Memorable Moments of 2015!

Hello Hatters!

Happy New Year to each and every one of you out there! I really hope that 2016 will bring good things for and that overall, it'll be a great year for you!

2015 for me personally, was one incredible year and I think it'll be difficult to top it but I'll certainly give it a good shot! I started 2015 thinking it was going to be like any other year but little did I know what it held for me! In the space of 12 months so many amazing things have happened to me! The chances of a lot of what happened in 2015 actually happening were very slim; or so I thought anyway and having as many of them happen within such a small proximity of time was even more unexpected! It's been a very long time since I've had such an amazing year and thanks to it I've become so much more confident than I used to be and feel more positive about life in general! I am so excited to see what 2016 holds for me and hope that it also, will be full of amazing things for each and every one of you out there!

I thought that in today's post, I'd take the opportunity to look back on some of last year's best bits and celebrate them one more time before moving on to a new year and a new chapter! So here it goes:

1. Meeting Stevie Nicks & Mick Fleetwood from Fleetwood Mac

So this is by far the highlight of 2015 for me and I don't think I'll ever stop talking about that day back in June! Stevie Nicks as you'll already know, is one of my biggest inspirations/role models and I'd dreamt of meeting for a long time and thanks to the most amazing charity Ray's of Sunshine, my dream finally came true! 

My Mum sent an application to Ray's of Sunshine back in December 2014 in hope that they'd be able to help make my dream come true and they said they'd do their upmost to make it happen. And true to their word; they did just that! Fleetwood Mac announced they were coming to the UK on tour in 2015 and after attending one of their gigs in Glasgow, I was taken to the side of the stage with my parents to watch the final few songs and was then escorted upstairs to the band's dressing rooms where I spent a hour with Stevie Nicks chatting quite literally about everything and anything! During the time I spent with Stevie, a very tall Mick Fleetwood appeared in the doorway of Stevie's dressing and after being introduced to us, pulled a chair up beside us and spent ages chatting with us. Both Stevie and Mick worked their way through my pile of CDs and merch, signing them all for me and admiring my metallic sharpies. Both Stevie and Mick couldn't have been any sweeter!

I owe Stevie a huge Thank-You for all of the encouragement and advice she gave me that night! It has helped and inspired me in so many different ways and has helped me grow as a person and achieve more of my dreams! I love you Stevie!

Like I said, none of what happened would have been possible without my Mum spending the time that she did filling in the application forms which I am so grateful to her for! And of course the fabulous team at Ray's of Sunshine who actually arranged for it to happen! I am currently brainstorming fundraising ideas as I want to say a thank you to them for what they did for me and of course, help in some shape or form give other young people a magical experience just like the one I had!

2. Becoming a Radio Presenter

If you've been following The Hat Hippie since early 2015, you'll have followed my story of becoming a radio presenter at 3TFM. I'll not go into too much details but for those of you who don't know, I applied to volunteer at a particular radio station and was declined due to the lack of disabled access which is absolutely shocking in today's society but you all know my thoughts on disability discrimination and my previous blog posts discuss it in more detail. Anyway, I wrote a post about what happened and a lot of family, friends and readers got behind me, shared my post and helped me find 3TFM. At the same time, the Irvine Herald newspaper got in touch with my Mum and they also got in contact with 3TFM on my behalf and wrote a very supportive article about what had happened. 

Just a short period of time later, I joined the team at 3TFM, started my radio training and just a short period of time later I hosted my first ever show live on air! I now have my very own radio show every Thursday and I love it so much! If any of you would like to tune, I usually post the tune in link on my social media accounts so pop on over to them for more information!

3. I Started A YouTube Channel

I'm always looking for new avenues to venture, new skills to learn and ways in which I can develop my blog. Starting a YouTube channel is something I've considered doing for quite a while and I finally decided to sit down and film my first ever video. I spent ages editing it and eventually posted it and have made a bunch of videos since. Hopefully, there'll be lots more videos to come in future and that you'll all enjoy watching them as much as I enjoy creating them! 

4. Visiting Liverpool and Seeing Paul McCartney in Concert

These were two other big dreams of mine which I hoped to tick off the bucket list at some point in my life but little did I ever imagine that I'd combine the two! Seeing Liverpool was amazing! It's such a great city and everyone is so friendly and would do anything they possibly could to help you! Paul McCartney was incredible and exceeded my expectations despite the fact that everyone thinks his best days are behind him-I beg to differ! I am sitting here in my room absolutely bursting with pure excitement as I relieve the memories of seeing Paul live! Although, I don't think words can describe just how excited I was whilst there in person and I'm sure my Mum could testify to that! I certainly kept the ladies sitting on our right well entertained throughout the show and they just so happened to be the first people I saw when we got back to the hotel after the show (red face moment!).

5. Moving House

I'm writing this post in advance as I might not have internet for a few weeks and don't want to neglect my blog so I thought I better prepare in advance! But basically, by the time you read this my family and I will have moved house! So I'll have a nice new bedroom to my YouTube videos which is very exciting! I might even do a room tour video on my YouTube channel so stayed tuned!

6. Opening My Local Pharmacy

Some of you may have read my post a few weeks ago but I was asked by the staff in my local pharmacy who I've known since I was little if I'd come along and officially open their newly refurbished store. So of course I said yes! I'd never been asked to do something like that before and felt very touched and honoured that they'd asked me! So that was another highlight of 2015 for me!

Anyway, that was just a few of my exciting moments from 2015! It has been great to write about them here on my blog throughout the year and of course share the excitement with you all! Hopefully, there will be many more memorable moments to share with you in 2016, perhaps I'll even vlog some of them on YouTube-you never know! Here's to a great 2016!

Love, Peace & Best Wishes,

The Hat Hippie xx

Life Update: Dreams Do Come True

Hello Lovely People!

