I had only 48hrs at home but we made the best of it, it was so lovely to see Sam and he loved telling me all about his adventures he’s been having, Marie had her best friend to stay and Sam really showed off and was quite naughty, I put it down to me not being around enough, what can I do. We went to the park in Cowbridge which Sam loves and it helps with using up all that pent up energy he has, we went to Bar 44 on Cowbridge High Street, it’s a great bar and does tapas so good it feels like you are in Spain, another bar that does that as good is Bar 46 (I know) on Broadlands where we live.
I am now on P&O’s new ship Adonia, it was named by Dame Shirley Bassey, it really is a very fine ship, I have only just got on so will tell you more as we go. I’m on a cruise that goes to the Norwegian Fjords and beyond, in fact we are going to the Arctic Circle, so I hope it is not going to be too cold.
It is always a special time when I work with P&O Cruises as I know so many members of the officers and crew, I even know the Captain. My show is tomorrow night, it is formal night and P&O do formal very well, so I am very much looking forward to it. Sail away was nice, the brass band on the quay side played us off and we soon were passing the Isle of Wight, as we passed Cowes I decided to ring an old friend of mine who lives there and he also works for P&O Cruises his name David Hall he is an Executive Purser with the company and we had a good chat as we sailed past, he has some very good binoculars and could see me on the top deck talking to him, he’s a great guy and I look forward to sailing with him in the future.
I think it’s going to be quite rough tonight, I have been given a beautiful junior suite but as I type this the whole suite it creaking and bumping around, but I am quite used to that as we must always remember, we are on a ship and ships make noises, well I am at the back and above the propellers, I sometimes joke in my act that I have the “Propeller Suite” this time I certainly do, but it is really nice and spacious so I am not at all complaining.
We have a day at sea tomorrow and then Stavanger the next day, so see in the morning!
Good morning! I slept really well, I have a nice big double bed and I slept like a log, there is some vibration and rattles throughout the cabin but it won’t be a problem, it’s because I’m right at the back of the ship. I had my usual fruit breakfast and then after that I had my photo taken for security purposes. I went to watch Christine Noble do her introductions last night and I wasn’t impressed with the sound in that room, Christine was fab as was her team of Entertainment Officers but the sound is not good, I have my rehearsal at 4.15pm this afternoon so I will take some more time to get it as good as possible ready for tonight, I know have been spoilt on other ships and I do hope it goes well for me tonight, I haven’t worked much on P&O this year and I am really looking forward to it, I love P&O as I have worked with them for many years, I started my career at sea with them way back in 1982 on the SS Oriana.
I just met the musical director Peter and what a nice man, he came to look at my music for tonight and we went through the show, so I look forward to my rehearsal.
My rehearsal went ok, but it took a while to get the sound right, it just isn’t great I’m afraid? My shows tonight are 9.15pm and 10.45pm and it is formal night, so everyone dressed up and looking good, this is a pretty ship and has some lovely features and beautiful fixtures and fittings, the Andersons Bar and Crow’s Nest are stunning.
If I go well tonight and I intend to do so, I will be much happier, I don’t like having to worry what the sound is going to be like, I remember my sound engineer Adrian Bamford once saying “a singer should not even be thinking about the sound, it should just happen” and he is absolutely right!
Well I’m just back from the 9.15pm show and it went well, they are quite an elderly crowd and took some getting going but I got them, the sound was ok but I am now starting to feel a little unwell myself, it could be the motion of the ship and on top of that my voice is starting to go, I have one more show to do tonight at 10.45pm then it’s straight to bed I think!
The 10.45pm went even better as they were more up for it I guess, the sound has improved and I really do feel better about it now thank you to Bale the sound engineer, I had a quick beer and went to bed, an end of a long day!
Today is beautiful Stavanger in Norway, I can’t believe that only a few weeks ago Oslo had that awful time with that mad man running around killing those young people, I hate putting on the news nowadays!
I had my run this morning and had my iPod in my ears and went over my new songs that I am learning ready for my tour which starts 24th September at the Swansea Grand Theatre, my goodness it’ll be here before we know it!
I have taken some photos from the Adonia of the surrounding area with two huge ships next to us, we look so small next to the MSC Orchestra and the Costa ship, I have also taken some photos of the interior of Adonia, and she is like a stately home inside, very posh!
Tonight an act called Mel Mellors is on so I shall go along and support Mel tonight!
I didn’t get to Mel’s gig last night, I was invited to dinner at Marco Pierre White’s place onboard called the Ocean Grill, oh my word it was sensational, it has to be the best steak I have ever had.
