Just Do More, Richards

These final few weeks of the year have been the most exhausting of my life, but it's all been fun stuff. Got my third car of the year as my 'stopgap' Honda was struggling to the extent it wouldn't have been worth putting it through it's MOT. I've picked up a Japanese import, an unusual, quirky box of a car...certainly an alternative choice, but I love it so far despite the odd look. I've spent so much on cars this year, not just buying them, but repairing them. Please let that be it for a long while.  My private students have been revving themselves up for our big Christmas concert, whilst my school students also had their own gigs across various assemblies. Everything went so well, in particular my private student gig which was a collaboration with Vicky's singers, alongside a brilliant house band who had never met each other but did their homework.  That was on Friday and we'd made just over £500 for charity. On Thursday it was a glorious FH Christ...

I remember when Christmas was a fairly straight forward affair, you know back in the days when I had a regular job. Make it to December > put festive tunes on headphones > not enjoy Christmas party > hang in there till the 23rd, annoyed that I only have four days off.  Of course, these days I'm totally in charge of my own destiny, and I've treated myself to a bit of a festive break - in fact, I won't be working from 22nd December - 3rd January, which I feel I deserve as, as it stands, I've taught for 25 days in a row.  So what's the stress? Ah, the usual. Still haven't got 12 venues for our 12 gigs of Christmas marathon day which is creeping up...seems that just as I have 12, a venue pulls out. Cambridge: you're actually starting to annoy me now.  Two days before that, Vicky H and I are hosting a joint student gig where her singers and my drummers join forces. Should be fun but we've lost half the band due to better paid gigs (well, gigs that pa...