How are you all doing? I hope that wherever you live has been blessed with some much needed sunshine. Certainly, where I live we've had a decent amount of sunshine however, it is Scotland after all and unfortunately the rain is never too far away but any sunshine is better than none I suppose! If you've been keeping up to date with my blog posts over the past four or five weeks you'll know it's been a pretty crazy but exciting few weeks for me! So much has happened and to be honest it's went by like a whirlwind! How is it that all the good things in life go by within a blink of an eye?
In just the space of a few weeks some of my biggest dreams have come true. Some of which I've waited years for to actually happen. If I were to go back in time to this time last year and tell myself what the up and coming year would hold; I don't think I'd actually believe it. The strange thing was that I was out and about today when I came across a framed picture of a dream catcher with the words "If you really want to catch you dreams you have to chase them" underneath. It was really appropriate considering everything that's happened during the past little while so of course it came home with me. So from now on, every time I look at that picture up on my bedroom wall, I'll fondly remember all of those precious memories and more importantly that dreams really do come true!
Like I said above, all my dreams that came true during the past couple of months have taken a long time to happen! I've had to overcome a lot of diversity and challenges throughout my entire life but the past four years since my knee surgery has been the toughest of them all. I'm sure at some point I'll write in more depth about all that has happened perhaps in a book (if I can actually make that dream a reality!) or even in this blog and explain in more detail just how difficult it's been. I feel really proud of everything I've overcome and the dreams I've achieved by doing just that. More now than ever, I feel extremely inspired to go out there and make every single one of my dreams come true.
As you'll know my radio dream has become a reality and I owe a lot of thanks every single person that helped me get there! I honestly mean this when I say that I love every single second I spend at the station, live on air hosting my very own show! I get such a buzz from it; I love learning new things, improving my skills and techniques and meeting such lovely people in the process. Having this amazing opportunity means the world to me and I'm cannot begin to express just how grateful I am for being given a chance.
Another of my biggest dreams was to meet Stevie Nicks from the legendary rock band Fleetwood Mac and thanks to an amazing charity named Rays of Sunshine my dream finally came true! I don't think I've ever met anyone quite like Stevie, she is truly a wonderful woman and a huge inspiration to me. Everything she said to me that night; the advice and the encouragement really meant a lot and will inspire me for the rest of my life. A short time after my wish was granted, Rays of Sunshine sent out a press release about my wish to some of the newspapers and the story was published in my town's local newspaper which was pretty exciting! We received the news that it had been printed whilst I was on air at the radio station so Mum and I popped into the supermarket on route home to pick up a copy. I quickly flicked through the pages in the shop to find the article but didn't properly read it until we got back into the car. I remember scanning through the article and having to double take when I noticed that Stevie herself had made a comment! Never in a million years did I expect to read the words "It was truly a pleasure to spend time with Robyn. She is definitely a girl with a plan, and she is not letting this get her down. She may actually save the world. I wrote her story in my journal where it will live on. Rock on Robyn! Love, Stevie Nicks." I was completely and utterly shocked but incredibly touched that Stevie had taken the time out of her day to contribute to the article and say such sweet things about me. Those words mean the absolute world to me and I can't thank Stevie enough for her words of wisdom and encouragement!
I sincerely hope that one day in the not so distant future I will find a way to help Rays of Sunshine for making my dream come true. That evening made such a big impact in my life and without Rays of Sunshine it would never have happened. I am going to have a good brainstorm about what I can do to say Thank-you them for granting my wish and hopefully find a way to help them make other young people's greatest wishes come true!
No doubt, you'll have come across my previous blog posts about my trip to Liverpool and seeing Sir Paul McCartney in concert. I've wanted to visit Liverpool for such a long time anyway, but combining it with another of my greatest wishes to see Paul McCartney in concert was something I'd never have even expected to happen! Liverpool is such a beautiful city and the people who live there couldn't have been friendlier! I instantly felt at home there and cannot wait to go back! Seeing Paul McCartney was for me one of those "pinch me" moments. I'd missed out on seeing him live on a couple occasions so this was as you can imagine an extremely special experience! I know some people would argue otherwise but in my opinion alongside so many others Paul's still go it! To see a gentlemen of his age play for as long as he did and not once show an sign of exhaustion was incredible! The music of course, speaks for itself and to actually hear those legendary songs performed right there in front of me was mind-blowing! I still can't believe I saw Paul live and have promised myself it certainly won't be the last time!
I could quite literally go on forever about the amazing few weeks I've but getting to the long and the short of it is that dreams do come true so never give up trying! If they don't work out for you the first time there's a good reason why it wasn't meant to be. Please just don't give up hope because when it finally does happen it'll be extremely special and completely worth it-I can assure you of that!
I shall love you and leave you for now, so if you haven't already make sure to catch up on all my latest blog posts here at www.thehathippie.blogspot.co.uk and also on my music blog www.jukeboxrhapsody.blogspot.co.uk! I'm planning on compiling a list of ideas for future blog posts to keep me busy over the coming weeks and months so if any of you would like to see me write about something in particular make sure to leave a comment below, on one of my social media accounts or by email through the contact form. Any ideas will of course be greatly appreciated and I'll do my absolute upmost to write about them here on my blog.

Thank-you so much for stopping by! I really appreciate all your love and support! It means the absolute world to me!

Lots of Love & Best Wishes,

Rob (The Hat Hippie) xx

Liverpool Day 3: Fab 4 Taxi Tour

Strawberry Fields Forever

I woke up that morning feeling a little star struck, well after all I had seen Paul McCartney just a few hours before! I'm so pleased that we decided to stay an extra day in Liverpool instead of a long day travelling home. Due to the major buzz I was experiencing from the night before, I seriously don't think I could have contained myself in as small a space for a long period of time considering how hyper I was.

We got up out of bed and packed our bags up as we were moving hotels for our final evening in Liverpool. We ate breakfast in a place named "What's Cooking Bar & Grill" which was directly underneath the premiere Inn. The décor was so cool, although I've probably said that about every restaurant/café I visited during my time in Liverpool but they all were unique and exciting in their own special way! I loved how this particular café incorporated the original features within the building creating a similar feel to the Premier Inn. I decided to order the "full monty" breakfast as I enjoy a cooked breakfast every now and then. You should however, have seen the look of shock on my face when the plate was sat down in front of me. I couldn't quite believe just how it big it was! Needless to say I couldn't finish it but what I did manage to eat was of course, rather delicious!

After breakfast we packed up the car with our bags and Dad took it over to the Crowne Plaza hotel where we'd booked to stay for our final evening. Mum, my sister and I made our way to the Pumphouse restaurant which was our designated meeting point for the Fab 4 Taxi Tour we'd booked a few weeks in advance of our trip. Just a short while after Dad joined us we were approached by a gentleman named Graeme who turned out to be our driver/guide. We followed him to the taxi and settled into our seats. We drove through the streets of Liverpool until we arrived outside a pub which we soon discovered was the pub on the front of Ringo Starr's first solo album "Sentimental Journey". Graeme was fairly new to the company, so it was here at this very location where we met John who would be take on the role of the main guide for us and another party of tourists.

The pub on the cover of Ringo Starr's first solo album Sentimental Journey

John told us the story of Richard Starkey's (more famously known as Ringo Starr) life standing in the exact location where it all took place. Just around the corner was the house that Ringo and his mother lived in until he became famous as the drummer of The Beatles. A couple of streets down the road was the very house Ringo where was born, almost directly across the road was his Dad's house and just a little further down the path was the home of his Grandparents. All of the houses in that particular street are currently empty and apparently were intended to be knocked down by the council. The plans have since changed and apparently, Ringo's birthplace is now set to become a museum at some point in future. The remaining empty properties in the street will be sold cheaply with the condition that all buyers promise to spend a certain sum of money on the renovation and maintenance of their property.

The next stop on our tour was the famous Penny Lane which served as the inspiration for the Beatles classic written by Paul McCartney. We had our photos taken next to the street sign, which they've now painted on the wall due to the fact that the street sign had been stolen on numerous occasions, which I find a little weird to be honest. I mean what would you do with a street sign?

