After sporting a goatee for many years, of varying lengths, shapes and colours (thanks to beard dye), this morning I took the step of saying goodbye to the beard. Now this may not be the biggest news you’ve heard this week, but it’s going to make getting ready in the morning easier for me. No more fighting to shape my bit of stubble so it matches on both sides (symmetry is vitally important). And of course I can stop worrying about the fact that my beard is going nicely grey.

I have just returned from spending a week representing disabled performers on behalf of Equity’s Member’s with Disabilities committee at two conferences. I am the co-chair of the committee and so I gave speeches at the Equity ARC and the TUC Disabled Workers Conference on the issues facing disabled performers. It was a real honour to be there and to carry on my work on behalf of the people who elected me.

This weekend Diane and myself are off to Cardiff. I am writing a travel article on visiting the city, which is somewhere we have wanted to go for ages. Then, to kill to two birds with one stone, we are visiting a wheelchair company called Roma to do an article on a new wheelchair they are about to launch.  I saw the Vida Active at this years Naidex and thought it looked amazing. It has some really new ideas in it’s construction and you get measured in the totally new way. I won’t say more until I’ve tried out the process, but the guys at Roma promise me the same kind of experience that those lucky enough to be buying a sports car have. So I am looking forward to some first class treatment. I do like that.

The biggest news here at Scarlet Towers is the fact that this evening Di and me are having our first Spanish lesson. For years we have been visiting Barcelona, and while Diane has learned enough of the local lingo to get by, I have always been struck dumb and kept my fingers crossed that whoever I was (not) speaking to spoke English. Well no more! So we have decided that before we go back later this year I WILL be able to speak a bit of Spanish. I shall keep you all posted. Hola.