July 2006

Somebody once said that you should never start with an apology... I’m sorry that this newsletter, which has for many years gone out on the first of every month, is late. This is a reflection on just how busy I have been... sort of.

Due to a break in the sun, a wedding, a wedding reception and the usual rash of gigs, life has been unbelievably hectic since my return. You know how it is: two weeks to get a month’s work done, and only hours when you need days to complete projects. It’s fun to be busy, though, isn’t it?

The first half of the month was spent in the West Indies – on St Lucia, to be exact. My son, Andrew, and his beautiful fiancée, Elaine, decided that it was the perfect place to be married. And so 19 of us made the trip to Paradise. (In my case, this was a return trip after being there in December, so I knew what to expect: Sand. Sea. And sunshine.) Although much of the time was spent soaking up the sunshine between short, sharp Tropical downpours, I had a great deal of fun with the local rastafarians. They may look a bit scary, but what wonderful, spiritual people they are. New friends include Malachi, Bernard, and "bead seller" Do a Deal Derek – a sort of Rasta Del Boy. When not lazing, I was out snorkelling and sailing. Yes, it was hot, and back in the UK you were all sizzling, too!

xxx
Many of you may have heard that while appearing at the Tricycle Theatre in London, Brother Marc Salem became momentarily distracted while doing his new Knife Roulette, and managed to stab his hand. Good news is, he was not badly hurt, he garnered a LOT of publicity, and his show was an absolute smash with the critics and public alike – as always. Well done, my friend.

xxx
And that’s it. Yes, that’s it! Gigs for August and September have been POURING in, and I have a few projects in the pipeline, of which there will be more over the coming months – including an appearance on Ready Steady Cook. How much fun is THAT going to be?

One particular project about which I am becoming increasingly excited – but can’t talk about yet – is a project dreamed up by Uri Geller. It’s a cracker, so watch this space!

In the meantime, enjoy the rest of the summer and I’ll speak soon!

Best wishes,
Drew