One month until Christmas

 

We are now in November. Seriously, how has this happened? Where has the year gone?  A quick glance at the calendar above me tells me that it is in fact exactly a month until Christmas day. Time just keeps galloping along at a great speed doesn’t it…

Ok, so going back to the end of August and the Paralympics. What an experience. I think it is safe to say I’ve had a very exciting, jammed packed summer. My section of the Paralympics opened the show – if you watched it we were dancing with light up umbrellas to Rihanna’s ‘Umbrella’ Ella…Ella! I felt very emotional standing in position before we went live to the world…yes the world! It just dawned on me how incredibly lucky I have been to have been involved in the London 2012 ceremonies. It was one of those pinch yourself this is really happening moments.

At the end of the show Beverley Knight sang “I am what I am” and all the cast got join in the finale (unlike in the Opening of the Olympics). I can’t even begin to describe the feeling of walking into that stadium, the noise, the fireworks going off all around us. It was just one of those moments I will never ever forget. When all the audience had left we got to mill around for one last time in the stadium. It’s safe to say I took hundreds of photos, I will post a few of them on here now.

A week after the Paralympics finished I flew to Asia and went backpacking around Thailand for a month. I hardly had time to think. After lots of travelling, Thai busses, hostels, and riding elephants I finally came back home in October.

Now here I am. Very poor but luckily I’ve managed to get myself three part time jobs to tie me over during the Christmas period. In the New Year I am going to seriously re-focus on my Acting career and see where it takes me. Who knows what will happen…!

 

 

Uncertain

Life is so uncertain and unpredictable. 

I'm hoping that things are going to fall into place before I leave in two weeks. 

Oh gosh. The joy of being a performer! 

Olympic Madness

I am a rubbish blogger. Yet again I have been absent from my blog writing, but I think it’s been with good reason!

I've now finished the Olympic Opening Ceremony and am now dancing in the Paralympic Opening Ceremony. It’s been the most exciting few months. The Olympic opening was the most surreal and incredible moments of my life, so much so that I keep wondering if it really happened?! The atmosphere on the day was just incredible, everyone was so excited. We all sang and danced our way through the park as we walked to get into costume! Trying to sum up the experience in words just doesn’t do it justice.  It was amazing, brilliant, everything you could imagine it to be and more.

I met some wonderful people on my journey which I can hardly believe started all the way back in rainy April. After all those long rehearsals, train journeys and late nights, I think we all felt a massive sense of pride and achievement to represent Britain in such a fantastic show of Danny Boyle’s creation. 

So I finished the Opening on the 27^th and on the 29^th I had my first Paralympic rehearsal. This was exciting and strange at the same time. Strange I suppose because it was like going back in time. Rehearsals were back at 3 Mills where I first started months ago for the Olympics. It felt very surreal to be back there. Since then we have been to Dagenham and we are now at the stadium again - all in the space of a few weeks for me!  It feels like these sets of rehearsals are on fast forward.

Tomorrow we have another late evening rehearsal and then on Sunday is our first Paralympic Dress Rehearsal. Very exciting! Watch out for me on Wednesday, my section opens the show but that's about all I can tell you for now.

Here are a few pictures of the Opening...

Enjoy! 

Exciting, exciting

Massive Olympic excitement. We are in the Stadium which is such a buzz. Rehearsals are tiring and they are only going to get longer. My latest schedule tells me we have rehearsals every night until midnight in the week leading up to the opening ceremony - crazy! We seem to have been dancing in the rain during every stadium rehearsal so far. I am hoping it doesn't rain on the night however we live in England and who knows what the weather might do?! The stadium isn't covered with a roof so it's safe to say that if it does decided to rain...we will get wet!


I have also been getting the last train out of London so I can be back for work the next day. However this has often meant that I haven't been getting home until around 3:30 am. It's safe to say I am shattered but happy. This has been such an amazing experience so far and I feel privileged to be a part of it. 

38 days, 23 hours, 3 minutes and 33 seconds...

Olympic rehearsals are stepping up a gear this week.  We have now finished rehearsals at the Dagenham site which means this Thursday we move to the Olympic stadium.  Yes the Olympic Stadium! I can't wait. 


To add to the excitement, our Olympic tickets to see the Dressage arrived in the post. 


Just 38 days to go until the greatest show on earth!  

Baby Benjamin

Here are a couple of photos of my new baby nephew.  


We went over to Sheffield last Tuesday and spent a lovely few hours sitting outside in my half sisters garden, drinking tea and chatting.

Lovely lovely.

Counting sheep

I’m so tired. I try to go to sleep and then can’t. I really do not understand this ridiculous pattern I have once again managed to get myself in to.

I don’t really know why my body decides to do this to me? I got home today, started shaking and managed to sleep for a couple of hours. I’m now walking round the house in a sort of daze. I have dance in less than an hour and I am trying to summon the energy to go to the three classes.

Now I’m not even sure I want to post this entry. I hate how self pitying it sounds.

Urg. 

Goodbye April, Hello May.

Are we really in May already? When I was little, time seemed to go ever so slowly. Christmas Eve seemed like the longest day, if anything time seemed to go extra slowly. The 6 week summer holidays we used to get in school seemed to last forever.  Now 6 weeks goes by in a second and quite honestly I hardly have time to stop and think about it.

