Sunrise over Oughton Head farmland

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Thirty years on display

Thirty years ago this week, I received a phone call, inviting me to audition for Paul Weller and Mick Talbot and the result was a European tour and appearances on TV, radio, a top five single and The Style Council's Cafe Bleu. Some very happy times and now I've finally framed the posters from the first ever gig and the last of the tour. I'm not wallowing in memories, but it's nice to have them up on the wall, alongside other memories.

Oustanding performances in 'Amadeus' at QMT

I managed my first real night out tonight with a visit to Hitchin's Queen Mother Theatre for their latest production - Peter Shaffer's Amadeus.

Two extraordinary performances from Keith Swainston (Salieri) and Brendan Lucia (Mozart) showed the two extremes of excellence within the Bancroft Players. Youth and experience share a stage comfortably and impressively. The evening saw Keith's marathon performance - barely coming off stage for a moment - alongside Brendan's quite bonkers portrayal of genius. Such sadness n the mediocrity of Salieri that he'd hoped to expunge with murder. Only that, too, was snatched from him on his death-bed.

A quite brilliant production.

Good news from Mr Al-Bahrani means I can eat (nearly) normally

Marmite on toast - my first real meal in nearly eight weeks.

I managed to stick fairly rigidly to my diet of mush for approaching eight weeks while my stomach begins to recover from removal of a GIST. Now I am eating normally (albeit in smaller portions), on very light medication and will be able to return to normal. Could not be happier.

A new place to enjoy green tea in Hitchin

Loob Looand I discovered the Garden Gate Tea Room on our favourite walk around Oughton Head common. Very pleasant break from a long walk.

A beautiful sunrise makes the early morning dog walks worth it!

Since we acquired Looby Loo a week ago, I've had to get used to early morning walks and now she can go off the lead, I can actually enjoy the whole experience. Absolutely beautiful start to today.

The wristbands of my summer

This sums up my summer and I'm still trying to come to terms with more than a week spent in hospital and several months spent in pain and on heavy-duty drugs.

Car crash, broken shoulder, frozen shoulder and cancer. Ten months and counting. Sometimes it's hard to be positive.




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Two years in and I'm burning bridges

Well, not so much burning bridges as shredding rubbish that is holding me back. I've realised after two years of life as a freelance writer (again) that I'm not going back to teaching.

So I have begun shredding the rubbish that I had kept 'just in case'.

Writing is absolutely, definitely, my chosen career and a little private tutoring is just helping me keep my hand in. I loved teaching - hated the bureaucracy. Never going back to that particular madness.

Something old, something new

When my aunt sadly died two years' ago, my uncle (who died on 6 March this year) gave me her vintage powder compact. It's one of the most beautiful, precious things I own.

To keep it safe, I asked the magnificent Lou Baxter at Nicholson & Walcot to make me a drawstring bag to keep it safe. I've never been particularly possessive, but the two together are just beautiful.

Images to make me smile

I wish my stomach still looked nice and plump like these:




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