James at The Royal Albert Hall

The James concert at The Royal Albert Hall was stunning. I think any half decent band couldn't fail to impress at such a wonderful venue. This was the second gig I have seen there some 31 years since my first one seeing Siouxsie & The Banshees in 1983! I had been chasing James and lead singer Tim Booth for a while to meet and photograph them for the new book, but alas my attempts failed so I had to settle with taking my gig camera with me and snapping a few shots from the floor in the arena. I was pretty pleased with what I got though, and James will feature in the "Gig" chapter I am doing in the book.

With the return of mum's cancer things are naturally a little bit up in the air. The writing of book 2 "Lives & Times" is still carrying on at a great pace. Even if I wound it down today, I still have half a dozen names lined up to be photographed. There is a possibility that depending on mum's course of treatment I might have to either curtail the photography a bit, or perhaps delay publication. However it's getting close to completion, and I would be happy to go with what I have plus the remaining planned photographs. 

It's a time for positivity, and keeping everything crossed that mum gets through this once again. The way she coped with everything that was thrown at her first time around 2 years ago was amazing, and she is already in that same zone again this time... 

Good News Bad News Week

This week I have certainly experienced the highs and lows on this journey. The week got off to a great start. Book 1 generated 4 sales over a few days, which means at the end of the month I will be able to donate some more royalties to Beating Bowel Cancer. Sales of the first book are now at 322, and over the last two years over £500 has been raised for the charity.

This was followed by a brilliant day in London where no less than 4 photos were done for book 2 due out in 2015. Carrie Grant kindly agreed to be photographed, but it meant I had to be in London for 11:00 to meet her. This meant I had to sort work out, and run the office phone diverted to my mobile, and get all the deliveries out the day before. This worked out fine. I took advantage of my time in London to also photograph Rachael Chadwick, the author of the wonderful 60 Postcards book. I then met up with Tim Wheeler, the lead singer of ASH who was in East London to promote is debut solo album Lost Domain. I even had time to visit the poppies at The Tower Of London, and I might even have a photograph for the book from that too! It was one of the best days so far in the making of book 2.

Alas then we had the bad news. Mum had her annual appointment with her consultant the following day. We expected it to be a formality, but were dealt the bombshell that the cancer has returned. A recent CT scan has showed up a nodule on her left lung. Having had 2 years of remission, and everything looking so good this was a real shock. Mum will now have a PET scan to see if the cancer has spread anywhere else, and then in early December she will see the consultant again where a plan of action will be discussed. She is remarkably brave and determined, and typically is more concerned about the welfare of her horse!

So its an uncertain few months ahead, and we just have to be with mum every step of the way. I am determined to continue on with the book and finish it as planned for publication in Spring 2015, but if events dictate otherwise then that might have to change.

The continued support from people taking part in the book is overwhelming, and this week Gail Porter confirmed her participation, so I am meeting up with her in the next few weeks. I have also made contact with Christopher Biggins, and I am hoping he will also confirm his initial yes to take part.

Meeting John Shuttleworth

The recent meeting with comedy character John Shuttleworth was fascinating, and the chapter in the book will talk about this, and also about the bowel cancer connection. The photos were taken during the interval of his recent performance in Reading. Like so may of the people who have so kindly been part of the book John was happy to also pose for an additional photo with the bowel cancer tie.

Coming up in the week ahead is photographing Carrie Grant, and the for the first time for this book I am going to do a second photo attempt when I meet up with Rachel Chadwick, the author of the wonderful 60 Postcards book. I won't reveal just yet what happened when we met up the first time. I am also hoping to photograph from the world of music Tim Wheeler from Ash on Tuesday when he launches his solo album, and also The Rifles before their London gig on Friday night. The latest person to agree to be part of the book is Gail Porter so it's still going brilliantly!