Just over a year ago my own personal odyssey began. For a year I have been moving from place to place, 2 weeks in Rotherhithe with mother, 2 months in Stockwell at Charlotte's place, a few days with Dad in Germany, 3 weeks in Darlington with the cast of an opera, 4 weeks travelling the country bringing said opera to places like Stockton-on-Tees and Bath, 6 weeks in Brixton sub letting a room from two french girls, numerous days on the couch of a Bee and a Bin, 3 weeks in Ethiopia, 2 weeks in Oxford, a number of days in Ampthill with Manda's lovely family, 3 weeks in Watford with Geoffrey and Steve, 3 days living above a pub in Stockwell, a youth hostel in Waterloo, in the studio, there are others, but they are too numerous to list. All of these places have been my temporary home over the past year...

I am glad to say that I have come home at last to a small, cosy room in Anerley with Angie, Dave and Manda. Tonight will be our first night. I am exhausted and glad to have somewhere stable.

This year has been remarkable for me for several reasons:

I broke my front teeth in half whilst cycling, I saw all manner of wondrous insanity in Ethiopia on a trip which changed everything for me, my music was Broadcast on the BBC, I was commissioned by CBBC to write music and songs for a new radio series, Columbus Giant finally released it's first E.P, next year there are currently 4 professional theatre shows that I am involved with looking to tour the UK, I have performed as a singer and actor in two professional shows, I have had fantastic times with so many fantastic friends including some beautiful weddings...

... and most important of all I have met the most wonderful girl in the world and today we discovered that 2 packets of sandwiches, a bunch of bananas, a packet of tissues, a packet of fruit and nuts and a pack of chocolate bourbons only cost £3.71 at our local supermarket.

Two years ago, I would never have guessed such things could have happened.

Life is good. 

For the past four days I have been in Oxford rehearsing a stage adaptation of the Winnie the Witch books with Pegasus Theatre. It's been a lovely week so far rehearsing with the team, Emma Boor - Writer and Performer, Hannah Rhodes - Composer and Performer, Jesse Eaton - Performer and Euton Daley - Director. 

It's been really great working on another project which someone else has written the songs and music for. Hannah's catchy tunes have been filling the rehearsal rooms at Pegasus for the week and it's been interesting coming up with harmonies and instrumental parts for the songs. So far we are using accordion, piano, mandolin and electric guitar between the two of us.

We also play other roles in the show, dance and do quite a bit of puppetry so it's been a bit of a learning curve in many way. Today our dance instructor Alan gave me and Emma a crash course in the waltz. I'm not sure I'm any better but at least I know how to push someone around the stage in an up and down kind of way. The other roles I'm playing include a pirate, a french jellyfish with a crush on Winnie, a dragon and a space rabbit. So basically just the normal roles.

Anyway, we are having a lot of fun in the show and I'm enjoying the peace and quiet of this small city. The Creative Producer, Emily, has very graciously lent me her house for the two weeks that I'm here and I'm loving the fact that I get to come home and just relax. It's about a half hour walk from the theatre.

The show is nearly sold out and it's quite a change from thinking about Argentinian torture, then when I get back to London I'm finishing up the music for a new CBeebies radio show before beginning work on the songs for Icon Theatre's Christmas show. Then the next year brings Raven Boy, Zachary Briddling and These Trees Are Made of Blood. As well as the new E.P from Columbus Giant.