I can’t believe that another year has passed! 2009 has been amazing on several fronts – the biggest change being moving in with my lovely partner Peter and moving out of Bristol to the countryside in Oxfordshire.

I became a grand-mother in Nov 2008 and it’s been a wonderful experience being a granny and also getting to know Peter’s grandchildren and family.

At the beginning of the year we spent three months in the Gambia helping to organise two festivals and during the summer we were involved in several amazing African drumming and dance events in the UK and also did a few short trips to France with Peter’s work.

The only downside was that having moved I have had to start my music activity pretty much from scratch and it’s been really difficult and scarey going to pubs and open mics where I don’t know anyone and also not having Paddy to play keyboards with me has been something I’ve really missed terribly. I’ve also really missed my Bristol friends and my mum, though I have managed to get back to Bristol regularly.

It’s taken me all of the last six months to get over the effects of the car crash I had in June – it left me with awful flashbacks and nightmares which have only recently stopped.

In 2010 I’m determined to concentrate more on my music, find one or two local people to play music with me, join a local tennis group to get fit again and start recording a second album.

We’re off to the Gambia again on January 5th for three weeks but I don’t intend to do such a long trip as this year’s again as it bit too much into my own life, although it was a wonderful experience.

Anyway – I hope everyone has a brilliant New Year’s Eve and a great 2010 – tell me what your hopes are for this coming year!