Well, what have I been up to recently, well nothing really exciting, as since mid December I have spent most of my time speaking to various healthcare professionals and staff who work for Gateshead Council’s Adult Social Services.

I have got to say that I can’t praise everyone enough who I have dealt with during and after my Dad’s stay in hospital. I want to give a special mention to all of the staff on Ward 12 at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and the Prime Team who work for Gateshead Council.  The care that my Dad has received has been outstanding and all of the individuals involved really deserve a lot more than just a mere thank you.

Talking about thanking people, Gateshead Carers have as usual been amazing at ensuring that clients receive plenty of advice and support and also helping with their mental health by arranging various groups and sessions.

I have recently been attending sessions for a new creative project called ‘Our Story’ led by Liv Hunt a local theatre maker.  The sessions so far have been involved in creative writing, something which I have never attempted before but so far I am finding the experience very enjoyable.  Plus the other carers who are involved in the project are a great group of people and make the sessions friendly and enjoyable.  I would definitely recommend attending these sessions even if you have never put pen to paper before as Liv has a great way of making you think outside of the box.

I have also finally got back to attending the Genealogy sessions which Carol Redpath which takes place on Thursday mornings via Zoom.  This is another subject which I find really enjoyable.  I am still a newbie to tracing my family tree compared to the others who have been doing this for many years.  Actually, this is good as I have been picking up hints and tips from them all which I have found to be very helpful.

As for outside pursuits well shielding can make this pretty difficult but I am having a good try at getting outside and breathing in some fresh air, if you can call it fresh air when half the time I am breathing in the fumes from all of the cars and lorries driving along the Felling By-Pass ha ha!

My husband doesn’t work on Fridays so we try to get out (weather permitting) as much as possible, although to be honest a very heavy downpour doesn’t really bother either of us as it is just fantastic being out!  Even if it’s only 4 o’clock in the afternoon when we get back from our walk (scooter ride!) I like to get home, have a lovely hot shower and get into my pyjamas. I then sit down with my feet up drinking a cup of coffee and reading my Kindle.  I have always enjoyed the simple things in life but since this Pandemic hit us all I am finding enjoyment in just the smallest things which I suppose is a good thing.

I have been feeling quite tired recently mainly due to all of the things that have been going on recently with my Dad and brothers; the amount of health professionals I am on first name terms with has surely got to be a World Record by now!

I haven’t been feeling too good myself recently but thankfully I have a number of medical appointments this month so hopefully the doctors and consultants can sort me out. My husband did joke that it would be great if they could sort me out once and for all, well at least I hope he was joking as he wouldn’t know what to do without me, I mean who would be here to give him the occasional nag or as I like to say “constructive criticism”.

Talking about my husband, it is through him that I thought up the title of this blog.  I celebrated my birthday at the end of January and one of the gifts my husband bought me was a small digital radio. I do enjoy listening to the radio through our TV set however two channels which I cannot seem to get are Heart 70’s and Heart 90’s. Well, this little radio has now changed all of that and I am now happily singing along to either Sweet or Savage Garden!

As I mentioned in my first blog my musical tastes are quite diverse as you will see from the list below. I know not all of these will be everyone’s taste but I am sure there will be something you can find which may be able to put a smile on your face and make you forget about your troubles and worries even if it is only for 2-3 minutes. So sit back and enjoy remembering some of the great and not so great vocalists and bands ha ha!

Bobby Darin – Splish Splash This was released 6 years before I was born, I have always said I was born too late as I absolutely love music from the 1950’s and 1960’s.

Katrina and the Waves – I’m Walking on Sunshine Now you can’t help but tap your feet along to this song, just make sure you aren’t leaping around in a rundown disused building like Katrina or you might do yourself a mischief! (Katrina must have been nuts!)

ELO – Mr Blue Sky I was 13 years old when this was released, what a great way to celebrate becoming a teenager!

Mark Ronson ft Bruno Mars – Uptown Funk I can relate to Bruno Mars so much when he sings this song as the amount of times he says he is too hot he must be “going through the change” the same as me!

Pharrell Williams - Happy Now I challenge you not to clap along to this one!

The Monkees - I’m a Believer Who doesn’t think Davy Jones was so cute?

Joe Dolce - Shaddap Ya Face I was 16 years old when this was released most of my friends were out drinking and trying to get into The Mayfair with fake ID while I was quite happy sitting in the house and being impressed with the big accordion solo!  Bet you wish you had lived my teenage years ha ha!

T-Rex - We Love To Boogie Now this is just a classic I don’t care what anyone says!

Sweet - Blockbuster I was 9 years old when this was released but grew up with it as my older cousin was a massive fan. As I became older I developed a huge crush on Brian Connolly.

The Osmonds - Crazy Horses Again I grew up with The Osmonds due to my older cousin being a massive fan of Donny.  Actually I sang this song just a couple of years ago on the karaoke machine in our local cricket club.  Thankfully it was at the end of the night and a lot of people had already gone home as I thought it was a good idea to also include the introduction where the “Wah Wah” sound comes in which is normally played by an organ and not a drunken screeching menopausal woman!  

My husband said the only good thing to come out of my rendition was the fact that I emptied the place and as it was his turn to lock up I had done him a favour.  I still think the man does not recognize true talent, I mean how many other people can say they emptied a club without shouting “Time Please Ladies and Gentlemen!”

The Seekers – I’ll Never Find Another You My Husband says he often hopes that HE will never find another me, I’m still not too sure what he really means by that comment!

Queen - Don’t Stop Me Now Who doesn’t love a bit of Queen and when I sing along to this tune no-one has any chance of stopping me!

The Clash - Should I Stay or Should I Go This is another song which I have sang on karaoke at our cricket club, unfortunately everyone shouted to me GO! numerous times whilst singing but I still continued until the bitter end ha ha!

Madness - Baggy Trousers Now you can’t beat a bit of Madness, and of course you must remember to wear the dark sunglasses, drainpipe jeans and black overcoats. I always thought Suggs looked so handsome in these videos!

Adam Ant – Prince Charming  Oh Ladies how handsome was Adam Ant!

Petula Clark – Downtown I must apologise about the lyrics of this song seeing we are in a Lockdown but I have just always loved singing along.

Moon River from the film Breakfast at Tiffany’s I absolutely love the music, probably because my Dad often played this on our piano when I was growing up and I used to often sing along.

The Entertainer wrote by Scott Jopling in 1902 Now I definitely wasn’t alive when this was written!  I absolutely love this Ragtime music as this was another piece that my Dad often played when I was growing up.  He has been quite poorly recently and is just now recovering, the family has all been over the moon as last week he played his piano after not playing for 2 years and this was one of the tunes he played.  He may be 88 years old but he can still get everyone tapping their feet!

Gerry and the Pacemakers – You’ll Never Walk Alone Now this song I have always loved from a very young age.   I have always cried when listening to it but more so now since the death of Captain Tom Moore was announced.  It seems so strange that Gerry Marsden and Captain Tom both died within weeks of each other.

I don’t want to finish my blog on a downer so I do hope that when you listen to the lyrics of the last song that it helps in some way especially at this time.

If you don’t already, make sure you start playing some music just for you as it can definitely raise your mood, get you excited or can make you feel calm and relaxed.  Whatever you choose ENJOY!

Take care and stay safe.

Susie x