Posts filed under 'Music'
Wow! We have had the most amazing and bizarre couple of days in Jamiroquai-land! If you will bear with me, a brief synopsis will follow…it all started a few weeks back when I got a ‘phone call to say I had won seats on the “Gig in the Sky” ‘plane. We had known this was happening for a long time and luckily David was going to be able to go but not me 
However, one competition entry later and there I was - well there we both were - with a place on the flight!
It started on Tuesday morning with a car collection (bullet proof no less!) which took us to Heathrow, followed by a flight to Munich. Once we landed in Munich we were greeted by a Sony Ericsson rep who took us to the special check-in desk for the flight to Athens. We hung out in the dedicated lounge with non-stop food and drink (fortunately non-alcoholic!) for a few hours until it was time to board the Gig in the Sky ‘plane. Once onboard we were served by cabin crew wearing uniforms with the Jamiroquai buffalo man logo on the back of their jackets and we had a dinner of chicken followed by a specially decorated chocolate mousse. After dinner the gig started. Hurrah!
All I can say is, all this, “Please turn off your mobile ‘phone” malarkey whilst on a ‘plane is a load of old tosh! We were encouraged to use our new ‘phones (which we received earlier in the day) to take photos of the gig…so I therefore deduce that it *must* be safe!
The thirty-minute gig was cool - the band played a new song, “Radio” from the last album which has never been played live before and also a really fab version of an old favourite, “High Times”. Shortly afterwards we landed in Athens and were escorted to an area in the terminal where there was to be a longer gig, complete with more food and (very strong!!) drinks. We had a great time dancing and singing along…I wish I could remember how many times we have seen Jamiroquai now!!
A bus about midnight took us to our hotel, where we gratefully sank into bed - but not until we had looked at our certificates and badges which were left in the hotel for us. The certificate was to say that we had taken part in the record breaking Gig in the Sky. A mug of hot chocolate later and we were in the land of nod!
The next morning saw us in the rooftop swimming pool, before breakfast and quick zoom around Athens for 90 minutes. Surely the most odd thing had to be literally stumbling across the “Changing of the Guard” - what outfits!! A bus to the airport, a flight back (delayed due to wind at Heathrow) and a quick stomp from the tube station saw us back at home, at the end of a bizarre couple of days. A fabulous couple of days nonetheless…surely rating highly in the “Top Ten Jamiroquai Moments” 
Oh and in case you can’t suss it out, a link to all the photos is here.
March 2nd, 2007
I was today reminded that it has been a long time since I wrote a blog entry, so I thought I would do a quick update for my five readers (yes, I have one more now! LOL!). So, what’s new in the world of the Rowe’s? If you don’t mind I will update on a few things all at once
Running: I have kept going with my running and have also kept going in the BPTT (Bushy Park Time Trial), which I blogged about a while ago. Since the new BPTT running year began on 7th October 2006, there have been six runs (David has run in them all) and I have run in five of them. The best thing is that in four of them, I have achieved new Personal Bests - the most recent of which being yesterday. I managed the 5kms in 32:55, which I was astounded by (and yes, I know some people do 10kms in that time but they aren’t me!) and David was mightily impressed. He came to the finish line with my drink expecting me to still be a fair way up the final straight but I was almost at the finish line. I put it down to the fly I swallowed near the start - the extra protein must have done me good! Overall in the year I am currently in 18th place (out of 302 women and, more excitingly, am being Sonia O’Sullivan who is is an Olympic Silver medallist you know….and yes, I know she has only run three times and is only six places behind me, but still…!) and David is 4th (!!!!) out of 613 men so far this year. He is doing amazingly well and has entered a half marathon in early December (he is doing 15 mile training runs every weekend). Also in the world of running, we have joined a running club and are now both members of the Ranelagh Harriers, who are based very close to Richmond Park.
Work: Well, besides the fact that the world of mummies and babies is an astoundingly busy one, things are good. I am still loving it - the only bit I don’t love is the fact that due to it being so darned busy I don’t get to always provide the care for the women that I would ideally like, due to time constraints. However, I know that I am doing my best and I am still abiding by my mantra which is to try to do one thing every day which will make a difference to someone I am caring for. I am doing pretty well on that so far. On another work note, I was promoted to band 6 the other day. As far as I can tell there is no great difference except I can no longer say, “but I am only band 5″! I was already doing the job of a Team Midwife as it was - but it is nice to have the extra tuppence ha’penny every month (as much as that, I hear you cry?)…
Jamiroquai: We have been lucky in the last few weeks to see Jamiroquai a few times, not least at the Jazz Cafe as part of the BBC Electric Proms. It was a fabulous gig and took me back to the first time we saw Jamiroquai (1993 I think, in Sheffield). We also were lucky enough to go along to Strictly Come Dancing (BBC television show), where they performed wearing tuxedo’s and looked really cool. However, seeing the band that night was somewhat usurped by the fact that David had his photo with Emma Bunton…he had the same cheesy grin that he wore when he first had his photo taken with her in 1999 at a Jamiroquai after-show party.
Holidays: We have a trip to Prague planned very soon, which we are both really looking forward to. This will make up for the lack of Christmas holidays as I will be working throughout (when oh when will babies realise it is far better to be born Monday to Friday, 9-5?!)…
So I think that’s about all for now. I promise to try to keep this a bit more updated but you know…
November 12th, 2006
I was politely reminded *ahem* that I haven’t blogged in ages at the weekend, so after the shenanigan’s of Sunday night, I felt the need.
As you probably know, David has run a Jamiroquai website (funkin.com) for a few years, in fact it celebrated it’s tenth birthday on July 13th. I help him out on some of the day to day stuff but really it is all him…though what do they say, “Behind every great man is a great woman” 
So, we went to the Lovebox festival on Sunday, saw Norman Jay spin some tunes, mooched around for a bit, ate delicious Caribbean goat curry and then went to watch our favourite band, Jamiroquai. I had been asked to keep a secret from David, which was that some of the fans wanted to take him out for dinner after the gig but I must not tell him. However, it transpires that it was all a big lie! I thought I was in on the secret but I wasn’t! David defintiely wasn’t as I somehow managed to not tell him anything.
Some rather lovely Jamiroquai fans who frequent funkin.com, as well as a superb forum jamirotalk.net decided way back in April that they wanted to throw a party for David and I to celebrate the anniversary of the site. We were absolutely shocked! It was wonderful. They had made banners, booked a really cool bar and the best thing was that they had asked for contributions to an A4 book, which comprised messages from lots of our friends (virtual and “real”!), including a message from Derrick (Jamiroquai’s drummer who we know pretty well now). It is fabulous! The really funny thing is that now the party is over, we have been allowed access to the “secret area” of jamirotalk where the whole thing was planned. It is very very amusing to read all the plans taking shape, them wondering how to get us both there, deciding I needed to be partially aware and finally being excited in the days beforehand.
We are over the moon that people would go to all this trouble for us (well, David really, but I seem to be included). Some people we had never even met, some we have and would consider to be great friends. It is overwhelming and once we have some photos sorted I will update this entry. I have to confess that currently my favourite page in the book is from woman called Deesha. It is a photograph of David taken in New York in October 2005, where he is in the press pit taking photos of the band (see, a photo of a photographer taking a photo, it’s cool)…she has printed across it a comment that David made to her earlier in the year when she was over in London. It says, “One day, when I am old I will look back and realise how lucky I am”. Not half as lucky as me to be married to him…
July 25th, 2006