Penny Lane Barber Shop

Further along the road was the famous "shelter in the middle of the roundabout" as well as the Penny Lane Barber Shop mentioned in the lyrics of the song. John, one our tour guides told us how Paul was inspired by childhood memories of Penny Lane and how these related to the lyrics of the song. Being such a big fan of The Beatles, I found it particularly interesting to see the exact locations I'd heard mentioned in the lyrics on so many occasions right there in front of me. It's extremely interesting to see how everyday life can create such amazing art loved by so many. Standing outside, we were shown a photograph of The Beatles taken inside the famous barber shop. In the photo was all four Beatles, with Paul seated in the barber chair having his hair cut into the famous Beatles mop top. Believe it or not the barber shop is still open to the public and much to our amusement they sell merchandise such as Penny Lane Barber Shop t-shirts!

Paul McCartney's childhood home

Next in the tour itinery was a visit to 20 Forthlin Road where Paul McCartney lived with his father, James and brother, Michael until he became famous. I'd seen many pictures of his childhood home so it was pretty surreal to find myself standing right in front of it! We were all told the story of Paul's life and how both him and John would skip school, (and art college in John's case) catch the bus back to Paul's house and spent the afternoon writing songs together unbeknown to both Paul's father and John's Aunt Mimi. The strange thing was I could actually visualise them strolling along the path together and sneaking into the house trying to avoid being caught by the neighbours.

Our next stop was Strawberry Fields, the very place that inspired John Lennon to write yet another legendary song in The Beatles catalogue of hits. Strawberry Fields for me, felt rather magical. Literally, the second we arrived there I instantly fell in love with it. I could hear the sound of leaves rustling in the crisp breeze in the trees towering high above us and the sweet sound of little birds singing songs filled the air-pure bliss in my opinion! From what I've heard John Lennon felt a connection with Strawberry Fields and after visiting there myself, (although, I'm sure it's changed a lot over the years) I can definitely see why he loved it so much.

Aunt Mimi's house

Mendips, 251 Melrose Avenue was where John Lennon lived for most of childhood with Aunt Mimi and just so happened to be our next port of call. Just like at the previous homes of The Beatles, we'd visited that day, we were told the incredible story of John Lennon. His story was absolutely heart-breaking to hear and I think standing in front his home made it seem all the more real. John had a really tough childhood and I really admire how he made something of himself and how he became a legend.

We also visited George Harrison's childhood home which looks almost identical to how it looked during the time that George and his family lived there. Apparently, this was the house where George celebrated his 21st birthday and the entire band celebrated it there with him. Our guides also showed us a photo of the local postmen delivering I don't know how many crates filled to the brim with birthday cards from his fans to the house. It was unbelievable, I have seriously seen nothing like it! It must have taken him years to open and read each and everyone of them!

The final stop of the tour was the church hall where John and Paul met for the very first time at a summer fete that the Quarrymen (John's band) performed at. Across the road was the graveyard where the tombstone that inspired yet another legendary Beatles track written by Paul. I'm sure you'll already have guessed that the song I'm referring to is Eleanor Rigby. Seeing the place where the world's best song writing duo met and of course, history was made was quite emotional for me as a fan. I often wonder what would have happened if perhaps one of them had taken ill and never attended the fete that day. Would they ever have actually met? Would The Beatles ever have actually existed? I suppose that's a question I'll never know the answer to which is most definitely a good thing! So it was here where we finished our tour and ironically we finished quite literally where it all began.

We bid farewell to John the tour guide and his party before getting back into our taxi and just a short time later we were dropped off by our guide/driver Graeme outside the world famous Mathew Street. What an incredible tour! Both guides Graeme and John couldn't have been nicer and both gentlemen were extremely knowledge about the Beatles and Liverpool itself. We'd booked a 2 hour tour which in fact actually lasted almost 4 hours which for just £45 was absolutely amazing! Next time I visit Liverpool I'd love to go on one of the longer tours with the Fab Four Taxi Tours and learn more about how Liverpool shaped The Beatles. Seriously, if you ever visit Liverpool and are keen to do a Beatles tours I'd completely recommend booking with them! You'll definitely not regret it! To find out more make sure to visit http://fab4tours.co.uk/

We made our way along Mathew Street before stopping to take a photo outside the Cavern Club and another beside the John Lennon statue situated a little further along the cobbled path. I couldn't visit Liverpool and not have my photo taken there! It had to be done!

A quick photo with the John Lennon statue

Afterwards, we made our way back to the Liverpool One shopping centre and popped into Ed's Diner for a milkshake. My sister has wanted to visit one of their branches for quite a while so we decided to pop in and see what it was like. I have to say I was rather impressed with it. It was like stepping back into the 50s, the décor was so cool and reminded me of the sets I'd seen in the Grease and Back to the Future films. The only problem was I felt like I should have come dressed in a poodle skirt or one of those cute 50s dresses covered in polka-dots, that you find in vintage shops or Camden Market in London. 

After a yummy refreshment, we took the opportunity to do a spot of shopping. I seriously don't think I've ever seen as many amazing shops in my entire life. There was a shop that catered to the taste and needs of almost everyone that stepped foot in Liverpool. Let's just put it this way, if there isn't you're just too fussy! No offence intended by the way!

As it was getting late we decided that it was probably a good time to have a spot of dinner and decided to take a visit to Pizza Hut. We don't visit Pizza Hut very often at home here in Scotland so it's always a nice treat to go there once every blue moon! I must confess I am not a huge fan of pizza, I'm not so keen on cheese (yes, I'm a little weird!) but I have to say that they make some absolutely delicious pizzas!

The Pizza Hut branch situated in the Liverpool One centre was what I would describe as mobbed (extremely busy). Presumably, it was as busy due to the fact that it happened to be half term in England and of course it was a Friday evening. Despite the quickly growing queue, the Pizza Hut staff were able to seat each party within the matter of minutes. The food tasted great and I think I enjoyed it all the more because I hadn't eaten pizza in such a long time!

After dinner we made our way to the Crowne Plaza Hotel, passing my beloved Albert Dock and the Liver Building on route to check in for our final night in the city. The thought of leaving the city didn't sound so appealing I must admit. The Crowne Plaza was very different compared to the Premiere Inn, it was rather fancy which was nice but I definitely have to say the Premiere Inn was my favourite out of the two! The Premiere Inn was very quirky which was right up my street!

I couldn't quite believe that my long awaited Liverpool trip had come to an end the following day. We grabbed the most amazing breakfast at a very cute and chic café/restaurant named "Bills" in the city centre of Liverpool and popped into a few shops to purchase a few bits n' bobs before making our way back to the car and bidding Liverpool farewell for now. I had such an amazing trip and enjoyed every single second of it! Without a doubt you'll already have guessed that my highlight of the trip was seeing Paul McCartney! Never in a million years did I ever imagine I'd see him in his hometown but as I've recently discovered dreams really do come true!

