Blog 67!!! I clearly love my food!!!

Hi Everyone,

Happy Thursday.

How you all doing? I'm fine and dandy. Early post today as we have an extra matinee of Wicked this afternoon because it's half term. 9 shows in one week! The audiences are great. It's packed, which means approximately 20,700 people will see Wicked this week alone. Isn't that insane?! No need to respond, that was rhetorical! 

So it's been a busy old week, as ever. Last Thursday I cleaned my flat. But like REALLY cleaned it so that it was gleaming. Then I headed to the gym and to the pool for a good old workout. After the show I had a catch up with a mate and it was so nice to then get home and have a spotless apartment. I'll be honest though, my flat is always pretty OCD clean. I'm an organised freak most of the time.

So Friday I did a lot of work during the day at home and then I hit the gym and pool again before doing a great phone interview as part of some album promotion. When it's all published you'll all be the first to know.

The show was great on Friday and afterwards I stayed at a mate's house to have a chill out and then woke early Saturday morning to go and do my new favourite pass time, which is sitting by myself in Le Pain Quotidien restaurant/cafe and reading my book and eating their amazing food. It is so lovely. It's a really relaxed atmosphere and I usually have either a 2 or 3 course breakfast! I can seriously put food away quite easily!!!

What I've forgotten to mention though was that when I woke up on Saturday, I could not straighten my arms. I'm not being dramatic, they physically wouldn't straighten, especially my left arm - because I had clearly worked myself too hard in the gym the two days before. So after my breakfast on Saturday, I did a lot of work on my laptop and then to try and get some movement and mobility back in my arms I went for a swim before the matinee. It was hard work but I think it made a difference. That'll teach me to push my biceps till they nearly burst eh?!

In between the shows on Saturday I joined some of the ensemble for a lovely roast chicken dinner in the dressing room. This resulted in me eating far too much (including about 12 biscuits - no exaggeration!) and therefore performing Saturday night's show with a pregnant  looking belly. I estimated that my food baby was due for arrival in about 2 months which meant I was 7 months 'food pregnant'! So worth it though cos the food was gooooood!

I had to get up at the crack of dawn, or as I like to say 'Dawn's crack' on Sunday to get the first train back to North Wales to visit some family. It was a tiring early start but I am so glad I went. I adore my family. I was picked up from Chester station by one of my best friends Aimee, we then went to the restaurant where I used to work as an overweight waiter in my teens - my mum and sister still work there now, and we had the most incredible 3 course sunday roast. We were given special treatment because I worked there for 6 years. The food there is incredible and if ever you're in the Denbighshire area in North Wales, go and eat at Nant-Y-Felin restaurant. You'll really enjoy amazing home cooked food.

After that we went home to veg on the sofa whilst watching the omnibus of the Welsh soap opera - Pobl Y Cwm.

My Mum and I then visited a member of my family in hospital before visiting my brother's family and then my sister's family. So it was a great day of catching up! Ended up having a chinese take away with my sister, her husband and my mum whilst having deep philosophical conversations! Wow, it's all about food this blog eh?! A lot of my early blogs where about food a lot of the time. Isn't it just the most amazing thing though? I get so much pleasure from nice food and drink! Yum!!!

So I woke at about 6.30am on Monday morning as I needed to head back from North Wales to do the first rehearsal for my TV special 'An Evening With Mark Evans/Noson Yng Nghwmni Mark Evans' which is being filmed on November 13th and broadcast early next year. There are a few free tickets left apparently but not many, so if you want to be in the studio audience in Cardiff that Sunday all you need to do is email Steffan.watkins@boomerang.co.uk and he'll send you all the details.

So Monday's rehearsals where with my choreographer Ashley Wallen who is incredible. He works with loads of artists from Kylie, Jamelia and the Sugababes to the current campaign with Will Young and he also Choreographed the West End show (and soon to be Broadway Show) Ghost which is fantastic. 

What he has done for my show is amazing. His vision is incredible and I have 8 of the best dancers in the commercial industry dancing on the show so I was very excited about it all by the time the rehearsal finished at 5pm. I then had a quick meeting with the producers of the programme before heading to work to do the show. I was very tired after a busy weekend but the show was good.

