Hello I hope you're keeping well. As you may know, the UK Government has delayed the lifting of Covid restrictions, and one of the consequences of that decision is that many live music events will no longer be going ahead this year. My heart goes out to Black Deer Festival in particular and all the people there who worked so hard in the hope that it might happen. Thankfully, some shows are still able to go ahead under the social distancing guidelines. A couple of weeks ago, Lukas and I packed our van and headed from Stroud up to Newcastle-upon-Tyne to perform at Gosforth Civic Theatre to play our first indoor show together for more than a year. It was, of course, socially-distanced but that did not diminish the joy I felt at being able to share my songs with people in the same physical space. As we begin to emerge from this past year we've had, we'll all have different stories to tell, and different feelings towards stepping back into public events such as gigs. I was instantly put at ease by the professionalism of the Gosforth Civic Theatre crew - their first gig back too - and how safe they made us, and everyone who attended, feel. The same applied to our show the following night at Henshaws Arts and Crafts Centre in Knaresborough. I knew that I had missed doing gigs, but when I got on stage it struck me just how much so. My whole adult life has centred around writing and performing music; it is my passion and I'm privileged to be able to say that it's my job. So to step under lights and up to a mic, with my husband on double bass by my side, made me feel whole again. To hear applause, to hear a few gentle heckles, to speak to people at the merch desk after the show, was like medicine for me and I'm pleased to say that I think the feeling was mutual. Thank you so much to all those who came out to see us. There are some more of these socially distanced shows coming up, as well as some unrestricted shows later in the summer, all things being well - I'm really looking forward to these and hope that you can join me. | 
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