Hi Everyone,
Happy Thursday
HAPPY 100th BLOG DAY!!!
How you all doing? I have had the most incredible week and I don't even know where to start.
Last Thursday was the first day of my full week off from Ghost. I woke and after posting my blog I headed over to meet my good friend Ashleigh for a catch up and to run through some music for a gig we are doing together soon. It was great to see her and really good to have a laugh and catch up properly.
After that I drove over to my mate's in East London to go for food, and then work on some script work for a project I am involved with at the moment. It was really great and we did some very productive work and then I jumped in my car and headed on down to my best friend's house in Epsom as she was getting married on the weekend so I wanted to see her to check she was ok and to see if there was any thing I needed to do as last minute preparations because i was her man of honour. I arrived nearly three hours later than planned because the day got snatched away time wise and I was sat in very heavy London traffic for a long while - but I didn't mind as I was singing along to my CD's in my car and happy to be free to do what I wished for a week.
We had a great night in Epsom and after a good sleep I drove back home and then headed for a singing lesson which was pretty horrendous because I think my voice had cottoned on to the fact that it was allowed to rest for a few days so it certainly was in rest mode. It was nice to touch base on lots of technical exercises though and I got excited about doing more vocal work on other projects in the near future.
After that I decided to have a chill out afternoon so went to my favourite place of late - Thai Square Spa in Covent Garden for a couple of hours and well and truly chilled out and it was great to have some peace to think about lots of different things without rushing from one place to another.
Friday evening I met my gorgeous friend Caroline for an impromptu night of tapas and cocktails and wine. It was superb.
I woke on Saturday and had a real blitz around my flat to make sure it was clean and tidy for when I returned from my best friend's wedding weekend because I knew I wasn't going to be in ANY fit state to do any house work upon my return - because I fully intended on getting well and truly plastered on champagne! - which believe me I did!
So I arrived the hotel and met the bride to be and the other bridesmaids and bridesmen - there were six of us, three men, three women! We had lots of champagne and chatted and then went to the restaurant for laughs, food and more alcoholic beverages. We tried not to have too late a night so that we could enjoy the wedding day but I'll be honest I really didn't sleep too much as I had so much on my mind. I kept thinking of things I should check and created a little to-do list in my head and believe me, when I have a to-do list I can't switch off until it's done so I might as well have just got out of bed and done it! - ANYWAY….
Sunday morning involved breakfast, a couple of rehearsals and then decorating tables for the wedding reception and basically casually getting ready whilst drinking champagne from 9am! The morning was amazing, we all got so excited and then the time came for us to go down to 'The Library' which was the stunning room in which the wedding ceremony was held. We walked down the aisle in our couples and once we settled in our places the stunning bride (my best friend…oh did I already mention that she is my best friend?) slowly walked toward her husband to be with the biggest smile I've ever seen. I don't think I have ever seen the two of them look so happy. The service was amazing and then there were lots of photographs on a beautiful terrace over looking hundreds of acres of well maintained grounds while we drank much more champagne and laughed and I got chatting to all the different guests.
By the time we sat down for the wedding breakfast I was more than ready for food because the champagne had taken a firm hold of my personality with a tight grip and wasn't gonna let go until I gave my body some form of substantially filling nutrition.
The food was incredible, followed by a few games and great speeches and then we had a little down time to chat and rest a little before the 'evening do' started and more guests arrived.
Well I can safely say that I have not partied like that in a very long time. I sang the song for their first dance which was at 8 o'clock and then the band took over who were amazing which meant that other than a trip to the buffet and one trip to change my sweaty shirt, I didn't leave the dance floor for 4 solid hours! It was one of the best nights I've ever had in my life and it was amazing to be able to really chill out and let go and and have fun and not worry about having to sing the next day or be fit for the show because I knew I had 3 whole days to recover.
The drinking and good times continued into the early hours of the morning until I gave in and went to bed - it was a busy 20 hour day but every minute was just perfection!
We all woke on the Monday morning and had a breakfast together in a private function room which was great, everyone looked and felt a little worse for wear and then we all went to the spa which had amazing outdoor heated jacuzzis that we relaxed in whilst the rain poured down on our heads - quite surreal but so nice that we could all still be together and still have fun, because it's very often after a big event like a wedding that you feel a little deflated the next day and on a bit of a come down, but I didn't feel that way at all. After a few hours in the spa, there was a group of about 15 of us who were in the close wedding party who went back to the brides parents house for gorgeous food and we all sat and chatted about the highlights of the day whilst they opened their gifts and cards.
Then the time came for us to let them have a couple of hours to themselves to pack before they jetted off on the honey moon for a 12 day cruise. I could not be more proud of Sal (she's my best mate you know) and her new husband Ollie and was overwhelmed by what an incredibly perfect weekend it was and I'm thrilled for them both that they have each other and that they now have a long happy married life ahead of them! Amazing!
Monday evening I drove home and had to use an emergency can of Redbull which I'd been keeping in my glove compartment for whenever i felt tired whilst driving - well after that weekend, the energy was certainly required to get me home safely - once home, I just passed out on my sofa and then pealed myself off it to flop down into bed and try and sleep off the exhaustion.
Tuesday I worked on some summer school organisation and preparation and then headed into town to meet a couple of mates for coffee at 3.30pm which ended up in me staying out until nearly midnight catching up and having lots of laughs! They were all drinking wine and beer whilst I stuck to peppermint tea as I was still a little fragile after the weekend!
Yesterday (Wednesday) I woke and carried on working on summer school stuff before heading to the London aquarium with a mate which was fun and then I was going to watch my good friend Haley playing Miss Honey in Matilda the musical which was incredible. It's a great show and I highly recommend it - Haley was perfection as Miss Honey - I'd spread her on my toast she was so Hunniful (yeah I made that word up but I don't give a damn!)
Last night I headed home and got a good night's sleep before waking this morning and accepting that today is the day that the busy work ball starts well and truly rolling again. I have a T.V interview to film before the matinee and then I'm heading to sound check for a gig I'm doing tonight with Louise Dearman, David Bedella and a few other people at The Alley Cat bar, if you want to come along please do it'll be great fun, and then i'll be returning to the theatre for the evening show before then heading to perform at the gig which I'm looking forward to! Hope to see you there tonight from 10am!
Tomorrow is again a very busy day with rehearsals for a few gigs and then Saturday you need to get your bottoms down to the showbiz shop AKA Dress Cicle in Covent Garden because I'll be doing an exclusive signing of my new album THE JOURNEY HOME 'Deluxe Edition' which is officially out on Monday but if you come along on Saturday you get a singed copy two days before the release! I look forward to seeing lots of you there for a good chat and a few pictures and for me to squiggle on your albums! Let's see who can request the most random thing to be signed!
Right I'm off to work!
Thanks for reading and for all your support as always and because this is my 100th BLOG, to mark this occasion, if you re-tweet it on twitter I will pick one of you (if you've re-tweeted) as a winner and will send you a Ghost programme signed by me, a signed picture of me in Ghost and a signed poster from the Album launch too! All you have to do is re-tweet it! And I will also tweet the winning person and give them a follow myself! (If it's you I pick then yo better be interesting!) ;-)
Love and luck to all of you and enjoy your lives as much as you can!
Believe
Sh-boom
Mark