Tuesday morning I woke really early and headed to Le Pain again for my breakfast. I LOVE it in there. I then did some work in my dressing room on loads of different things before heading to meet my stylist Judith to shop for the TV special. I cannot tell you how much easier it is shopping with a stylist than it is by myself. The session started with a coffee and a cache up and I handed over my 'look book' that I'd created which is basically lots of images I like that I found online and printed off as inspiration and then she showed me her ideas and we made some notes so we knew what we needed to achieve by the end of the shopping session and then we hit Westfield like never before! She had a little trolley thing with her so neither of us had to carry any bags, it was a stress free fun afternoon and my goodness we got some seriously cool clothes for me to wear. I am going to want to steal them all after the show. So the session ended at 5pm and the best thing was that I  didn't have any bags to then lug with me on the tube to work. Judith had either bought everything or made a note of what she needed to buy for me and then I just left her to it and she headed back to Cardiff.

It's exhausting though eh? When you are shopping for 4 or 5 hours you really feel the tiredness the first time you sit down don't you?! I sat on the tube and almost instantly fell asleep. 

I pushed through the show on Tuesday night before heeding home and getting into bed for a really good sleep before the first matinee of the week. 

Woke up yesterday (Wednesday) and did some work at home before heading into the theatre. Had a really good day yesterday. The two shows were really fun and last night's audience were amazing. Not to mention the amazing food I had in between the shows. (yes I'm still talking about food!) Good times. 

I got home last night and had a great night's sleep. So waking up this morning I feel fresh and ready for another matinee. It feels so odd waking up on a Thursday and thinking "I have two shows today!" I always say 'Happy Hump Day' on a Wednesday because the online urban dictionary says that your HUMP day is the day which is the exact middle of your working week and usually after a Wednesday we have done half of the week's shows and we're on the down hill side of the hump, but because of today's extra show I feel like this week has a bump on top of the hump! So……Happy bump on hump day everyone. I hope you have a great one!

A few parish notices you may want to know:

I am performing a few Album songs at WICKED DAY this Sunday. Be there for a fun afternoon. All info is on the WICKED Facebook page: 

http://www.facebook.com/WickedLondon?sk=app_185244704886035

My Christmas show is on sale - I have my first meeting about it tonight to create some genius festive stuff with Craig my Musical Director. Get your tickets here:

http://www.wegottickets.com/event/137318 

For those of you who haven't ever seen Marcaroni the kids TV show I star in, watch this so you can see what it is I filmed 52 episodes of earlier this year. It's crazy fun kids stuff. 

http://www.s4c.co.uk/clic/c_level2.shtml?series_id=404536083

I now have an online shop!!! How cool is that. You can buy my album from here and the price includes P&P. There will be more and more stuff added to the shop as time goes by!!!

http://markevans.bigcartel.com/

This is even cooler - I now have an 'app' - You can download it from itunes for your phones etc - check it out. Loving my life. HA. 

http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/mark-evans/id473253707?mt=8

Right I think that is about it. I need to head to the theatre. Thanks for reading folks and for all your constant support as always.

Love your lives and love yourselves cos if you don't, no-one else will! I love you ALL!!!

Sh-boom!

Mark

Blog 66!!! The Journey Home is OUT NOW!!! Woohoo!

Morning Everyone,

Happy Thursday,

Well I officially now have an album out and on sale.  WOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

When i hear from people who have bought it and are listening to it and telling me which tracks are their favourites and what they can't stop listening to it has seriously made this whole manic year of extremely hard work completely worth it, and for that I cannot thank you enough for your support! 

So the week begun last Thursday. I was off the show for the remainder of the week because of my cornflake (if that doesn't make sense to you then read last week's BLOG) so I went to see my friend Ashleigh (who sings the duet with me on the album) so that we could catch up and also rehearse the song for the album launch. It was great to spend some time with Ash, we don't get to see each other often enough - which is kinda the same with all my mates. After we enjoyed the afternoon together I went to have a singing lesson with my teacher Jonathan. it has been quite a while since I had a lesson and I absolutely loved it. He's such a good teacher and every time I leave his room I feel I can do so much more vocally than I could before. 