My Dream of Meeting Stevie Nicks Came True!

 

 As some of you already know one of my biggest dreams was to meet Stevie Nicks from Fleetwood Mac, one of my all-time favourite bands. Around six months ago my Mum applied to a charity named Rays of Sunshine to see if I fitted into one of their categories to have a wish granted. We soon discovered that I was in fact entitled to a wish so my Mum began the process of filling in the paperwork in hope that my wish might actually come true. Once all of the paperwork was submitted we quickly received a response from Rays of Sunshine to say that they would do their upmost to make my dream of meeting Stevie Nicks come true.

Last week, Mum received a phone call from Rays of Sunshine to tell us that they had successfully managed to arrange for me to meet Stevie at the first Fleetwood Mac concert in Glasgow. As you can probably imagine I was beyond excited and time always seems to go slower when you're excited.

Thankfully, Tuesday finally arrived and I was absolutely hyper as well as a little nervous I must admit-this was such a big deal for me! I'd dreamt of meeting Stevie for years and couldn't believe that finally it was going to happen!

We were contacted by a member of Stevie's team that morning to finalise the smaller details and we were told that we could park our car in the backstage car park where the band's private cars would pick them up and drop them off. The tour buses filled with equipment were all parked there too which was pretty cool! A member of the band's security met us there with our backstage passes and escorted in through the backstage door. Directly in front of us was the door leading directly behind the stage and on our left was the staircase to the dressing rooms. There was a door to the kitchens where I could see the caterers busy cooking what I'm sure would be some delicious food!

A member of the Hydro's staff was asked to escort us through to where all the food and merchandise stalls were situated to wait on the doors to the actual arena being opened. As we were making our way through the seated area in the arena we caught a glimpse of Mick Fleetwood hosting his meet n' greet. It was quite unbelievable to see Mick just a few steps away from us as we walked on by, it all felt rather surreal. 

Eventually, everyone was allowed inside to find their seats for the evening. At around quarter past eight the lights dimmed and the band walked on stage to receive a warm reception from the Glasgow crowd. Throughout the duration of the show we (the audience) were treated to a setlist of back to back hits all of which sounded absolutely amazing. I'd have to say my favourite song of the night was "Gold Dust Woman" which was both magical and simply mesmerising. I will hopefully write a review of the show itself for my music blog so keep an eye out for that!

The view from the side of the stage

During the second last song the gentleman who met us on arrival at the venue came and found us with a member of the Hydro's staff. They escorted us right round the arena, zipping in and out of the crowds of people dancing in the isles. It sort of felt like I was a celebrity! Before we knew it we were being ushered behind the barrier to watch the final couple of songs from the side of the stage which was completely unexpected. If you've read any of my concert reviews on my other blog you may have noticed that on a few occasions that I often find myself wondering what it's like from the bands point of view looking out towards the audience. Although I wasn't directly on the stage, my question was finally answered. It was quite a breath-taking sight; a sight that I never thought I'd see for myself. I don't think I realised just how big the Hydro is until I saw it from that exact angle.

At this stage I was beginning to become extremely excited and very nervous, I think being in as close proximity to the band as we were hit home and made realise what was about to happen. The show soon came to an end and the band gathered together at the centre of the stage to take a bow and bid their fans farewell. Before long the stage was empty, the house lights were turned on and quickly, the arena began to empty. We watched as the roadies carefully covered Mick's beautiful drum kit for its performance the following evening here in Glasgow.

It wasn't long before we were met by another member of the band's team who we followed behind the stage, through a door and round a small corner to the elevator. We clambered into the elevator as we chatted with the gentleman who had been appointed to take us upstairs. Seconds later the elevator doors opened to reveal a narrow corridor. On my left I could see a bunch of doors with familiar names printed on signs outside each one. Yes, those were the names of each member of Fleetwood Mac which was pretty cool! On the adjacent wall were framed posters of bands such as Eric Clapton and Prince who have performed in the Hydro since it's opening back in 2013.



A sneaky backstage photo

We waited with a member of staff in the hallway until we got the go-ahead to enter Stevie's dressing room. As we waited a bunch of people came and went from all angles, one of which just so happened to be Mr John McVie, Fleetwood Mac's bass player!

Just a little while later we were called down the corridor to Stevie's dressing room. As they fiddled around with the doors to open them up so I could enter the room in my wheelchair, I caught my first glimpse of Stevie Nicks sitting at her dressing table. I couldn't believe just how close I actually was to her-my heart was absolutely pounding!

Once the doors were opened, we were introduced to Stevie who pulled her chair right up to me so she could talk face to face with me. I have to admit I was a little tongue-tied for the first few minutes or so but thankfully, Stevie was very good at calming me down and quickly made me feel at ease. I'd brought her a little gift and card to say thank-you for taking time out of what I'm sure is a crazy schedule to meet with me. She opened the card right there and then before realising I'd written a rather long letter to which she asked me if I minded she took it back to her hotel as she loved reading letters before going to bed. She then opened the gift we'd given her which was a flower brooch/clip that Mum had handmade for her. She took it over to her dressing table and clipped the flower onto one of the stunning shawls she had hung over mirror. Apparently, she keeps things that are special to her on her dressing table as they bring back memories. So I feel pretty honoured she put it there!

We spent a while quite literally chatting about everything and anything, it seriously didn't feel like I was talking to a world famous singer instead it felt more like I was talking to a friend which was pretty special. Stevie was so genuine and extremely caring towards me which really meant a lot. I really felt like she "got me" in a way that very few people ever has and I'm not just saying that because of who she is; I genuinely mean it! To be honest I sort of forgot who I was talking to, it seriously felt like I'd known her all my life.

After a while, the door opened and I was so engrossed in conversation with Stevie I never even noticed until she said "Mick come in, this is Robyn, I'm making her wish come true" (words to that affect). As I turned round, standing in the door was Mick Fleetwood himself and oh my goodness was he was extremely tall! He shook hands with both my parents and I before pulling a chair over to sit next to Stevie. He spent quite a while chatting to my Dad as Mum and I continued to speak with Stevie.

Stevie's eyes fell upon the tour programme that I'd been clutching in my hands the entire time. "Would you like us to sign that for you?" she asked me motioning towards it. And of course I said yes! I began rummaging through the bag I'd brought to find the CDs and tambourine I'd brought in hope that Stevie would sign it for me. Kindly, they both signed every single item I'd brought with me. To be honest, I'd have been happy to have Stevie sign just one item but she happily worked her through my pile handing each item to Mick who also signed them for me.

Next, one of Stevie's team (I think it might have been her assistant but I'm not 100% sure) asked us if we'd like her to take a photo of us all with Mick and Stevie which of course was an offer we really couldn't refuse! After having a group photo Mick bid us all farewell shaking our hands as he did. Stevie and I had a couple of photo taken together where Stevie wrapped her arms right round me giving me what felt like the world's biggest hug. It was such a sweet moment! One of her best friends, Mary who I'd seen in photographs with Stevie when they were younger had been hanging about in the background so we asked her to come over and pose for a photo of her, Stevie and I together. It was such a cute photograph by the way! 

