Hilary Seabrook - writer, podcaster, musician

Wishing you all the very best. Normal service will be resumed in a couple of days.

The extraordinary Antony and Cleopatra was beamed from the National Theatre into Letchworth's  Broadway Cinema, which is fast becoming one of my favourite venues.     The performance was simply extraordinary. Antony and Cleopatra is a lengthy play with a convoluted plot but this production managed to keep the pace going with sublime acting, innovative staging and simply beautiful costumes.      Ralph Fiennes has always been a favourite actor - not least for his portrayal of the hideous SS officer Arnon Goth in Schindler's List - but his Antony was dwarfed by the stunning Sophie Okonedo's Cleopatra. She has more than proved her own acting credentials in the past (especially in Hotel Rwanda ) but she brought Cleopatra to life as a real, intelligent and powerful woman.      Okonedo stole the show and it was all the women who ruled this stage while the men blew hot and cold, fought and argued. With Cleopatra as a role model, both...

December has always been my month for goal-setting.      Just as I set up my week on the previous Friday, I've always liked having a path through the year before everything stops for Christmas.      This year is no different - I've had some highs and lows that are influencing my plans now to ensure a great 2019. Looking back, there are things I would do differently, but I find myself in a pretty good place. My health is better today than it's been for five years - I still have to be careful what I eat, but I'm getting stronger by the day and my stomach tumours are fading into the dim and distant past.      Family and friends - human ones and the beasts who allow me to tend to their every need at home - seem to be thriving and for that I'm grateful.      My business is doing well and I'm enjoying working with my clients. I'm always on the look-out for new and exciting opportunities and that's where...