It started as a chat with director, Ben and his husband Steve at their home. Ben knew that he wanted to create an immersive experience that made the audience feel they themselves had gone to India. In terms of the set, he had seen Curve’s professional production of Best Exotic Hotel Marigold (pictured below) and loved how the cast were able to move through the arches of the hotel courtyard on their set. Also inspired by their experience at Curve, Steve had ambitions of building a two story set for the first time. He had already begun to think about how that might practically be achieved on the small United Reform Church (URC) stage and had used floorplanner.com to model how that might work using some new stage blocks they were collecting.

One year since 'quitting the day job', it seems like the perfect time to look back and reflect on how the last twelve months have gone.

I had my easel, my gridded canvas, loads of brushes and paints, a large bucket of water and plenty of blue roll and rags.

I met lots of local people at the first ever Artists Market at Leicester market last Sunday. One question kept cropping up and I realised I didn't really know the answer. How long have I been an artist? This was a tough question!

Something exciting. has happened. You all know I've been making art for a long time. I feel like I've been painting from the heart because I enjoy it so much. But whilst doing an online programme recently, I've started to realise that what I've been enjoying is making things that look like something that already exists.

I'm pretty pleased with this acrylic painting recently framed up and delivered to a customer based in Scotland but its been a rocky road to completion.

I stood there on the street with my artworks pegged up on a wire thinking it might actually be less humiliating to stand there with my underwear pegged up to dry.

Despite being in my 40s, I feel that I am still early in my artist career so in some ways the image also represents the child in me that is still learning and feeling her way. In terms of applying myself as an artist, I have bent and contorted into various different artistic 'positions'.

How many of my readers have a cat who has helped them through a difficult time? I know if I extended it out to dogs too, there would be a lot of stories! Harder to imagine that a stick insect, a fish or a tortoise could contribute to our emotional wellbeing in the same way but perhaps I am wrong?

Well, I've finally done it. I've made some decisions about some original artworks that I am willing to sell and have had some very professional giclee prints done by Terry at Printscape in Hinckley that I have added to my shop.