Casino copywriting, collaborative poetry and disco queen of the airwaves (not)

I don’t normally mention things I’ve watched on TV, but I loved the documentary on Now – that’s what I call music! Didn’t know it was Richard Branson’s baby but I remember so clearly sipping malibu and pineapple at The Clachan in Carnaby Street as Maz unwrapped the first cassette. Brian Dilly bought it for her birthday – he’s vanished into the mists of time so who knows whether he’s still dancing to Men Without Hats??
Reading through the playlist evokes so many memories (some probably best forgotten…) Getting off with Mike to Paul Young at the Ilford Palais (never good to kiss a colleague!), Marion knowing someone who knew Howard Jones, breathing the dopey air watching UB40 at the Hammersmith Palais, dancing in the bedroom to Human League (still do that!), smiling into my John Taylor mirror and pretending it was our wedding photo…

I was 18 then – and yesterday my youngest son turned 18. That’s weird. We celebrated with a fantastic night of dinner and play at the Grosvenor Casino in Gloucester Road where my networking friend Nina hosted an evening of total fun and laughter. Maybe not the most responsible family activity, but everyone had such a good time. We had lessons in Roulette and Blackjack – I managed to play without spilling my bubbly – followed by a perfect meal, then more playing. I definitely recommend it for a great night out in London. I met Nina last year through Biscotti networking mornings at the casino, and my regular-ish attendance has secured a fair amount of business – both social media training and copywriting.
My copywriting work has also landed me at the feet of a group of creative people, and I’m proud to announce that my poetry will be featured in two collaborative art exhibitions later this year! On Tuesday, I trotted along to the Mulberry Bush pub in Southbank with Martyn where we met a handful of extremely talented artists. Together, we will create a gallery full of street art, mosaics, sculpture, painting and poetry. Martyn’s painted a picture about people misbehaving and I’ll be supplying the words. I’m so excited about this – exhibiting, collaborating and working with such a great bunch of gifted and inspired artists. I’ve wanted to exhibit something, somewhere since I was about 13!!
And while we’re talking about being 13… You may have heard that a Jewish boy’s Bar Mitzvah is at age 13 – most people would get that right in a pub quiz. But fewer people are aware that this celebration recurs every seventy years – a sort of rebirth, if you like. So when a Jewish man reaches the healthy age of 83 it’s definitely cause to pop open the bubbly! And it was so lovely to celebrate Carol’s dad’s special day. Friends and family gathered to share his achievement in reaching a ripe old age; long may he continue enjoying life!
Thanks for all the comments about my second radio appearance this week, chatting to Penny Smith on BBC Radion London. No, I wasn’t tempted to sing. And yes, next time I’ll try to actually answer the questions the interviewer poses rather than something else on my mind.
As disco queen Donna says, “It made me feel proud when I heard him say: You couldn’t find the words to say it yourself. And now in my heart I know I can say what I really feel… ’cause they said it really loud, they said it on the air, on the radio whoa oh oh…“
If you can’t find the words to say it yourself, I’ll happily find them for you. Copywriting, tweeting, telling the world what you do…. Ask me here: @WeekendWitch.