Ooh, aah, ouch – yes, it’s that time of year again, when I start to change and take on a whole new identity. For 10 months or so I am the Tartan Juggler, teaching circus skills to children and wowing adults with my tricks. But along comes spring and I turn into John the Jester, and make a shift from the thoroughly modern to the medieval.
John spends most of his time working for the Historic Scotland education unit at Stirling Castle, working with children to help them develop fun hobbies. We do all sorts of stuff including a bit of plate spinning. And you know what, it’s great, a wide-eyed group of eight year olds staring at you absolutely captivated. They often come up and say ‘cor! Even my dad can’t do that!’.
But John also does Historic Scotland events and you can catch up with me/him at the castle’s Easter Revelry on the 3rd, 4th, 5th of April when we’ll be among a group of entertainers doing magic, comic shows and much more. As well as juggling I’ll be showing off my skills with the diablo. Indeed I am none other than the two-years-in-a-row UK champion for throwing the diablo highest in the air and catching it again on its string. A proud accolade for which I was awarded a sleeveless T-shirt which didn’t fit. But, ho hum, it’s the glory not the prize.
The thing is, though, that I love what I do. I didn’t learn to juggle until I was 18 and only turned professional a decade later – but it’s great. It’s a job where you make other people happy. And I really enjoy the teaching side. It’s especially good when you see a child who thought they’d never be able to do these things start to get the hang of them. And then, when they go home, I’m sure they’ll teach their mums and dads to do them as well.
Allen Goldie – aka John the Jester and the Tartan Juggler