

Our ongoing effort to be a greener Gateway took me by surprise the other day. We now have some very natty looking soda syphons, and one of the comments from our wonderful volunteers was that it was quite powerful and you risked getting a bit wet. Oh tsk! I said. Right up to the point I had to jump behind the bar on our fabulous 'Spandau Too' night, and someone asked for a soda and lime. There's definitely a knack to squeezing the trigger gently, it didn't take that long for my clothes to dry.

When our local councillors offered to help with a bit of show-promo, I imagined a discreet wander along the promenade, occasionally passing out a flyer or two. What we actually got was a pirate riot of swashbuckling heroes, in full regalia, swinging into action plying every passer-by with a leaflet to join in with the fun at the Shipwreck Sam performance during the Natural Seaton Festival.

Elvis is in the building. He's been with us for a couple of weeks now, but he still catches us all out when we look up, and a couple of times I have freaked out when I've thought I was alone in the building and I see someone standing there.

But who needs Elvis the Pelvis when you have Spandau Too performing, I think the ladies in the audience were more than a little taken with Ian. They really need to be watching our website very closely. There's something coming up that will definitely give them the shakes.