Farewell 2019 👋 and a big welcome to 2020- The beginning of a new decade..

It's officially the last day of the year and the decade. This year was a mixed bag. Personally it was a year of reflection and finding a way to move forward in my life and my highlights of the year.

Family break in Venice, Italy

This place is surreal and I also realised that being surrounded by water is a big thing for me as it brings me a sense of serenity and tranquillity. Authentic Italian food was an absolute bonus- I'm a big fan of Italian food anyway so it wasn't that hard to fall in love with Italy. In fact I had been to Italy before many years ago for some weekend gigs in a place called Pescara but it was not as enjoyable as this visit.

The gondola experience was an experience (and expensive apparently. I had no idea!) as well as visiting the glass (Murano) and lace (Burano) areas on the "Vaporetto". Venice is absolutely beautiful.

First visit to Thailand for my birthday

The long 12+ hour direct flight was a bit of a trek but a 3 day visit to Bangkok and visiting the temples was unbelievable. The history and culture and the intricacy of the architecture is simply divine. Thai food? Right up there with Italian!

I spend the remainder of the time just over an hour's flight away in Phuket in the Karon area. I intentionally chose this area as I was more interested in a quiet break rather than a crowded area filled with nightlife.

Karon Beach was peaceful and not overcrowded, just as I wanted. I remember sitting on the beach on my birthday thinking "This is the BEST birthday ever!" To those who know me well, I'm quite a private person away from the limelight and a place like this is a sanctuary.

Of course the music opportunities are also worth noting as the band performed at some great events this year such as London Pride in the middle of Leicester Square and SPARKLE in Manchester. Also the Middlesex food festival and Winter Pride in Surrey and the World's Big Sleep Out helping to end the global homeless crisis at the end of the year.

The band members work so hard and deserve all the credit really for making the live performances sound amazing. So to Mama Clare, Baby J, Billy the kid and our new cutie David, I thank you guys for EVERYTHING!

The point is if we learn to look at the positives, they can outweigh the negatives 🥰

I wish everyone all the best for 2020! Cheers! 🎊🍾🥂🎉