A lot of people ask 'why do you have singing lessons when you are playing a lead in the West End?", as if to suggest that I don't need them, which is very complimentary, but for me personally, the reason I have lessons is not to get better necessarily, it's more so that I can keep on top form - your vocal chords are muscles so you have to train them as an athlete has to train their body. It's also good to challenge your voice with different styles of singing, from classical to rock, you need to be so versatile in this industry so I like to keep on top of it all and be on top form as much  I can.

After that, I headed home to make dinner for myself and a friend who was coming over to visit. 

Friday morning I had a meeting in central London and I then had to do some work on my laptop before having a meeting with the production team of my TV show and my manager and our amazing choreographer Ashley Wallen. It was great to finally chat to Ashley about how everything is going to look visually. We have some great ideas and I can't wait to get in the studio this coming Monday for the first rehearsal with the 8 amazing dancers. Woohoo. Less than 4 weeks until my T.V show. Craziness!!! 

I then had another meeting at 5.30pm which went really well, before meeting a mate for dinner at that cool restaurant I've mentioned in a blog a few weeks ago, Inamo (with the interactive tables), and then we went to watch Rock Of Ages. I'd only seen it a few weeks back but my good friend Nathan was playing Lonny which is the role he understudies so I thought I'd make the most of having time during the evening to see him do it, and folks he did a cracking job, he really did. As for Oli Tompsett (my good mate who plays Drew, and has also written 2 album tracks for me) is insane. We have mutual love and respect for each other but my god that boy is a massive inspiration to me, always has been since I first worked with him and always will be. What a voice. Rock Of Ages is so much fun - go see it.

Headed home after that to get a good sleep. Saturday was weird not being at work whilst feeling absolutely fine. I woke early to watch the Wales vs France rugby match. Well what a bad decision that ref made eh? I can't write too much about it as it angers me - I wanted to hunt him down and kiss him aggressively so that he caught my skin infection and then say "take that, you stupid, bad decision making, short shorts wearing, red card giving idiot!" Me no likey him!!! It was a great game though (apart from the result) very exciting!

I spent the rest of the day learning material for a meeting I had on Monday and doing a few last minute organisation things for my album launch the next day. Then in the evening I enjoyed a good movie and some really nice Sushi at my mates house. Lovely chill out night before Sunday hit!

So Sunday arrived and it was the day of my official ALBUM LAUNCH PARTY. For those of you reading this who were at the party, I can't thank you enough for sharing such a special occasion and event with me and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. 

I arrived at midday to do a few bits and pieces for an hour before it started at 1pm,  including a sound check with a not very co-operative sound guy, who was more interested in his over sized pizza than what it was sounding like, but luckily Ashleigh was there to rehearse the duet so she was monitoring everything sound wise. I really wanted to make sure that the launch of the album was not all about me singing the songs and more about a celebration. I wanted it to be a big party within which I happen to just whack out a few of the tracks. And I was thrilled with the atmosphere there. It was very laid back, VERY positive because everyone was in a really 'up' and feel good mood. The venue is a great private bowling suite and so to have about 160 people there to have a good time and launch my album with me was perfect. By 2.30 all the ticket holders and most of my guests had arrived, just in time for me to perform the 5 songs in my set. I sang The Journey home, Until Then, Brand New You (acoustic version) Adre'n Ol and the duet with my great friend, my pear, Ashleigh Gray.  

It was the first time that I'd performed some of those songs live and it was great to do it in front of such a fab crowd of supportive people.

After the singing we begun the 'ultimate bowling challenge'. I basically had allocated 5 well known team captains to pick 4 names each out of a hat full of fans names. We then went head to head to get as high a score as an individual team as possible which would then be counted up by the receptionist and the highest over all score out of all the teams was revealed. It was so much fun. Louise Dearman had already admitted to me that she is not a very good bowler when she agreed to be a captain so it was fun to see her and her team using the fighting talk and then rolling the ball down the lane in various comedy ways. Oliver Tompsett attempted to do one blind folded. ha. It was like a messed up version of the scene from Grease 2 "let's bowl, let's bowl, let's Rock and Roll"  we all really enjoyed ti and it was such a laugh. I was very proud of the four ladies on my team! Team Mevans rocked!!!

