Absolutely fab rehearsals with Hearties Tuesday and Friday. Hail Holy Queen is excellent, America is full of life (that’s our only two group songs) and the duet and solo pieces are ready to be unveiled. I reckon songs take around 3 months to be at their best. We go over and over and over them and finally, they sink right in and we can perform them with feeling and meaning. This is why I’m sliding a few Feb ones in now. Cabaret is always a bit hit and miss – but that’s it’s style now; some great songs, some fun ones and some Christmas singalongs – a chance for the choir to let their hair down too. I’ve been working away on a song idea for an event we have next year. My first idea is to try, ‘When the Party’s Over’ and stick a chunk for the (other) guys inside it – it’ll be like finding a sixpence in your Christmas Pudding. Then, drop a Hearties bomb on top of that. That’s the recipe, but putting it together is a another story, haha! It has to be a well known song (in our own unique style) for this project – an original song would never work. I think not many of the ladies will know it, which will help them learn and hold on to new harmonies. The song also doesn’t lend itself to being too ornate – I listened to loads of covers online and frankly, I’m sick of all the ultra clever, jazzy, a Capella covers of songs online. Pentatonix have a lot to answer for! Give me a backing track, give me clean voices, give me simplicity! Anyhow, Vybes (who is very sweet) says that so far, “it’s dope!”

I’ve had my sewing machine out again! I love to sew! It’s the speed at which you can totally create or transform something. Beth wanted a Christmas canopy/parachute thingy for the little ones – the mums hold these over the toddlers heads and bits dangle down on them. This was made from a £4 charity shop tablecloth (recycling!) and all my scraps and bits of ribbon I couldn’t part with! I hope the technicolour-dream-coat-canopy is big enough…it’s edged with fake snow to give a few more inches. I was also intending to buy more locally sourced, ethically produced, tasteful Christmas gifts. I then went on Amazon and got the boys a plastic game, made in China, called, ‘Flushin’ Frenzy.” They will LOVE it as it involves a toilet and various additional times (!!!). I will try and buy some adult presents locally, but the five little boys want toys! The three bigger ones are FULLY EXCITED and studying their toy catalogues and Amazon. Rufus has his tree up and video-called me to explain exactly what he has on it. Bless him. “Here is the cute reindeer, here is this funny one, here is the triceratops on top.”

Miriam Margolyes was on, This Morning and being a bit of a Christmas agony aunt. A lady called in and said she was very overweight and had lost all her confidence, but wanted to start dating. Miriam said that she had no experience of dating, but believed there were now dating websites (where the hell has she been living for the last twenty years?). “I think there’s one called Grindr that you may like to try?” Haha. Oh dear, but how hilarious. She then went on to tell the lady to “just lose weight!” Yup, plain, simple, sensible advice. Then she added, “Wash! Wash all the crevices you find hard to reach.”