One of the good things about being bipolar is the urge to make the most of the times when I’m well to get as much done as possible.  Last week I was in Purbeck on a songwriting retreat where a new song fell out of my head in a single day (you’ll hear it on my next album), I’m working on a guitar songbook, we’ve been making a new music video for my song ‘Memory’, and I’m about to publish a new book of poetry called ‘Meditation Mind’.

It’s been 6 weeks since we started touring again after I recovered from pneumonia and it’s been so lovely to see famliiar faces and meet new friends at the gigs.  We both love performing so much and I’m aware that this may be the last tour for a while so I’m making the most of it, whether we’re in a hall or someone’s sitting room.  Now we’re on a break for a couple of weeks before we start again with two consecutive nights at The Stables in Milton Keynes on 8/9 June.

Then it’s Artrix Arts Centre in Bromsgrove, the wonderful Hanger Farm Arts Centre in Southampton, followed by Barnoldswick, Helmsley, Carlisle, Cardiff and Biddulph.  Then we head up north to play Crail Festival, The Glad Café in Glasgow and The Cluny in Newcastle before finishing the tour at Forest Arts Centre in Hampshire at the end of July.  I’m also playing Royston Folk Club at the end of August and on Saturday 15 September we’re doing a one-off London show at The Slaughtered Lamb in Clerkenwell.

Before that, I’m doing a very special charity gig to raise money for the extraordinary Avoncroft Museum of Historic Buildings, an open-air museum of wonderful buildings which have been rescued and relocated to its site in Stoke Heath near Bromsgrove (www.avoncroft.org.uk).  The gig is on Sunday 24 June and the museum has invited ticket holders to come and have a picnic in its beautiful grounds before the concert.

We’ve just put together a video of clips from my gig at Chapel Arts Centre in Bath – a tour highlight.  If you’ve got friends or family you think might enjoy my songs, please do share it and spread the word about the rest of my UK tour.  Dates and booking links for all my upcoming gigs can be found here.

I hope you’ve been enjoying the sunshine and I hope all’s well in your world – thanks so much for your support.

xx

Thanks to everyone who came to my gigs at The Old Stables in Cricklade, The Acorn in Penzance and my house concert in south Devon (see the pic below).  I am so happy to be playing again and meeting so many lovely people wherever we go.  Next weekend I’m playing Ashcroft Arts Centre in Fareham – a rescheduled gig from when I was ill.  Tickets can be booked here.  If you can make it, it would be great to see you there.

Hope you’ve been enjoying the sunshine wherever you are.

xx

I can’t tell you what a relief it is to be up and dressed and able to walk into town (slowly). Pneumonia hits you hard. I was gutted to have to cancel my tour of Germany and five other UK gigs last month but I just couldn’t get out of bed and could hardly speak let alone sing.

Upsides to being ill were listening to a lot of Pema Chodron and reading some really wonderful books and having lovely friends come and bring me soup and flowers. Christian was amazing of course.

Most of my UK gigs have now been rescheduled so if you had tickets I hope you can make the new dates (all listed on my website). I’m so sorry for all the inconvenience. I am now looking forward very much to the rest of my tour starting with Gullivers in Manchester on Friday next week.

Hope you managed to avoid the flu and that all’s well in your world.

xx