I announced the teams results as the following according to the score sheet from the receptionist.

1st place: Team Mevans - My team

2nd place: The Bowlercoasters - Oliver Tompsett's team

3rd place: Aaron Renfree's team

4th place: Ashleigh Gray's team

5th place: Big Shiny Balls - Louise Dearman's team. 

So we won, woohoo, and we actually won by about 50 points ha. Oli Tompsett got a higher individual score than me though, but that's ok because he has a rubbish voice……noooooooot! Love that boy!

I had arranged for a massive 3ft carrot cake to be made especially for me for the launch for all my guests and so after the bowling I cut the cake and gave everyone a glass of bubbly to celebrate me having an album out. The cake was amazing, and I am still actually trying to finish it off as it's in a tupperware box in my kitchen. Getting fatter with every evening I come home from work this week and have a slab of carrot cake with a cup of tea!

Whilst everyone was enjoying their cake and fizz I had to do some chatting on camera for my TV documentary as they'd come down to film the whole event and after that the launch finished with me doing an official signing of the CD's and new posters the label have had made (which I love, they're really glossy and lovely) and then it was all done. The venue had to practically boot us out as we were sorting all our belongings out to leave. What a great day. Thanks once again to all of you who came.

I then took my family to have some food before they needed to head home to Wales. They had really enjoyed themselves. I was so happy that they could be there. Love them so much. After we all enjoyed a steak they headed home in the car and I spoke to them when they were 30 minutes from finishing the 4 hour journey and they said they had been listening to my album on repeat the whole way home. That made me smile.

So Monday was the official release date of my album  and from that moment on I have literally been bombarded with tweets and messages and such from wonderful people saying how much they're enjoying my album. I can't tell you what an amazing feeling that is. One of the girls in Wicked said to me, "how do you feel, you have an album?!!" and I said "Well I've actually had an album for months, it's just now people can finally listen to it" - I am a happy boy!      

What I really love is that everyone who is getting in touch is saying what their favourite track is and it's great because everyone seems to like a different song. Hope that means there's a nice variety to it which is what I was really trying to achieve when making the song choice decisions.

So anyway, I had a meeting on Monday which went well and then I headed to have a little nap in my dressing room as I had a real adrenaline come down and felt exhausted. So tried to pick myself back up energy wise by heading to the gym before work.

I was delighted to be back at the show on Monday night. I had missed being there. It was lovely on Monday night actually because David Suchet was in the building doing some filming for an ITV TV programme he's working on and needed to come to my dressing room to chat and take some photographs etc. he is a wonderful man, what a true gentleman. He came down to meet everyone else after the warm up and gave a short little speech which was very inspirational and it geared me up for a good Monday night show.

After the show I was exhausted so headed home to get a good sleep (after some carrot cake of course).

I woke Tuesday morning early to head down to Twickenham by 10am to pre-record a radio interview for 'GAYDAR RADIO' which I believe will go out this Saturday morning. It was a lovely little chat all about the album and everything else I'm up to. The presenters Debbie & Neil are cool! They really appreciated me giving them some carrot cake - (I was just trying to get rid of it to eliminate me returning to my former fat teenage self by devouring it all myself).

After that I headed to Dress Circle - The Showbiz Shop in Covent Garden, to sign a big batch of CD's for them to sell there - It was nice to see my album on the shelves in there having shopped there for about 9 years now. 

I then met a mate for a quick lunch before heading to watch The Three Muskateers in the cinema with my mate Haley. It's a really great film. Thoroughly enjoyed it and can't wait to see the next one. 

I then headed to work to do the show and afterwards stayed at a mates house for a catch up!

It has gone so cold all of a sudden hasn't it. I arrived the theatre for the matinee on Wednesday (yesterday) and the company manager was asking us who wanted a portable heater in their dressing rooms. It only seems two minutes since we had all the windows and doors wide open and fans blaring cool air around because we were sweating in the sweltering heat. It has sunk in this week that I am coming to the end of my time in Wicked. The beginning of this contract was really cold and wet weather in February and now that we have passed through the seasons and are back to this sort of weather it means that it's almost time to move on. It's actually only 7 weeks I'll have left there after this week. Time has flown and I have had a great run there. I love it and shall miss it, but I'm also VERY excited about what's to come.

