Happy New Year
Many thanks to those that responded to my last post. I'm away from here so much that i'm surprised that anyone remembers that i still have an account. I always promise that i'll do better, but i always seem to fail. My ancient pc doesn't help matters either when it takes half a day just to load, and i can't quite get to grips with LJ on my phone, which is odd as i have no problems with any other social platform. Anyway, i promised an update so here we go. I'll try and keep it brief, mainly because i've forgotten a lot of the details, but you know me, once i start, there's usually no stopping me :D ..
This year has ended on a sad note as my sister, my only sibling, passed away unexpectedly a few weeks ago. Such a shock!!.. but i draw comfort in the fact that she's hopefully reunited with her dear husband who died a few years ago.
I was sad to hear that my dear friend yeuxdebleu had had a stroke, and also finding out just recently that not_alone had passed away a few months ago. If there's any other news that i've no doubt missed, please let me know.
2022 is probably one of the most eventful i've had in a while. In July 2019 QAL started their Rhapsody tour with 50 shows in North America, followed at the start of 2020 by 11 in Asia, then 11 in Oceania. The plan then was to take the tour to Europe for 37 more, but of course Covid put the brakes on that. It was another 2 years before they were able to tour again. 10 shows at the O2 were planned for June 2022. My friends and i decided to book 6 of them. (crazy i know) rather than travel around Europe as we'd done in the past. I wasn't feeling the best at the time..i put it down to too much time spent indoors and not enough exercise, but that wasn't going let that stop me. Anyway, in the end i only managed 2. I spent the rest of the time i was in London, in Kings College hospital, having a heart bypass. I fainted just outside the concert hall ( I just thank the lord that it wasn't inside whilst amongst the thousands of fans..) and someone contacted the O2 medical staff who were marvellous. I felt fine by this point, but the staff weren't happy with my ECG results and called an ambulance. Even though i felt fine, they raced me across London, blue lights flashing, so that i wouldn't have a long wait on arrival. The following day the results of an angiogram confirmed that i needed a bypass so i was booked in for the following week. I can't say i enjoyed the hospital process.. the last and only time i was hospitalised was when my children were born.. and there were some really low points, but also some highlights, so not all bad, and goodness knows how long i would have had to wait if it had happened while i was home, or at a routine checkup. Three weeks after arriving in London, and two weeks after getting to the hospital i was sent home to Wales in a private ambulance car.. the bonus being that it was much easier than the public transport i used to get to London. Recuperation is taking quite a while but i'm getting there.. and i still have the scar to prove it.
I'm still not 100% fit and finding it difficult to walk very far, but this year i did manage three events in London for Adam. An album signing in February, which i loved.. it was so lovely to speak to him in person, if only for a few seconds.. followed a few days later by a concert to launch his new covers album. In June we were back in London to see Adam in concert at the prestigious Albert Hall and then in July my friend and i decided to go to London Pride for the first time as Adam was headlining. I'm glad that i did, as i have a feeling that it will probably be my last time in London.. but you never know ;)
QAL opened our late Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebration .. 'Party in the Park' in June last year in London.. I was travelling to London for QAL at the time but even so, i think those crowds would have been a bit too much for me.. ;)
Click to viewAnd this year, maybe because of his performance at the Jubilee last year, Adam had the honour of being invited to perform at Westminster Abbey for Catherine the Princess of Wales's Christmas Charity concert (televised on Christmas Eve) He sang the Christmas Song with Beverley Knight. Such an honour ..
That's all folks.. for now. HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all!!
