I’ve not been very good at keeping this up to date, have I? It’s the usual excuse really - I’ve been so busy at work that I’ve hardly had time to think, let alone write, and once I’m back home the only thing I want to do is have dinner, then flop on the sofa with the newspapers or a book or mindlessly watch some rubbish on telly.

Which does zilch for writing or blogging.

But then I woke up this morning and thought, hang on, I really should get this work/life balance thing right, so, even though I have a massively important meeting tomorrow that I need to prepare for today, I will take some time out and blog. So there.

So what have I been up to all this while? Well, work has been driving me bonkers. Without going on about it too much, let’s just say that we’ve been restructured, and the project that I’m sweating blood and tears over (well, I’ve only been working on it for the past year!) was in grave danger of being downgraded. Never mind that it’s seen as massively important for the overall business, the new local management didn’t quite share my view. So that was one big messy battle, which I’m continuing to soldier on in.

Outside work, life’s been hectic too. On the flamenco front, we’re now preparing for our Xmas show, which is great fun but a lot of hard work. I’ve also been going to regular monthly fiestas (that’s party to you), which is also hugely fun, but also stressful because I’m now one of the people who are expected to do a solo, improvised turn! So great fun, but then I spend days worrying about how I’m going to do this solo thing!

Then there’s the singing. You may (or may not) know that I’ve signed up to do a scratch choir. We’ve got our tickets and seats now, and it’s a little over two weeks away and is massively exciting! To recap - my two friends and I, along with approximately 2997 other people, will be singing Handel’s massive choral work, The Messiah, on Sunday the 2nd of December at the Royal Albert Hall. What’s a scratch choir, you say. Well, it’s one where we all turn up on the day, and without any prior rehearsal, sing. So, on the day, we have to be at the Hall by 6pm and an hour later, start the concert. The Messiah is, as I said, huge, and the whole thing takes a whopping two-and-a-half hours.

Thankfully I only have to do the choral bits, but even so … that comes in at about an hour’s worth of singing. What’s more, I’m doing the soprano bit (I thought, why not, since I seem to be able to hit the high notes if I warm up enough and it has greater capacity for me to really melalak!), and let me tell you, an hour’s worth of singing at the top of your voice range is not the easiest thing to do!

Anyway this is all being done in aid of charity (yes, here’s the money bit!), the British Heart Foundation in fact, so if anyone feels particularly generous they could sponsor us at our page here. If anyone wants to come, they’re welcome to, if there are any more seats available (check the Royal Albert Hall website).

So that’s it. That’s what I’ve been up to all this while. A real busy bee!