Photos, Touring and Shopping in Boston

A few weeks ago I braved the freezing cold and snow to get some new photos taken by the wonderful Annabelle Narey of Bellephoto.

Am really pleased with the results and look forward to using them on my new website and album - hopefully both will be finished this year. 

I call this one "Golden Hair".  I draped a sequinned scarf that I bought years
ago in a sale for 99p over my head.   Love the effect.

This little robin took a liking to us and kept follwing us around the park. 
Even when we walked 5 mins away, there he was trying to get into the photo. 
And yes, I'm sure it was the same one! :-p

And I started my latest rural tour this weekend.  Kate Williams and I performed in Upper Broughton, Notts and Frampton, Lincs and had a wonderful time.  Shame the weather didn't cooperate.  There was  torrential rain and hail but thankfully there were also bursts of sunshine and a beautiful rainbow.  I love rainbows!
 
And in the daytime in between gigs... we shopped in Boston!  Yes, I'm sure you were thinking the title referred to Boston in the USA but I'm talking about Boston in Lincolnshire.   We roamed the charity shops and bought lots of bargains.  I love shopping! 

St Botolphs Church in Boston (ala the Boston Stump) as seen from the bridge...
just around the corner from all the shops!

Looking forward to next weekend when we'll be performing in Waltham on the Wolds, Radcliffe on Trent and Allington. 

Snakes, Creativity and Belarus

Happy Chinese New Year!  It's the Year of the Snake. Here's the description I found online: 

This 2013 year of the Snake is meant for steady progress and attention to detail. Focus and discipline will be necessary for you to achieve what you set out to create.

So - this should mean I'll finally get round to recording my next album this year.  Watch this space...

And in other news I've been booked to play four dates in Minsk, Belarus at the end of May.  It will be my first visit there.  Very exciting!

Here's a photo of one of the venues where I'll be performing.  Stunning!

Palace of the Trade Unions, Minsk

 

 

 

Glam Goes Rustic - Back on the Road in March

Happy New Year!

I've decided to make no resolutions this year.  My only plan is to enjoy life and make the most of any opportunities that come my way.  :-)  

I'm really looking forward to returning to the Midlands in March.  I'll also be debuting Celebrating the Divas of Jazz in Gloucestershire too.  Here are the dates and locations.  I'll be performing with the wonderful Kate Williams on piano.  Do come and see us if you're nearby.

Fri 15 Mar - Upper Broughton Village Hall,  Notts  LE14 3BA      
Sat 16 Mar - Frampton Village Hall,  Lincs  PE20 1AR
Thu 21 Mar - Waltham on the Wolds Village Hall, Leics LE14 4AG
Fri 22 Mar - St Mary’s Hall, Radclffe on Trent, Notts NG12 2FD
Sat 23 Mar - Allington Village Hall,  Lincs NG32 2DZ
Thu 28 Mar - Evergreen Hall, Broadwell, Gloucs GL16 7DL
Fri 29 Mar - Westbury on Severn Parish Hall, Gloucs  GL14 1PF
Sat 30 Mar - Box Village Hall, Stroud, Gloucs  GL6 9HR                     

 

Glam Goes Rustic In The Midlands: Tealby & Mareham Le Fen

All of the villages we've visited have been lovely but Tealby was so adorable!  It was like something you'd see on a painting or chocolate box.  So pretty.  As you can see, the village hall was as pretty as the rest of the village.  The audience were great too - apart from two members who tried to storm the stage at the end of the first set.  Two big, fat, hairy spiders!!!  Eeek!  Someone in the first row kindly ushered them into the ladies loo so that I was able to continue singing.  Although that meant I had to cross my legs for the rest of the eveninbg.  :-)

After lunch at one of the oldest pubs in the country, we headed for Mareham Le Fen.  We were a little worried when we heard that our show clashed with the golf club's awards dinner - obviously a big problem in a small village - but our fears were unfounded as there was yet another full house.  We had a wonderful evening and it was made even more special when my pianist David discovered that he and the promoter Roz were "birthday twins" by one week and were born in exactly the same area in Essex.  All that way to find someone who grew up around the corner from you!

So another rural tour over and another wonderful store of memories of visiting some of the most beautiful parts of the country.  Can't wait for next March - when I'll be doing it all again! :-)

Tealby Village Hall

A vintage ice cream van parked beside the hall

Not manyshops in Tealby but this butcher's is apparently famous for selling the best sausages in Lincs!

The Kings Head - a thatched pub built in 1367

David with Roz -his birthday twin!

Glam Goes Rustic in the Midlands: North Muskham & East Markham

We visited two more beautiful vilages on the 12th and 13th October.    The B&B located right beside the River Trent was adorable - with gorgeous views.  The back garden led straight to the river and a lovely riverside walk.  And even better, it was next door the pub!  For lunch all I had to do was walk out of the back garden, walk along the riverside for 30 secs and then into the back garden of the pub.  Couldn't have been more convenient!

We had two great evenings. A very knowledgeable audience in North Muskham kept me on my toes and there was lots of lively banter.  In East Markham the next evening, things took a turn for the dramatic when an ambulance had to be called out as an elderly gentleman had cut his leg on his way into the village hall.  Thankfully it was only a minor injujry but they called the ambulance to be on the safe side.  After the delay the show went ahead as planned and it was another full house.  It's such a joy to perrform for people who love what I do and are so warm and appreciative.  I love my job!  :-)

The view of the river from my bedroom at the B&B

A walk along the riverside (after lunch at the pub!)

East Markham Village Hall

Glam Goes Rustic in the Midlands: Morcott & Belton

Wow!  Had such a great time last weekend.  Looking forward to more rural Midlands enjoyment this weekend in North Muskham and East Markham.  And as you'll see from the photos below, we were lucky with some amazing weather too.

Friday we arrived in Morcott.  It was a lovely little village.  So little in fact that we got lost!  We drove past what was the high street and were convinced it was just a side street until we got to the next village where we realised that the high street WAS the village.  Ha ha!  I obviously need to get out of London more!

Belton was a little bigger but still tiny with a population of around 500 and just one pub/hotel/restaurant for the whole village.  But I have to say we had an absoutely wonderful meal there.  It may be the only choice but I'm sure people come from miles around to sample the excellent food.   We discovered another lovely eatery in nearby Uppingham too,  A tea room with adjoining bakery which sold the most delicious home-made cakes.  Their chocolate and ginger flapjack was delicious!

Morcott Village Hall.  Gorgeous!

No it's not a public telephone box, it's a public defibrilator!

Close up of defibrilator where you'd normally expect a telephone

Church in Belton - and next to it, one of the few remaining free-standing maypoles in the country.

Glamming It Up in the Rural Midlands!

Autumn is here! I so love this time of year and am looking forward to getting out my winter wardrobe of coats, scarves, hats and boots!

I'm also looking forward to hitting the rural road again for six shows in the rural Midlands starting tonight.

LEICS, LINCS & NOTTS - Rural Tour

05 Oct - Morcott Village Hall, Leics  LE15 9DX       
06 Oct - Belton Village Hall, Leics LE12 9TU
12 Oct - North Muskham Rural Comm Centre, Notts  NG23 6HD
13 Oct - East Markham Village Hall, Notts  NG22 0QJ
19 Oct - Tennyson d’Eyncourt  Memorial Hall, Tealby, Lincs LN8 3XS
20 Oct - Mareham-Le-Fen Village Hall, Lincs  PE22 7RW

Hope to see some of you there.  I will try to get some photos as I've definitely been slacking with updating my blog lately.  Looking forward to donning the heels, fascinator and elbow length gloves once again.