It was getting close to midnight and Stevie's car was waiting on her-although it seemed like she'd happily have chatted with me for a while longer, so we decided it would probably be a good time to make our way back home. We gathered up our stuff and said goodbye to Stevie who gave me a hug and blew me a kiss as we left with security leading the way to the elevator. We walked past Stevie's fancy car which was waiting to take her to her hotel and made our way to ours after thanking everyone for taking such good care of us. I was absolutely hyper the entire journey home and didn't get much sleep as I was far too excited!

It was an incredible night and I still can't quite believe it actually happened! A huge thank-you to the amazing charity Rays of Sunshine who worked tirelessly to make my dream come true! I can't begin describe just how much this meant to me! If you want to find out more about the amazing wishes Rays of Sunshine have granted in past or you'd like to make a donation to help make another young persons dream come true please click here.

I also want to say a huge thank-you to my Mum for taking the time and nominating me to have my wish granted. Thank-you so much to my best friend, Heather who is like a big sister to me for kindly signing some of the paperwork in order to make this happen. Finally, a big thank-you to Stevie and her team for being so sweet and making my night so special! I will cherish the memories you gave me for the rest of my life!

 

 

Liverpool Day 2: Macca Mania

 

The big day had finally arrived, the one I'd dreamt of for years. It was the day I'd finally see Paul McCartney live in concert-eeeeeek! (That's probably not the most literate thing to write but I think we can make an exception on this occasion!)

 The concert wasn't until the Thursday evening meaning that we had the entire day to spend exploring the city. But before we went anywhere we had a light breakfast in the Costa Coffee branch beneath our hotel (yes, Costa not Starbucks!). Having a light breakfast seemed like a sensible idea as we'd planned to have an early dinner before the concert that evening.

Sneaky photo of Costa

After breakfast we decided that first on our agenda would be a visit to The Beatles Story museum which again, was right next door to where we were staying. It was a pretty cool museum; they'd created scenes such as the inside of the Cavern Club and EMI Studios which is now famously known as Abbey Road Studios. All visitors are allowed to take photographs which is unheard of these days. Not many museums grant you permission to do that, so of course we took full of advantage of the situation and took plenty of photos (Thanks Mum for doing the honour!).

At the very end of the exhibition was a stunning tribute to John Lennon inspired by probably his most famous song as a solo artist, Imagine. There was a small hallway covered with some fabulous black and white photographs of John that expanded into a large room. To the left of the room was a white grand piano with a cream coloured guitar sitting proudly beside it. On top of the piano was a photograph of John and replica of his famous glasses. The lyrics of Imagine gently filled the room as everyone admired the simple, stunning and emotional tribute.

After leaving the room you then entered a Beatles inspired café which looked pretty cool. We didn't actually eat there so I can't say whether it's worth visiting or not though. I'll leave that up to you guys if you ever decide to stop by!

At the end of the café on the left hand side was a staircase and a lift for people like me who have mobility issues, use a wheelchair or have a child in a pram or pushchair. Both the lift and stairs take visitors to the gift shop and exit which are both situated on the second floor. If you're a huge Beatles fan like me you'll love the gift shop! It has by far the best selection of Beatles merchandise I've ever seen and cost me an absolute fortune! I'd previously visited a Beatles gift store in London which I wasn't impressed with to be completely honest. This on the other hand had so much to choose from and something to suit every price range.

After what was a lengthy shopping experience we decided to visit the Liverpool Wheel which is a much smaller version of the London Eye. The view from it was great but I will warn you that if you ever visit Liverpool do NOT ride the wheel on a windy day. It's not fun being so high in the sky and your pod rocking back and forth in the wind!

The view from the Liverpool wheel

The nest stop on our agenda was the Tate Art Gallery, which is also situated on the dock beneath our hotel (The Premiere Inn). It's such a pretty walk down by the docks, I could happily have sat there all day enjoying the stunning view and relaxed atmosphere. There is a nice selection of quirky, independent shops and cafes on either side. You could easily have spent most of your day strolling along enjoying all that the docks has to offer without visiting the main thoroughfare.

We had a brief walk round the Tate Art Gallery and realised that it wasn't quite for us. I'm sorry, but I find it difficult to understand how a pile of folded linen is seen as a work of art. Even I could fold a pile of material but I highly doubt it would make it's way into an art gallery. I'm sure everyone would laugh at me if I even attempted that. Personally speaking, I find modern art mind boggling. What's even more confusing was seeing people in deep discussion over the exhibits. 

As we left the gallery we noticed that it was getting pretty close to the time we'd booked our reservation for an early dinner at Jamie's Italian restaurant situated at the Liverpool One shopping centre. So it seemed like a pretty good idea to head in that direction and get a much needed bite to eat.

We took a leisurely stroll into the main shopping district admiring our amazing surroundings. As we passed the Waterstones book store we noticed a huge queue spanning up one of the side streets consisting mostly of teenage girls. We could help but wonder what exactly was going on so we went my sister to find out. It turns out that Joey Essex was visiting the store to sign copies of his book. That's all the information I really needed-curiosity killed!

Just a few steps along the path we spotted Jamie's restaurant, we were a little early for our reservation but decided to go inside and hope they'd seat us ahead of our designated time. Thankfully, they was plenty of room so we shown to our table straight away. Jamie's restaurant has a very relaxed and modern feel to it's interior which I quite liked. The staff were very friendly and evidently enjoyed working there. It's not every day you see the waiters dancing to the music playing in the background (Yes, I notice everything!)

On this occasion I didn't have a starter, instead my family ordered a bread basket as well as some stuffed mushroom dish from the specials menu. The bread selection was absolutely delicious, there was a nice variety of actual bread, breadsticks etc which were served with dipping oils-mmm! I didn't try the mushrooms as they were stuffed with melted cheese which I'm not so keen on, however my parents seemed to enjoy it. For my main course I ordered something called "Italian steak frites" which consisted of the most delicious featherblade stake, skinny fries as well as a pickle and crunchy kale slaw. If you ever visit one of Jamie's restaurants, it's definitely worth ordering. You won't be disappointed!

Following such a great dinner we took a leisurely stroll back to the hotel so that we could freshen up and charge our phones before the gig. After double checking we had our tickets and packed our camera safely in Mum's handbag (there was no way we could forget that!) we then made our way back downstairs, across the road and joined the queue outside the arena. The arena sits right by the waterfront so it was pretty windy and rather chilly. Thank goodness I'd decided to wear my winter coat, I'd have turned into a snowman if I hadn't!

The queue was filled with fans of all ages and nationalities which was so cool to see! I was so surprised to hear just how far people had travelled to attend this particular gig-it was unbelievable! In fact when Paul himself asked if anyone had come from outside the UK for the concert, possibly more then half of the room erupted in roars.