Today we are in Skjolden Fjord in Norway and its awful weather, it is pouring down with rain and there is a very low cloud, have a look at the photos of it, but even though it is raining it still has an awesome sight about it. I haven’t got off the ship today so I am about to go for lunch and enjoy more of the beautiful food Adonia has to offer!
A cold day, a grey day one of those days all you want is a bowl of tomato soup and fresh bread and a big slab of cheese and some day time TV, well I had a some mashed swede, leeks and two slices of roast pork but would have loved to have had some tomato soup! I have taken some great photos of Skjolden and even if it was inclement weather it was still beautiful scenery, as I write this I am looking out the window at the passing mountains of this awesome fjord.
Cruise director Christine Noble is about to come by, she wants to see some of my photos.
Christine loved the photos and she wanted to show me some photos she has of the old Artemis which is now owned by another shipping company, she photos of her in her colours, she tells we may be in with her this cruise, that will feel strange. I stayed in tonight and watched the film 2012 I have seen it before but it was a change to watch something on my laptop and not on the cabin telly.
I had a nice lie in this morning, the weather is still grey and cold so didn’t do much other than have a nice lunch and back to my cabin for more telly, I must get to the gym.
Do you know everyone I talk to about computers have an Apple in some form, a MacBook Pro or an iPad or a Mac Air, it drives me mad as I would love to have one, my Dell is a bit old now and ever so heavy to carry around, it kills my shoulder lugging it around the airports, oh well one day!
Today we were in the sleepy little port town of Bodo and as it was Sunday there was nothing open, but I did however manage to have a good walk and took some great photos. We are now sailing further north for North Cape which basically the top of the world, its where you run out of land before you get to Spitsbergen and the North Pole, the sun is just about to go down over the sea, take a look at this beautiful sunset.
Tomorrow we arrive at the Cape and then onto Honningsvag. I have my second show on Tuesday then I fly home Wednesday from Tromso via Olso, I don’t have much time at home once again, I only have 1 day off then I go to Wrexham to do a TV show for S4C/Avanti TV with none other than Rhydian of X Factor fame, then the next day it’s down to Southampton to join the incredible Celebrity Eclipse for another cruise to the Med, the only down turn to going away on the Eclipse is that my little boy Sam starts school for the first time in his life on the 1st September and I get back on the 2nd September so I don’t feel to good about that.
The sun has now gone down completely and the time here is now 9.45pm it is starting now to get darker and before too long it will be 24hr darkness up here, can you imagine how that would be like, let alone 24hrs sunlight, it is enough to drive you insane and it has been known to do just that to some people!
Good Night!
Good Morning!
Well I have just had bad night’s sleep, I just could not get off to sleep, have a look at this fantastic photo taken at 3am as you can see the sun is about to rise again, it’s beautiful. We sailed past the North Cape around midday as you see from my photos it’s stunning, we are so lucky with the weather, it’s been quite grey over the past few days. I have to pinch myself sometimes you know, I mean what a job I have, I’m doing what I love and that’s entertaining onstage and I get to see the world thrown in!
We have just arrived in Honningsvag and my battery in my camera has just died on me, I can’t wait for it to charge as this place is amazing, the sky is blue with wispy clouds and the surrounding scenery is out of this world. We are now 71⁰ North it is where the world comes to an end, no more land, North Pole is north of here. Oh hurry up charger and charge my flippin battery will you!
We sail around 9.30pm tonight I’m excited to imagine what the skies will look like tonight, you get amazing skies up here. What did you think of the photo where the sky looks like it is on fire?
Well the night skies were not so great the cloud came in and it was just dull and grey, we certainly had the best of the day, the weather up here is like that they say you can have the four seasons in a day. A fab meal at the Sorrento Restaurant finished the day off beautifully.
Today we are in Alta and it is a grey rainy day, my show is tonight and I have already worked the act out so lunch soon and then it’s the dreaded packing of the case. I fly home tomorrow from Tromso via Oslo and then to T3 Heathrow where Executive Cars www.executivecarswales.com will be there to take me home.
The Alta fjord Airport is right next to the ship and I got a great picture of a plane taking off for Oslo, I wish I were on it as I am ready to go home now, never mind I have my show tonight in the Curzon Lounge and home tomorrow.
Just back from my sound check/rehearsal and it is much better, the band are on stage not to the side of me as they were last time, also the sound has improved considerably which is good. We are now sailing away from Alta and onto Tromso and homeward bound for me.
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