So that's about it really. Nothing else eventful happened yesterday other than one thing I don't want to write about but all I'm going to say is, life is too short folks. Live every day as if it's your last and treasure the people around you and make the most of being able to love them and talk to them because nothing and no-one lasts forever.

Keep positive and love your lives "Cos I'm alive, I'm alive, I'm alive Cos we're alive" (Michael Bruce)

Thanks for reading,

SH-BOOM!!!

Mark

BLOG 65!!! Nights out and a cornflake!!!

Hi Everyone,

Happy Thursday,

How you all doing. I am laying in bed chilling as I write this blog this morning. I've been signed off work. I did the matinee show yesterday and noticed a little skin imperfection on my chin so I was told to go see if it was contagious and the walk in clinic in Victoria said it could be numerous things, but it is definitely a skin infection which was probably caused by a cut in the skin, possibly by shaving, and with me being quite tired and run down my immune system might not be as strong as usual so it has become infected. The reason I can't do the show is because of the kissing scenes. If it happened to be contagious it could become a problem within the theatre. So it is a very odd feeling, to be sent home and not do the show all because of a tiny little infection which is smaller than a 5p coin on my chin, when in the past i have struggled through so many injuries and illnesses to make sure i do this show. So I intend on relaxing and trying to enjoy some time off work by watching T.V. (As if i'll enjoy doing nothing eh?!)

Anyway, I hope you've all had a great week? Let me know what you've been up to on Twitter and if you have any news.

It's been a busy week for me. After my BLOG last Thursday which was written whilst at my friend Haley's house, I went with her into town and then she went to watch something at the theatre whilst I went to watch 'The Debt' at the cinema which stars Helen Mirren. It was a great film. Really interesting story and brilliantly acted. I am becoming obsessed with going to the cinema by myself. It's so easy to just say "I'm gonna pop in to watch a new film" - especially in Leicester Square as there are so many cinemas that show all the most recent films and when you go during the day it's always really quiet.

After that I quickly saw my friend Wayne who'd just got back from a break in Benidorm and I persuaded him that after we both finished work that night he should come along with me and some friends to a new cabaret night I was heading to in Brixton. So after the show we went next door to the pub to wait for Wayne to arrive from where he works on Phantom Of The Opera, and then we headed down to the Brixton Clubhouse. It was the first night of a new two weekly cabaret spot - I am provisionally doing a night there myself in December so I wanted to check it out, but I also wanted to support my friend Craig who runs it and Jen from Wicked who was singing. Well it was one of the best nights out I have had in a long time. The music was amazing, the venue is great and it was a great group of fun people I was with, so it ended up being a very late night of laughing, dancing and general drunken behaviour. Loved it.

My mate Craig stayed at my place. When we arrived home in a merry state i noticed a big package with my name on it and I opened it to find 5 copies of my album in it. Well if only the TV crew of my documentary had been there to film my drunken reaction to having my debut album in my hands for the first time. It was hilarious. I was being really silly and dancing around like a loon and singing some of the album songs at the top of my voice which is probably what i'll end up doing at the album launch party on Sunday too. 

So the next morning we needed a good breakfast to settle our slightly delicate stomachs and heads, so we went to a nice little cafe near where I live. I then headed in to meet my wonderful friend Alicia for a coffee. She lives in Monaco most of the time so I don't get to see enough of her so it was lovely to catch up briefly. I then headed for a swim and then did some work in my dressing room before the show.

After the show on Friday I went to stay with a friend in South London to have a pizza and catch up with him and his flatmate and then Saturday morning woke early to come in to town to run a few errands and have physio (which was stupidly painful yet again) and then do the two shows. 

After the show on Saturday night I was picked up by a driver and taken to Cardiff again as i was working on Sunday on the kids film again. I arrived the hotel at 1.30am and was up at 6.45am to head to the location. That was not nice after a long week at work (and a little drunken late night thrown in for fun too). Sunday was a very long day and there was a lot of waiting around in between scenes. Literally sat in costume waiting for hours when certain people are not needed on set. It's so hard not to just eat junk food all day because they always stock up with crisps and biscuits and chocolate and sweets - mainly so that the actors' sugar levels stay up so we work longer. 

