Good news from Oxford at last. After much miscommunication Mum is out of hospital and back at home and everyone concerned feels a whole lot better about everything. She has had a special splint made to support her wrist and hand and that actually seems to be doing some good already.

It was very moving when Mum and Dad were re-united in the hall. Mum on the ambulance trolly and Dad in his wheelchair but both overcome with emotion. Even after 35 years together they are still so POWERFULLY in love; it's quite something.

Still no good news as yet emanating from Oxford or the John Radcliffe Hospital. Mum is to be kept there until Tuesday next week now. They want to fit her with a special splint to help her palsied arm. I'm sure that's good news but I wish it could happen sooner. She is miserable in there; the care is professional but not nearly as good as she gets at home from the family, district nurses and carers. But poor Dad is so miserable without her. He was very distressed by the news they were keeping her in for longer. I'm going home tonight to try and see Ma and give Dad some company.

John Peel is dead. For someone I have never met I find the news really sad. It just feels like the world is going to be, ever-so-slightly, a less fun place to live for a while.

Another successful show last night.

Full house; laughs; all the requisite stuff. But I did feel it could have been better. I'd give it 6.5 out of 10.

5 is the pass mark for a successful show. So it was a good pass but I reckon our first show was about an 8. We did some funny stuff last night but it was maybe a bit patchy and we didn't do a lot of things we have been working on so thats where I think we can get better.

Not that I'm overly analytical.

The most important news is that Mum is to be discharged from hospital on Thursday. Dad has been greatly cheered by that.

NSN24 x2 is tonight! I've been feeling fine all day actually until the last half an hour at which point my mouth went dry and I needed to go to the loo. But I need the nerves so that's a good sign.

The other good sign is that all the tickets for tonight were booked by Thursday last week and we currently have 7 on the waiting list.

No news from the hospital just yet.

Not great news on the home front. Mum was taken into hospital on Wednesday morning. She was unable to support herself even with the walking frame and the aid of our heroic carer, Bryony. Apparently she looked very poorly as well. So in she went to the Medical Assessment Unit at the JR in Oxford. The assessment was that she had a UTI so was popped on to some antibiotics and that seems to have done a lot of good. By the time I saw her on Thursday afternoon she seemed as she had been the weekend before.

But when I came to see her on Friday she seemed a bit worse. She was seated in a rather uncomfortable chair and her voice sounded a lot weaker. And it was the same when I saw her today. But today Mum and I managed to persuade the nurses to put her back into the bed where she was a lot more comfortable and I think then she did start to perk up. The nurses (interestingly they are ALL Phillipino) took some persuading. They want her to sit up to relieve the pressure sores and help the muscles in her legs. But it really isnt comfortable for her. I managed to persuade them to come and do it sooner than they had planned but then one nurse made the mistake of looking in on mum.

"Can I make you more comfortable?" she asked

"Yes, please put me on the bed"

"How about that?" said the nurse plumping up the cusion behind Mum's head, "Does that feel better?"

"No"

"What do you suggest?"

"Put me on the bed"

So they did. And finally she started to feel a bit better!

Poor old Dad meanwhile is at home and not enjoying himself. He is lonely and (like me) can't bear the thought of mum alone in the hospital room and him alone without her.

Fingers crossed she will be out on Monday or Tuesday

I stumbled across this website - Nick Gallery. Now I love Scotland, I love mountains and I love photography, but this guy really knows what he's doing. Wonderful photos and some handy tips for struggling amateurs like myself. I love the picture of Suilven on the homepage. I was there 2 years ago and that part of Scotland is truly astounding.

Today is St. Frideswide's day.

St. Frideswide is patron saint of Oxford (the city NOT the university) as any fule kno.

I love St. Frideswide. Being an Oxford boy you see, it's my lucky day and indeed on this day in history I have TWICE kissed girls I really fancied. And that's not the sort of thing that happens to me without some serious divine intervention. Admitedly the last time was 1992 but it could happen again....

And if it wasn't for St Frideswide, Oxford would have no treacle well.

Just got back home from the first night of NSN24. I'm just so emotionally exhausted now - but also wired. God knows when I'll get to sleep.

It was good! More than just good; I have to say I was absolutely delighted with how it went. We had a full house and great performances from all the players. And the audience seemed to dig it. We got lots of good feeback - OK mostly from mates who were bound to say nice things. But they had good things to say about the concept and the structure and the general production stuff. So it works and that was the thing I was most worried about. I'm chuffed to bits that something I've been talking about doing for so long has actually come about and I actually made it happen.

Driving home I put my iPod (aka the jPod) on random and it launched a very serendipitous mix. First up was "Feeling Good" by Nina Simone.

Nice.

It's today! The World Premiere of NSN24!

And the outlook.."Nervous"

One week to go until showtime. I'm excited and scared in equal measure. Trying to hold off ringing the venue to see if any tickets have been booked yet. At least until Thursday.

At least today the Nonstopnews Weather Map turned up. That's one thing taken care of. Now I need to work out what to do with it!

And we are still rehersing in illustrious company. First Showaddywaddy and now...

It was Mum's birthday on Sunday: 73 at last.

She's doing OK. Very pleased by all the cards, emails and flowers she got. She's still in quite a lot of pain from her palsied arm. Working out what to do about that has got all the doctors scratching their heads. And she is very frail: sometimes her left side doesnt seem to work at all. But she keeps going and she's still making jokes.

At the Barbican arts centre