Eventually, the doors to the arena were opened and before long the building was heaving with people. Each fan was handed a sign from a steward which on one side read "Welcome Home Paul" and a heart with the British flag was printed on the other side. It must have been really special for Paul to walk on stage and see all these signs waving in the air.

Welcome Home Paul!

Seconds after entering the arena I found myself in front of the merch stall in great deliberation over what t-shirt I should purchase. I'd waited such a long time to attend one of Paul's gigs and promised myself that I would not leave the building without a t-shirt as a memory of the show. In the end I decided upon a limited edition t-shirt created specifically for the Liverpool concert. I also purchased a copy of the tour book/programme which came with a pair of 3D glasses so that you can view a bunch of photographs in 3D. I was extremely surprised when I tried them out for the first and realised just how well they actually worked.

I am currently working on a review about the concert itself for my music blog which will be posted very soon so I won't give too much away about it on this post. What I will say is that Paul McCartney was beyond incredible and did not disappoint! For a man of his age, he had so much energy and not once did he look tired. He certainly knows how to put on a good show; it was like one big party in that room and I'm so lucky to have been part of it!

The man himself

I still can't believe I actually saw Paul in concert and I know for a fact that this will not be the last time I see him in concert! My next big mission is to actually meet him, I don't quite know how I'll do it; but it'll happen one day!

It was such an exciting and amazing night and I'm so glad I got to spend it in Liverpool! So on that note I will bring this post to an end. Make sure to pop back soon to read the next post in my Liverpool series and make sure to pop over to my other blog www.jukeboxrhapsody.blogspot.com to read my upcoming posts including my review on Paul's concert, The Beatles Story museum and much more!

To read to read the first post in my Liverpool series click here.

Liverpool Day 1: Rock n' Roll Road Trip

 

 

Statues of The Beatles

If you're a follower of one of my social media accounts you'll probably have noticed that last week I went on what was for me an extremely exciting trip! Last Wednesday my family and I went on what I like to call a "Rock n' Roll Road Trip". Yes, it may sound rather geeky but I associate road trips with music and America for whatever reason.

No doubt you'll already have guessed (thanks to my blog title!) that the road trip was to the city of Liverpool. I've wanted to visit Liverpool for such a long time but the main reason I actually went there in the first place was to see Sir Paul McCartney! I'm a HUGE fan of Paul McCartney, Wings and of course the legends that are The Beatles! Seeing Paul live in concert has been one of my biggest dreams for I don't know how long. There has been a couple of occasions in years gone by that I've missed out on seeing Paul so I was beyond ecstatic to actually have managed to get tickets for the Liverpool. Ever since my Mum put the phone down after purchasing our tickets I've been counting down each second until the exact moment Paul walked on stage.  

"Welcome to England" sign

 Anyway, I better start writing about the trip itself and not bore you all with my excitable rants about Paul McCartney! So we set off on our journey last Wednesday from our home here in Scotland to the city of Liverpool. Surprisingly, the car journey went by pretty quickly which is always a good thing! I must admit that I did however, spend most of the journey searching for a service station with a Starbucks coffee shop. Can you believe that between Glasgow and Liverpool there was just two Starbucks coffee shops!? I mean there's nothing wrong with Costa but I do love a Starbucks frappucino! Who doesn't?! Thankfully, we did find a Starbucks branch eventually and I was able to get one of my all time favourite drinks; a strawberries and cream frappucino-mmmm!

I finally got a Starbucks frappucino!

Before long we'd arrived in the outskirts of Liverpool and as you can probably imagine I was on a complete and utter high. It really hit me that one of my biggest dreams, the one I'd waited such a long time to actually happen was about to come true!

There was something really special about driving in to the city; there was a complete and utter buzz! Even in the in the outskirts there was some sort of tribute to The Beatles everywhere I looked.

I fell in love with Albert Dock literally the second we drove into the area. Everywhere I looked there were people coming and going, there was a cute merry go round for children, barge boats, swan boats and I even spotted a yellow submarine apartment floating on the water-how cool! The buildings themselves were stunning, the architecture was absolutely breath-taking!

For the first two nights of our trip we stayed at the Premiere Inn, Albert Dock which is situated directly across from the Echo Arena and next door to both The Beatles Story museum and a Costa Coffee branch (Seriously! Why can't it be Starbucks?!). So our hotel was pretty central from everywhere we'd planned to visit over our trip.

It was extremely busy down at the docks and parking was a little hard to come by. Fortunately, a car pulled out of a space right there in front of us so guess where we parked? The gentlemen who pulled out of the car parking space kindly gave us his parking voucher which meant we could park there for free for a few hours which was so kind! Over our entire trip we were overwhelmed by just how kind the people of Liverpool are. They'd do anything to help you out.

We unloaded our car and made our way to the hotel, into the reception, checked in and took the rather small lift to the third floor where our room was. All of the original features such as the brickwork and the old doors had been incorporated in the building creating an atmospheric and quirky feel within the building.

 

The roof in our hotel room

 The view from our room's window was amazing! Our window looked out onto one of the docks where at least a dozen boats were docked at any given time. There was lots of independent shops, restaurants and the Tate art gallery situated around the docklands which meant people were constantly coming and going. I claimed a little armchair which sat by the windowsill and spent a lot of time sitting there watching the world below going by. I really wish I could have taken the window and armchair home with me!

The view from our room onto the docks

We left the hotel to be met by a heavy rain shower, I thought that only happened back home in Scotland! Due to the downpour we decided to take the car to the Liverpool One shopping centre and get a bite to eat as we were all pretty hungry after such a long journey. This meant that our next mission was to find a nice restaurant which wasn't too hard to come by. There was so many different restaurants to choose from but in the end we decided upon dining in a thai restuarant named Chaophraya. Both my parents and sister have been to it's sister restaurant in Glasgow at different times. For whatever reason I haven't dined there as of yet so it was a new experience for me.

For dinner I ordered chicken satay as a starter which came with a delicious peanut sauce follow by my favourite noodle dish, pad thai as a main course. Both courses were absolutely delicious!

The décor inside the restaurant was pretty fancy, they had these huge sparkly, chandelier lights hanging from the ceiling above us. There was even glass windows round the kitchen area so that diners could watch the chefs cooking their meals. I loved watching everything that went on inside the kitchen particularly when huge flames came shooting out the pans (I'm such a big kid sometimes!). When leaving the restaurant one of us looked up and noticed that above our head was a fish tank in the entrance doorway. I don't think I ever seen anything like that before!

chicken satay 

It was becoming rather cold and windy as we left the restaurant and although there wasn't any rain at that point, the sky looked grey and heavy meaning that evidently a rain shower wasn't too far away. With this in mind we decided that it was probably time to make our way back to the the car and head back to our hotel to get some rest before the extremely exciting day that would soon follow!

Radio Update

Hello Lovely People!