I wrapped at about 6.30pm then headed with the rest of the cast to the hotel and then 4 of us went out for a few drinks and food in Cardiff bay and then that quiet drink tuned into a taxi ride into central Cardiff to make the night a little later. It was amazing. I loved socialising with people I had never met properly before and spending the whole evening conversing in Welsh - That very rarely happens for me, especially on a night out so I really enjoyed it, and made some good friends that night.

We ended up having a late night again, drinking a cheeky glass of wine back at my hotel before hitting the hay. I woke Monday morning for a big hotel breakfast before heading to meet my friend Liz who used to live with me, but has now moved back to Cardiff with her boyfriend and they have just had a baby 3 weeks ago. So Liz and her incredible little daughter Bella came to meet me for a cuppa and a catch up (with a few Welsh cakes thrown in for good measure). Well I just sat there holding Bella the whole time and she is absolute perfection. It was really lovely to catch up and laugh with Liz and then i headed on the train back to London to do a good work out at the gym and then the show. 

I was very tired after Monday night's show - it was the end of a very long weekend and i was very much looking forward to getting home and getting to bed.

I woke on Tuesday to do some work on a few things before heading into London to meet my two agents and my manager at the Ivy Club - we have a little meeting all together every 6 months to touch base on everything going on with Team Evans which is what they call it. I am blessed to have such an incredible team of supportive amazing people around me to help me with my career.

It was good to chat and then after that I headed to my dressing room to sing through some things i need to learn and did some work before cracking on with Tuesday night's show.

I woke Wednesday morning (yesterday) and went to buy a strap for my guitar because i realised that i have kind of been cheating a little because when i sit down and play I can tilt the guitar towards me slightly so that it's easier to look at where to put my fingers. So by getting the strap i then wear it around my neck and the guitar sits where it's suppose to which makes it a lot harder for me to play it, without cheating.

So I spent a lot of the matinee playing my guitar and then during the second act I expressed my concern to my company manager about the little scratch/scab thing on my chin and she went to google it and told me to go to see the doctor after the show and that's when I was sent home to 'relax' - so last nights I watched a bit of T.V and then got a an earlier night than usual and I've woken up and here I am laying in bed writing this blog. I am probably going to go to the cinema today and sit by myself with my little semi-contagious cornflake on my chin and enjoy some time to unwind.

This Sunday is my album launch as I said, and I can't tell you how excited I am about it, so many of you have bought tickets and I have a long list of invited guests too so it's gonna be a great party. If you still need tickets we have literally just released a few more this morning. It's just £10 folks. Don't miss out. We will be taking loads of photos and filming things and my camera crew are gonna be there and lots of press and radio interviews so make sure you're a part of it and get your ticket. I would love to see you there and chat and I'll also be signing copies of my album (which you'll have a day before it's officially on sale) - it really is gonna be great. 

Ticket link - http://www.wegottickets.com/event/132843

Also make sure you're on my mailing list because we're giving out another FREE download track. It's an acoustic version of one of the album tracks which will not be on the album and is exclusive to the people signed up to the mailing list. 

Click this link and click the black box where it says 'Get it Now' 

http://www.markevansonline.co.uk/index2.htm

Thanks for reading folks and if your coming on Sunday, I'll see you there. Massive SH-BOOM! to you!!!

Keep smiling cos life is good - even with a cornflake on your chin

Sh-boom!

Mark

BLOG 64!!! Foam baths, Ponytails & Theme Parks

Hi Everyone,

Happy Thursday. How are you doing? Hope you've all had a great week.

The sunshine was a nice treat eh?

