I’m just back from a few days in Bristol – we had a lovely time – P came with me to do a few jobs at the flat. While we were there we had to investigate a load of damp in my tenant’s flat downstairs and found that the wall under the bath is absolutely running with water. A vile combination of rising and penetrating damp and condensation. The whole outside render has to come off and be re-done on that outside wall and all the internal plaster has to be hacked off, lined and skimmed before Christmas – could have done without that but it can’t be bodged again this time ha ha!

We’ve had awful news from my family in Australia – one of my dear brother in laws has had a dreadful accident in the garage mucking around on his kids’ bikes and fell on his back. He’s now lying in the spinal unit in Sydney unable to move or feel anything except some slight tingling in his legs – we’re all so upset and worried about him and just praying and hoping things improve. It happened nearly two weeks ago now and there’s virtually no change. Please send healing vibes!

While we were in Bristol we went to The Canteen at Hamilton House and amazing new project/venue in Bristol with art studios, a cheap but brilliant cafe/bar and all sorts of music events and happenings. This week a guy called Mark Boyle who has given up money for a whole year and believes it’s of no use did an event which included a free shop (you just take what you want) – if you want to you can swap things and/or leave things that you don’t want. It was a wonderful atmosphere there with all sorts of stuff there not for sale but just for the taking – even pots and pots of organic chocolote spread just because the lids were missing (the seal was intact).

On Thursday evening I went to my vocalisation/freestylie group again and I’m really enjoying that and have nearly finished a song as  a direct result of attending.

Yesterday – after the “free” event we went to a house party at a friend’s place and today my mum popped round for a coffee. Tonight we’re off to dinner at some local friends’ so all in all a very good weekend.

On the 16th November my gorgeous little grand-daughter had her first birthday – I’ve put some lovely photos up on my Facebook which Facebook friends can see. It’s hard to imagine a whole year has passed since the scary night my daughter had to have an emergency caesarian after hours of labour – she looks fantastic now and is a wonderful mother to a beautiful daughter. Dad is brilliant too – they’ve really taken to parenthood.

This photo is of the sunrise where I live the other morning before some awful weather in our area – but not as bad as the north of the country where there are appalling floods – my heart goes out to the people affected.

Last night I went to the second of the amazing vocalisation/freestyle courses that I’ve started attending in Bristol. It’s amazing – we start off with warm up exercises, then scatting then freestyle lyrics to a looped back beat which we make as part of the course. It’s brilliant for trying to get back to songwriting and great to meet some other musicians and creatives.

I’m in Bristol till tomorrow and have also finished some knitting for my partner and grand-daughter for Christmas and nearly finished scraping the chimney breast where they’re going to put a gas fire and fireplace soon.

At last I plucked up the courage to go and do an open mic night at a pub nearish where I live now. I thought when we moved in May there’d be a few in Banbury (our nearest town) but there aren’t. Then what with the accident at the beginning of June I somehow lost my confidence.

Last night was rather foggy and cold and damp but I refused to let it stop me, got the guitar out and went to Witney – about 40 minutes from here. It was weird at first as there was (obviously) no-one I knew there but once a few musicians arrived I got chatting to one or two people and then had the chance to play three songs which went down well – to be honest even if had gone badly wouldn’t have mattered – just a question of getting “back in the saddle” after a long break. So what with the amazing vocalisation/freestyle course I went on last week I feel a few green shoots of creativity slowly emerging.

Plus I’m knitting – a lovely big jumper for P and a cardigan for my little grandchild. Sounds like small things but I feel I’m slowly coming out of the wilderness – it’s been a long haul trying to get over the shock of the accident – I only realised recently just how much it had affected me and I’ve been getting some help with the symptons – nightmares, anxiety, disassociation and even feeling a bit depressed which just isn’t like me.  I guess moving from city to country has been made more difficult to adjust to as a result of all this and finally I’m beginning to feel more at home here.

I love being with P and have no regrets – it’s just taken much longer than I expected to adjust.

I’m off to Bristol tomorrow for the second evening of the course and then meeting P in London on Saturday to go the Lord Mayor’s Fireworks (I’ll try and get pictures) then a couple of days with my daughter and the first birthday of my little grand-daughter.

Well what a boring week I’ve had. After a lovely weekend I started feeling crappy on Monday and streaming by the evening. I thought I’d feel better today but I’m still revoltingly snotty. I really hope I feel better tomorrow as I’m starting a weekly improvisation course in Bristol for the next four weeks which I’ve been really looking forward to.

Anyway – can’t do anything about it except rest and hope for the best.