How are you all doing? Just as I promised you in my previous post here is an update to tell you all about everything that's been happening regarding my exciting radio opportunity. I can't quite believe that I'm actually able to say that I'm going to have my very own radio show! For me, its an absolute dream come true!
Since my last post I've visited the station for a look around and got to meet with the station manager, Louis. Following that I have visited the station a further three times for training.
On my first training session I was asked to come in a hour before the other trainees who had already taken part in training the week before. In that first hour I was shown the equipment and how to use it. There is so much to remember; I mean there are four different microphones, one for me the presenter and the other three for any guests you may have in the studio. There is also a CD player which has the capacity to take two different CDs at a time, a vinyl record player and a computer which has a library filled with thousands of songs, jingles and advertisements. All of the equipment is connected to the mixing desk which the presenter has full control over. Initially, there was so much to take in but after a few goes I feel like I'm definitely getting the hang of things! After being shown how to use everything, the other two trainees arrived and we were each given a chance to use the system and experiment a little. Afterwards, I had my photograph taken for my ID badge that I will have to wear when I'm in the station.
Last Friday, I had another visit to the station where I was allowed to use their portable system (I couldn't use the main one as the station was on air). I spent around an hour and a half working with the technology and practicing the skills I had picked up during my previous visit. I played some of my favourite songs and experimented using the jingles/advertisements whilst trying not to leave a silent gap in between. It's tricky and will require a lot of precision when it comes to timing but one thing I know for sure is that the more I do it, the better I'll become!
Yesterday (Sunday) I was given the chance to create my own mock radio show for an hour which I must admit I was extremely nervous about doing. It's extremely weird sitting their chatting to yourself and it's even weirder to think that in the not so distant future people will actually be listening to me whilst driving their cars or streaming from the comfort of their own home using the internet. I know for a fact though that as time goes on, it'll soon become second nature to me!
I decided to start off my first mock radio show presenting and talking about the music I'd chosen to play. Talking about something that I'm passionate about most definitely helped me with my confidence during my first attempt at a show. Had I chosen to talk about something else I think my mind would have went blank which would be rather embarrassing! Next time I do however plan to use newspaper clippings as well as magazine articles and read them out to help me get used to presenting. Overall, I was extremely delighted with my first attempt and cannot wait until I can do it for real live on air!
My task is to now come up with a concept, talking points and a name for my show which is really wracking my brains. My aim is to think of something unique and exciting that people will really enjoy listening to. So if any of my lovely readers happen to have some ideas that you think I might be interested in using, please let me know! Any ideas will be greatly appreciated!

Until next time,

Robyn x

Music Blog: www.jukeboxrhapsody.blogspot.co.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/thehathippieblog
Twitter: www.twitter.com/thehathippie

My Exciting News!

Hello Everyone!

My apologies for being so quiet around here these past few weeks. I have been unwell with a throat/chest infection and after a course of antibiotics I have been left with a rather annoying cough. Hopefully, I will be back to old self again soon!
If you have been following my latest updates through my social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter you will already have heard my exciting news. But for those of you who haven't, I thought I'd share it here. After writing my last blog post on disability discrimination I have received such an overwhelming response from you my lovely readers, which I cannot begin to thank you enough for! I received so many sweet and encouraging comments which really meant a lot to me!
Out of what was a negative situation came a whole lot of positives! Thanks to two of our wonderful family friends and The Irvine Herald newspaper who contacted us almost immediately, I now have some amazing opportunities lined up. I'm unsure how much I am able to give away as of yet about one of the opportunities but I promise as soon as I know you'll all be the first to hear. What I can tell you is 3TFM have agreed to take me on and it looks like I might be getting my own radio show! How cool is that!? A dream come true!
I am going for my first visit to the station later this week to meet with the station manager. So keep an eye on both my Facebook account and here on this blog for details on how it went.
The past couple of years have been a bit of a rocky ride for me but at last things seem to be turning in the right direction and I am finally getting where I want to be. Everything seems to be falling into place and I'm beginning to achieve my goals and aspirations.
I have a long, list inside my head full of dreams and aspirations that I want to achieve so I thought I might actually write them down and share them here on my blog. It might be fun to tick them off as I go along and write a post on each one I complete. I thought it would be a great way to look back at everything I've done over the coming months and relive each memory whilst sharing it with each of you.
Anyway, I shall leave you with this short post for now and I will do my upmost not to leave as long a gap between now and the next post I write.

Until then, I send you all my best wishes!

Lots of Love,
Robyn x


Music Blog: www.jukeboxrhapsody.blogspot.co.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/thehathippieblog
Twitter: www.twitter.com/thehathippie

Disability Discrimination

As I said in my previous posts one of my aspirations is to work in the journalism/media field. Just like any normal teenager I'm doing my upmost to get experience and learn the skills I need to get my dream job. Unfortunately, due to my disability I've been unable to attend school for the past few years and haven't been given the same opportunities that my peers have been offered such as work experience. With that in mind, I've had to go out and get the work experience myself. Yesterday, I contacted one of my local radio stations after reading on Facebook that they were looking for a number of people to train in radio presenting. "Perfect!" or at least I thought so.
I sent an email to the provided contact with the relevant information that they required. I also explained that I was a wheelchair user, briefly explained my story and told them about the handful of media/journalism experience I had previously gained. Hoping that I would be one of the lucky applicants I then sent off my email.
Today, I logged onto my email account to find an email from the station stating that "unfortunately at the moment we are in temporary accommodation and our disabled access is very limited for wheelchairs". Yet again, another organisation that doesn't cater for wheelchair users!
As you can imagine I feel extremely upset and angry that yet again the world only see the disability that I have and not me; a person with real thoughts, feelings and emotions. Throughout my entire life I've constantly had doors slammed shut in my face and have been told that I can't do something because I am disabled! Not acceptable!
My school has treated me in a similar manner, well known businesses/organisations have discriminated against my disability and now one of my local radio station has followed suit. What does this say about society?
My aim through this blog is to make a difference for young people like me who live with disabilities and all of the challenges that the world around throw at us! I will not sit back and let this go, if I don't do something about it who will!?
I beg of each and everyone of you out there who read this post to share it in every way possible whether that is through Facebook, Twitter or any other form that you can think of. We need to educate people on disabled rights and more importantly actually getting things put into fruition, I need people standing by me helping me to get the appropriate bodies to stand up and take notice!
None of us know what might happen to us or a member of our family tomorrow, that is why I ask you to stop and think "how would I feel if this happened to me or a loved one?". If we're being completely honest with ourselves we'd all feel rejected, disappointed, hurt and angry.
That is why discrimination needs to stop NOW!!! Changes need to be made and these changes need to be put into action immediately!
 
If you wish to contact me on this subject or about anything else please do not hesitate to do so on the following links and I will do my upmost to respond as soon as I possibly can! 