My week has been pretty busy. After blogging last Thursday I stayed indoors all day working on my album launch party and on my TV special material. Everything is coming together nicely. I left my apartment at about 5pm and it hit me just how hot it actually was, so on the train to work I decided that I was not gonna do any work the next day - I have been carrying around some 2-for-1 vouchers for UK theme parks in my wallet for months and suddenly remembered about them, So I asked around at work that night to see who fancied coming with me to enjoy the sunshine in Thorpe Park on Friday and Charlotte and Niall from the cast were up for it so that's what we did. I went home after the show on Thursday to finish up a few work things and then woke early Friday to meet the guys are Waterloo station to travel just 45 minutes to Thorpe Park. The queue was insane to get in. We arrived just after it opened and had to wait in line for a good 50 minutes before entering the park. That was kind of the way it was all day - everyone must have had the same idea "ooh the sun is shining let's go to Thorpe Park" - as our average queuing time was about 60 minutes. But it was just so nice to be in the sun all day and not be working for a change. We had such a laugh, especially on the water rides - we were literally soaked from head to toe as if we'd jumped in a pool fully clothed. It was hilarious. We all had squelchy underwear for the rest of the day. Haha.

We headed to work feeling a little tired from a long day and very little opportunity to sit down (apart from on the rides) but we all had a cracking day, really glad I organised it.

Saturday I woke up and packed my bag for the weekend as I was heading to Cardiff to do some filming. The two shows on Saturday were quite hard work - I often find that when I know I have a day off the next day, that Saturday night's are much easier and the adrenaline gets you through the tiredness, but I was doing on Saturday night what I have had to do many a time this year, which was getting picked up by a driver immediately after the show to travel 3 hours to Wales. I arrived the hotel at 2am, ate the two shortbread biscuits on the tea and coffee tray and went straight to sleep. So Rock & Roll. It doesn't usually take that long to get to Cardiff but the driver's Tom Tom had ran out of battery and he had no way of charging it and not really any clue of how to get there so it was a good hour longer than usual. Never mind.

I peeled my eyes open at 7am Sunday morning and went straight to the breakfast buffet to fuel myself up with as much of the free food as I could possibly fit into my stomach - my colonic hydrotherapist would have been angry at how much and how quickly i was eating. Haha. 

I was picked up at 8am and taken to the recording studio to lay down 4 songs so I could sing along to them (mime) during the play back for filming. Oh hang on, I haven't told you what I was actually there to work on, sorry.

The Welsh equivalent of CBeebies (Young Kids TV) which is called 'CYW', every year takes a couple of lead characters from a selection of the most popular kids programmes and they write a special one off film to be aired at Christmas time. So I was there to play Marcaroni - the character I created for the programme of the same name in December/January earlier this year. Although because of my lack of availability due to of all the different work projects I'm juggling at the moment, I was only able to make a little cameo appearance which is why I'm only filming for two days which was last Sunday and I'm going again this weekend! 

It was amazing to see Non who I acted opposite in the series and a few other people I'd worked with too.

So at the studio where I recorded the vocals, the composer, a great guy named Steffan, has two young boys. When I walked into the lounge the eldest who must be about 3 got so excited that I was there. I have never experienced it really because I very very rarely have time to meet the kids who are watching this great new Welsh TV programme - he just kept saying with a massive cheeky smile "Marcaroni, Marcaroni, Marcaroni" - I was so excited by it. I'd been told by the production team of the show that it had been received really well and that kids were going crazy for it and that it's one of the two most popular kids programmes on the Welsh channel, but didn't really register it properly, but then to see this little boy get hyper just from me being there (looking like a mess having only had about 4 hours sleep-ha) really made me realise what a great thing I was and still am a part of. Love it! He was singing some of the songs and everything. 

After recording the music i was taken to the studio to get into make up and costume. I tell you what, I haven't missed having my hair in a big quiff at the front and a long pony tail attached to me every morning. Ha. The scene I was doing on Sunday was shot in the bathroom, Marcaroni was sitting in a bath full of foam and bubbles singing the song he'd just composed about how much fun it is to wash in the bath. So I had Marcaroni's bath suit on which is basically a red and white horizontally striped 1920's style swimming costume - you Know the type, An all in one piece that buttoned up on both the shoulders and goes down to a little pair of shorts - oh and of course Marcaroni has to wear his big yellow flippers in the bath. I was sat there at one point during the filming (on another set I'd been driven to for the afternoon) thinking "seriously, what the hell am I doing?" HA. We ploughed through all the stuff that needed doing though and wrap'd for the day 90 minutes early. So at 5.30 I was heading back to my hotel to get ready to head out for food and many an alcoholic beverage with Non, Elan and Iwan John who I'm friends with since the programme. A night out in Cardiff Bay was exactly the perfect thing to end a good day's work. We just ate lovely food at a restaurant called Mimosa and it was really nice to have a Welsh speaking waitress. We drank a lot of the fizzy stuff and then headed back to the hotel having well and truly chilled for the night.

