Thank you for the overwhelming encouragement and support that I have received in response to my email on Friday, I really appreciate the solidarity!

Would you believe the first couple I spoke to when we arrived were musicians?! The woman was an optician and had recently started an arm of her company called Allegro Optical which specifically services professional musicians (over 50). We had so much in common and to talk about. And would you believe, she won the Entrepreneur of the Year award and I was the runner up!

I could hardly believe it when my name was called as I didn't expect to win anything given how many contestants there were. I was incredibly pleased that the only new friend I made at the event won AND that I so believe in what she is doing! The company who won the service award was a care home company and I was also equally pleased about that.

Here I am with my runner-up certificate!

Do we have to win everything? No. Sometimes it's about just showing up. Filling out the application. Making the first contact. Trying. Failing. Trying again.

When it comes time for recipes, it's about being willing to risk a few bob on a new ingredient, a new taste, a new restaurant. Venturing out. Being experimental. Trying new things.

Tonight I've been invited to a private reception/concert at my alma mater, The Royal Academy of Music, in London. I have been keeping a little secret and if you read this, you will be in the know.

I took June off from "detox" to rebuild my personal website and for the first time, there's a platform to share some really BEAUTIFUL music with you - to feed your soul. Click here and listen to a piece of music for cello and piano entitled Consonance. The website isn't finished yet so keep my secret until I shout about it but I wanted you to have a sneak peak/listen now. (As usual, ALL feedback welcome.)

I've got to rush off to pick the morello cherries at Milestone which ripened over the weekend now as the power-washing man is coming to do the paths this morning.

Awards and MORE!