Last Sunday I hosted the Swansea Christmas Parade. You really could feel the excitement in the crowds as they waited to see the Jolly little round man in red. (I’m not talking about me although I did turn up in a red puffer jacket.)
When should Christmas start? Is it when the monsters, ghosts and ghoulies return to the dressing up box, when the final sparkler fizzles out or when the Christmas adverts start appearing in between ‘I’m Celebrity… Get me Out of Here’?
For me Christmas started back in January.
Stan Pope served in the Royal Navy and saw action during the war but my father’s war started earlier than his navy days and much closer to home.
I’ve always been envious of the New York nightlife. You know, cocktails in your apartment before walking a couple of blocks to a jazz club where you stumble upon some stunning music performed by amazing world class musicians. Last night, except for the pre-show cocktails, I did just that in Mumbles!!!
As I walked into the room I saw a world I knew so very well but a world that to a large extent doesn’t exist anymore. I had gone to Swansea Museum on Thursday evening for the launch of a new book, ‘The Ugly Lovely Landscape’, featuring the work of Swansea Artist George Little.
Well there’s no question any more, summer has gone, and autumn has arrived with storms, wind and rain. It was only last week I tried to pop down to the beach as often as possible to make the most of the warm sunshine …what a difference a week makes.
It’s not often that I have to reach for my calculator when I go to a concert but last week that’s exactly what I found myself doing. Kiki Dee has been a part of my life and my story for just over 50 years, in fact 50 years and one week and a half.
With 20 mins to go until the doors were due to open for my Golden Jubilee concert we still had a problem which threatened whether the show could go ahead as planned. I’m always surprised how calm I feel when this happens, and I know, because this happens almost every time.
It’s 3 days to go until my 50th Anniversary Golden Jubilee Concert at the Grand Theatre. 3rd October, the special day in 1973 that I signed to Elton John’s Rocket Records…. except I’m not sure if we’ve got the right date!!!
I woke up in a strange bed. For a moment I felt disorientated. I tried my best to work out where I was and when it was. As my eyes started to focus I saw them… a pair of feet… and then it all started coming back.