I woke on Monday morning and yet again went to devour all I could in the hotel breakfast before getting on a train back to London town.

Whilst on the train I watched the film 'Never Let Me Go' on my laptop. What a film!!! I loved it. I haven't read the book but I thought the story was so interesting  and different and the way this film was acted was just beautiful! It's a good one if you fancy something different.

When I got back to town I went to the gym for a couple of hours before heading to chill and walk around Hyde Park in the last day of the amazing sunshine. 

The show was good on Monday and afterwards I headed home to get a good sleep after a busy weekend! 

I woke on Tuesday morning rather early to get lots of online and computer work done before heading into meet Ben from work at midday to go and watch DRIVE at the cinema. Oh my sweet bajesus what a film! I loved it. I think Ryan Gosling is possibly my favourite actor. He is so good in every film. Very inspired by him. The whole film was just really really cool! Loved it.

After that, Ben and I had some lunch before I had to head to a recording studio for Heart FM to record some voiceover stuff for Wicked and it didn't take very long so i treated myself to a bit of clothes shopping.

I then headed to the theatre and went for a long run around Hyde Park. I downloaded James Morrison's new album early in the week and I have to say he really was good company during my run around the lake. All of his songs have a real positive feel to them which makes such a refreshing change to all the heartache and misery songs that are always in the charts and flooding peoples albums don't you think?

I was pooped after my run and had to head straight to warm up for the show so I then made sure I had a big pile of food before the show to make sure I could get through it!

Yesterday morning I woke to do lots of work on the T.V special planning and some boring office stuff before heading in to work. My sister was watching the matinee with her husband and two friends which was nice. I really struggled through the matinee though as my knees were really hurting me. I had to have physio in between the matinee and evening shows and I tell you, the little pretty Irish gal who greeted me as I walked in the room looked as if butter wouldn't melt in her mouth but my god does she have a couple of demon elbows on her. I've never experienced physio pain like that in my life I don't think. It's so horrible because you have to tell yourself that you must relax and just breath through the pain because it's for your own good but my goodness I could've got off the bed picked up the office computer and thrown it at her she was causing me so much pain. Ha. My legs are numb still. It did the trick though. 

I stayed at my friends Haley and Charlotte's new flat last night as they just moved in, which was nice to chill out and catch up. I ate too many biscuits though! Ha. That is where I am now, typing this. Sat in their lovely lounge with a cup of tea. Nice.

I am heading into town today to run a few errands and for a swim to hopefully help my dodgy knees. Boo!

So folks it is just 10 days until my album launch party. I have been organising some nice little surprises. I've been putting my list together of invited guests too - I am so thrilled to be able to share such an amazing moment in my career with friends and family, and especially you who have bought tickets. I can't believe how many have sold. It's so over-whelming. Let's have a cracking time eh? Like they do in the bowling alley in the Grease 2 film. Ha.

Check out my Twitter and Facebook page for the DIY pop video I did for The Journey Home - or just click the link below - it's a beginning to end of the whole album process.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BalCkMu3yOQ

I am also pleased to announce my Christmas concert 'The Journey Home -For Christmas' is now on sale. It'll be in North Wales on December 19th….also watch this space for a little London cabaret version of it being announced soon too. Get your tickets for the evening in Wales below. It'll be a very informal night of me just chatting and singing some album stuff mixed in with Christmas songs. I can't wait to be sat on a stool drinking a mulled wine and feeling very festive with my audience! It'll be a great night! Hope to see you there.

Here's the link if you want to book tickets:

http://www.wegottickets.com/event/137318?utm_source=main+list&utm_campaign=78be51d49e-Mark_Evans_launch_28_09_11&utm_medium=email

So I am gonna jump in the shower.

Have an amazing day and a great week. 

Keep smiling

Sh-boom!!!

Mark