Knackered after a 5 hour round trip to Hereford to perform at a mental health facility called the Stonebow Unit. These gigs are not easy, nor should they be. It’s really confronting seeing such suffering, and yet so incredibly heartwarming too to see the gentle, hugely compassionate way the NHS staff care for their patients. There is a line in Desiderata which says ‘everywhere life is full of heroism’ and it’s so true – good to remember in this crazy world we live in. I hope my singing was at least a distraction in the everydayness of hospital routine and perhaps of some comfort there. Tomorrow I’m in Bristol performing at the launch gala of the wonderful Freedom of Mind festival.

I had every intention of posting a song from my attic every month but then I got completely distracted over the summer by the most fabulous high with songs coming out of my ears and only now I’ve come back down to earth I realise I haven’t posted anything for months! Oh the joys of being bipolar . So here is one of the first video recordings I made earlier this year, and it’s a new song called ‘Symmetry’. I hope you like it.  Click here to see it.

I’m so delighted my gigs with Duke Special in Ireland next month have just been confirmed.  I haven’t played there since we toured with Eric Bibb and Don McLean.  I’m really looking forward to a proper Guinness and rediscovering my Irish roots.  If you can make it to any of the gigs, it would be great to see you there.

I’m having such a great time touring with the wonderful Me For Queen (aka Mary Erskine with her band Andy, Nick and Will).  Last night we played Crail Town Hall in Scotland, the night before we were at the Castle Hotel in Manchester.

I love being on the road, eating far too many crisps and cake and enjoying not having to map-read, the sat nav so far taking us to all the right places despite Christian’s deep suspicion that we’re going to end up marooned somewhere in the Highlands.

We’ve just arrived at An Tobar on the Isle of Mull, a lovely venue with particularly good cake.  The countryside here is stunning and I even managed the ferry without feeling too queasy.  Can’t tell you how happy I am to be touring again, singing my songs night after night.  Lovely having some fans along for the ride too – Mike and Gail Watts and our trusty merch man Tim Pardoe who has been busy making himself completely indispensable.

It was great also to perform at Elder Stubbs Festival in Oxford last Saturday for the mental health charity Restore.  It was at their allotments which are full of sunflowers and tree sculptures, and so lovely to see so many people there.  Restore is the most fantastic charity, helping people like me recover from mental illness and get back into life again.  I’m looking forward to doing some more performances for them in the autumn.

Time to soundcheck… hope all’s well in your world.

xx