Up The Farway Tree

The Big Smoke

Well, I have just about recovered from my trip to London. We travelled down on the train, which was fairly relaxing but tiring all the same. On arriving late in the afternoon, we took a taxi straight to the hotel and got checked in. We were staying at the Hilton Metropole, which was a beautiful hotel, with fabulous views from both our rooms. That evening we had a lovely dinner in the hotel, before heading out to see Mary Poppins. The show lived up to all my expectations and more. The sets were absolutely amazing and the cast all so professional. Even Andrew enjoyed it, despite having been adamant that he didn't like musicals. I must admit it was hard not to sing along (although I did refrain). I may have to start using the word Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious in every day conversation though. Just for my own amusement. (I can't believe spell checked doesn't recognise it - I think I'll add it to my dictionary).

View from hotel bedroom

On the Thursday we met two of our old flat mates, who now live in London, for lunch. It was lovely to catch up. We had also hoped to do a little shopping on Oxford Street, but unfortunately I was feeling really breathless so we had to abandon that idea, and head back to the hotel. It was probably just as well, because we needed plenty time to rest up before the big night. Later in the afternoon I met my coordinator from the CF trust and she was able to take me down to the main room for a sneaky peek. The room looked beautiful - NEXT was one of the sponsors and had decorated the tables - black table cloths and red accessories. It was stunning. When we popped down, Gareth Gates was rehearsing his new single, which he performed on the evening. The coordinator asked if he would come over for a photo, and he kindly obliged. He seemed a very nice guy, although very shy and reserved. The coordinater took a couple of photos, and she asked Andrew to come over for one of them. You can imagine his joy at having his photo taken with Gareth. Not something he will be telling his friends about.

At this time the coordinator also gave me some gift bags from the sponsors of the evening. NEXT had made up a lovely selection of goodies, including a watch, perfume, sunglasses and lots of other treats, as well as giving us all gift vouchers. BT had provided all the nominees with two video phones, with a years subscription to use them. Now I will be able to see mum when I phone her. I am not sure what to say about that.

The evening itself was lovely, and we first enjoyed a beautiful meal before the awards ceremony started and had champagne in the room. I have to say, it must have been so difficult to choose winners in all the categories, as everyone was so deserving in their own way. Although it would have been the icing on the cake to have won my category, the competition was stiff and I lost to a very worthy candidate! To have even been short listed in the first instance was an achievement, and I really enjoyed being part of the evening. I didn't cringe too much when I saw my video clip, although I thought I looked a little serious. Luckily Seb was there to lighten the mood and I was so pleased he made it into the final cut. Celebrity wise, I met Toby Anstis, David Seamen, Amanda Lamb and Cleo Rocos. They were all very friendly and down to earth. Cleo Rocos was quite a character, and kept calling Andrew "Love-Pot". I have been throwing this into conversation since, although will have to be careful people don't start to think that it's my pet name for him.

Me and Toby Anstis

All in all, it was a great evening although a very tiring one. It was nice to be part of the experience, and to have a moment of fame on the big screen. I'm expecting some calls from acting agencies now - not for me, but for Seb. Famous, and he doesn't even know it.

NB: Andrew has just kindly pointed out that my title "The Big Smoke" makes it look like I'm a country hick who doesn't get out much. Charming.