I had a panic this week because I somehow lost my diary.  Now when I told some of my friends that I had lost it, the response was “Well it’s only a diary, just buy a new one” The thing is, it may only just be a diary, but that diary has everything in it. I write all that I need to do for each day, week and month in it. I was completely lost without it. My weeks seem to have become quite busy and the only way I can keep track of what I’m doing is to write it all down. Anyway...thankfully (after a week of stress) it was found, returned to me and I can breathe a sigh of relief.

During April I got the opportunity to work on a fantastic new show called ‘Fat Brenda: My Flamin’ Story’ which was premiered at Harrogate Theatre. Written by the lovely Joe Parkinson and played by the wonderful Steve Huison. It was a pleasure to be just a small part of such an amazing show.  Watch out for it!

I can hardly believe I am now in my fourth week of dance rehearsals for the Olympic Opening Ceremony.  It has been so exciting to be a part of so far. I tried on my costume yesterday which I must admit is pretty epic.

The days are getting longer and lighter which makes me happy. I always feel much better when the weather is nice. I hope it gets warm and sunny soon. 

:)

"Happiness isn’t a person, place or thing. Relatively speaking, it’s not found in anything other than yourself. But we forget that and we bury it within others to hold, store and keep thinking they’ll always have it when we want it back. And when we’re sad, we blame them for our loss. But it’s always there, you just have to choose to be happy."

This evening

I spent tonight making a little card for my grandparents. I love drawing, I find it very relaxing...I think I need to find the time to do it more often. Anyway, I thought I would share this picture. Sorry it's a bit blurry (blame my iphone) 
I drew a puppy, hope you like him!

A Spofforth Sunset...

Driving into my village yesterday, I had to stop and take a picture of the sunset over Spofforth Castle.  Beautiful isn't it.

The days are getting lighter, this makes me happy. 

Quiet

"What's the perfect balance
Between yelling too much
Or not yelling enough
So that people don't walk over you?
Is it a crime to just want to be nice?
To avoid confrontation 
And show everyone a little respect?

Time after time
I find that I'm struggling
To tell you 
What's burning inside
A glimmer of hope 
That you'll finally see..
Yet I remain quiet."  ~ Quiet by Jonathan Reid Gealt.

February

I haven’t posted for a while it seems. Although it doesn’t feel like it’s been that long, clearly it has!  It’s now 1:20am so obviously this makes it the perfect time for a blog post. Busy as always, I’ve been to auditions, up to the BBC in Glasgow, back home, seen old friends, new friends, back to work, applied for more jobs, filmed at the theatre, went horse riding, had a lovely few days celebrating my 23^rd birthday...

Speaking of my birthday, I’ve just finished reading one of my presents - an inspirational book given to me by my lovely friend Tanya. It is called ‘Jonathan Livingston Seagull’ by Richard Bach. It’s a story about a seagull who wants to better himself and be the best at doing what he loves - flying.  As it says on the blurb:
“This is a fable about the importance of making the most out of our lives...Through the metaphor of flight, Jonathan’s story shows us that, if we follow our dreams, we too can soar.” Truly beautiful. I would recommend this book to anyone.

"You have the freedom to be yourself, your true self, here and now, and nothing can stand in your way." ~ Richard Bach

So yes, a very jumbled up entry.  Those were just my thoughts in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Here are some snaps from the last few weeks. 

Lots of things to do, people to see, places to go...

Gosh, I can hardly believe it’s only been a week since the end of panto and already it seems like a life time ago. I’ve had a crazy week with work, a quick trip down to Northampton followed by a night out for my friend Katie’s birthday. I’ve hardly had time to think, let alone sleep! My room once again looks like a bomb’s hit it *sigh*

Today I managed to get my theatre fix; I was back to do a little film about Harrogate Theatres ghost Alice which was good fun.  So what’s next? I have an audition on Saturday - I’m nervous about this one but I’ll give it my best shot and hope for the best...it’s all experience isn't it. Also, I got an email the other day telling me that my audition to be a performer in the Olympics has been successful! Yay! So I will be dancing in the opening ceremony come July. How exciting! I’m definitely looking forward to the summer now...

A few snaps...

A few pictures from the run. Enjoy!

The awesome tech crew

Costumes

   Smashing up the set in the get out

    

                                                

"So now our tale has reached an end..."

That's it! We have officially finished our run of Beauty and the Beast. It’s been an amazing few months. I got to work with a brilliant cast, a fantastic tech crew and a group of girls who made me laugh every day. 

The wonderful thing about this run is that it’s made me remember why I wanted to pursue an acting career in the first place. Panto was what made me love performing all those years ago and it has been like a medicine to me over the past few months. This may seem like a strange thing to say about a show but it came at just the right time. So thank you everyone, and thank you Harrogate Theatre.   

Nearly there now...

I would give so much to be able to stop time or just slow down my final week in panto. I'm feeling a massive mixture of emotions going into our last few shows. I really do hate endings...

Hello 2012

A very Happy New Year to you all!

I spent the evening in York last night with 3 lovely lovely people. We drank a healthy amount of wine and cocktails; we spent some time in York and some time curled up in a duvet in front of the TV.  The perfect mix! What a wonderful way to start 2012. I’m feeling positive about this year. 2011 has been a mixture of highs and lows, a chapter of my life has ended and now a new one is beginning.   I have a lot to look forward to this year so bring it on!