Email- thequeenofhats14@gmail.com
Facebook- www.facebook.com/thehathippieblog
Twitter- www.twitter.com/thehathippie

My Experience Meeting Richie Sambora & Orianthi Panagaris

Last July I had the opportunity to meet Richie Sambora, former guitarist of the world famous rock band Bon Jovi and Orianthi Panagaris who has played guitar alongside some of the biggest names in the music industry including Michael Jackson, Prince and Alice Cooper. I've been a big fan of Orianthi ever since I first saw her in Michael Jackson's This Is It film when I was just eleven years old. Watching Orianthi play guitar alongside one of my all-time favourite singers Michael Jackson was what inspired me to learn guitar. I was completely mesmerised watching her perform and wanted to one day play guitar with the skill and talent that she has!

Orianthi & I

Around this time last year, I heard that Orianthi would be joining Richie Sambora on his tour of the UK and Europe. The best part was that the final show of the tour would take place here in Scotland! I'd previously seen Orianthi perform live with Alice Cooper and was extremely hyper that I might actually get to see her live in concert for the second time! I was also extremely delighted about the prospect of seeing Richie Sambora in concert as I've always loved Bon Jovi-who doesn't?! For me, it was one of those win-win situations.

One of my biggest dreams was to one day meet Orianthi. With this in mind my lovely Mum managed to get in contact with a member of her team who kindly arranged for me to meet with Orianthi prior to the show in Glasgow! I cannot begin to describe just how excited I was!

On the day of the show my Dad and I were also invited to watch Richie and Ori's pre-show sound check. By the time we arrived at the venue that day there was a huge queue of people also attending the concert spanning right up the street. As we walked past them, I could feel the infectious buzz coming from those waiting. 

After letting the appropriate people know that we'd arrived, we were then escorted inside to watch the sound check. I'm extremely interested in what goes behind the scenes at events such as concerts and loved every second of it watching all of the comings and goings happening around me. Instruments were being tuned, the merchandise stall was in the process of being set up and the lighting was being adjusted. So much work goes on behind the scenes to make each show run smoothly and to the perfection that we the audience see. We're all unaware of just how much time, hard work and effort each member of the crew puts into every show. Without them there would be no show! From spending such a short period of time in that environment it was evident that both the crew as well as the band are extremely close. I can only imagine that whilst on tour everyone becomes like an extended family.

After a short wait both Richie and Ori arrived at the venue in time for sound check. They appeared on stage from the darkened wings and began to set up their guitars with the help of the guitar techs. Once organised, Orianthi looked in my direction and waved! It was one of those exciting moments in life where it all seemed like a dream. Even if I hadn't actually met her, having Orianthi wave in my direction would have made my night!

Watching sound check was such a cool experience-it was like having your own private concert! During sound check they performed a bunch of songs by some of the biggest names in the music industry. I can't remember the exact list of songs they performed however, I'm pretty sure it included numbers from artists such as Bob Marley, Stevie Wonder and The Beatles.

We were then taken backstage towards the end of the band's sound check. As you can probably imagine at this exact moment I was rather excited! I'd wanted to meet Ori for years and the moment was finally going to happen!!!!

We waited in the hallway outside of the dressing rooms whilst Ori got ready for the show. I'd never properly been backstage before, so I really enjoyed soaking everything in. For whatever reason I had always imagined backstage areas to be quite glamorous (I have no idea why to be honest!). However, it wasn't at all what I expected. I liked it though, there was a nice buzz about the place.

After waiting for a few minutes, a small crowd of people appeared at the other end of the hall. It took a few moments for my brain to click and for me to realise that there, at the other side of the corridor was Richie Sambora himself! He immediately came right over to me and started chatting. Richie was such a lovely, genuine and down to earth type of guy! He certainly wasn't one of those rockstars/celebrities that couldn't care less about their fans. I wish I could tell you more of what he said but I had one those star struck moments-typical me!

I had my photo taken with Richie but didn't realise until later on that our camera had decided to play up and didn't save the photograph which was frustrating-but at least I have the memory! Before bidding us farewell and heading to his dressing room, Richie gave me a big hug and shook hands with my Dad! What a special moment!

Before long one of the dressing room doors opened and out came Orianthi! Both Dad and I shook hands with her and she then gave me a big hug! Ori was seriously one of the loveliest people I've met! I felt at ease chatting with her, which was lovely as I really got to enjoy the time I spent with her. It wasn't one of those moments that I had gotten so hyped up about, my mind went blank and then all seemed liked a blur afterwards. Instead, I can replay the moment in my head, recalling every detail and remembering the exact conversation.

I really admire Orianthi's sense of style and one of the first things I really noticed was her outfit which you'll be able to get a glimpse of in the photo I have added to this post. She was even wearing one of her famous hats that I'd admired in so many of her photographs posted on Instagram. But before I could even mentioned how much I love her style, she complimented my outfit and hat!

I chatted with Orianthi about her time touring with Alice Cooper, I'd seen them live in Edinburgh almost two years before. She told me about one of their shows (which funnily enough I happened to have watched footage of on YouTube) where during School's Out, Alice and the rest of the guys in the band all appeared wearing blonde wigs similar to Ori's hair. It was interesting to hear her account of what happened, as I often watch concert videos and wonder what it's like from the musician's point of view.

Orianthi even told me about some of the new musical projects she'd been working on such as recording at the legendary Abbey Road Studios and her greatest hits album which at the time was just weeks away from being released in Japan. She also told me a little bit about the new album that both her and Richie are currently working on, which of course I can't wait to hear as it sounds like it'll be right up my street!

I brought along my copies of Orianthi's albums in hope that she would sign them for me. Kindly obliging, she turned to me and thanked me for supporting her work and purchasing her albums. Meeting someone who I really admire and having them thank me for my support really meant a lot! It's lovely to hear directly from the artist that they appreciate their fans support. Before making our way to our seats to watch the show, I then had my photograph taken with Ori. Fortunately, the camera decided to cooperate this time-phew!
This just so happened to be the final show of Richie's tour of the UK and Europe and it was great end to the tour I must say! Richie played a range of songs from his time as a member of Bon Jovi and also performed material from his solo albums. Together, they even performed a song named "You Don't Wanna know" which featured as one of the tracks on Orianthi's latest album "Heaven In This Hell". As you can imagine there was some amazing guitar solos which of course I could happily sit there and listen to for days without end. And of course, I can't forget the amazing Glasgow audience who love to have a good time!

At the end of the show one of the roadies came and found me with a Richie's copy of the show's set list that he had on stage with him for me to keep. I've never had the opportunity to stand at the front of the stage at a concert before because of my health. Due to that I've never had the opportunity to catch a plectrum from the band or a copy of the set list. As you can imagine I have and will continue to treasure the set list and plectrums I received that evening as memento from the amazing night that I had.

I highly doubt that Richie, Ori or any or their wonderful team will ever come across this post but if they do, I just wanted to say a huge thank-you to each and everyone of them for making my dream come true! They were all so sweet and kind and really made me feel special! I also owe a huge thank you to my amazing Mum as without her this would never have happened!