If you like the hot weather then I'm sure you're really happy… but I've had enough of it to be honest. Too hot to take the dogs anywhere and pretty hard to get motivated when you're sweating all the time… but I try!!!! and okay, so I was late with July so I am making up for it by being on time with August!!!

It's going to be a very busy month as indeed will September… errr… and October, November and December… soon be Christmas!

The month of August get's off to an interesting and fun start on Sunday the 2nd with our annual Animals Asia concert at the Mill in Sonning with my great friend Peter Egan… Always a fun afternoon, (it's a matinee event with a great meal beforehand).A fun raffle and auction plus me plonking the piano and relating a few silly stories! All in aid of our wonderful Moon Bears. If you can make it, I promise you won't be disappointed.

On the 4th I have a long meeting with my manager to iron out everything that needs to be ironed out and clarified as regards The Hint of Xmas shows and the Wizard of Prog book tour and the Wizard of Prog Ultimate Highlights tour next February and March.

On Friday the 7th I am off to have lunch with Sir Terry Waite. We have been chatting about our respective charities and hopefully we can be of help to each other. He's a remarkable man and fabulous company. If you want to know more about him then treat yourself to his book "Taken on Trust"… A book you can't put down once you start reading!

On the 10th and 11th I will be in the studio working on the music for the Black Holes Starmus 8 concert in Tenerife in October. This has been fascinating to put together and the music will be piano and a small orchestra, around 20 musicians. The music interweaves with the voice of Steven Hawking as well as stand alone pieces. The concert, which will be filmed and recorded, will last around one hour, and will have no breaks. A continuous performance.

On the 12th, I will be working with Hayley Sanderson on the new backing vocal arrangements for the Wizard of Prog Ultimate Highlights concerts and on the 14th I will be meeting up with Stuart Morley, who will be conducting at Starmus 8, to go through the orchestrations which he will be doing for me.

On the 17th, another day of podcasts with Mark Jeeves which I always look forward to as I simply never know what to expect!

On the 18th I am taking part in the entertainment for the Comedian's Golf Society, of which I am a proud member even though I have not been able to play golf for a few years now because of the medical issues that made even holding a golf club difficult!

The rest of the month is mainly writing music and getting stuff ready for the upcoming tours and shows… at the beginning of September Oliver and I are doing the only Wakeman and Son shows in the UK at the Lowther Pavillion in Lytham St Annes. More details here on the website.

Cheers Rick

---