Just to wish all Tori fans a really Happy, healthy and peaceful New Year.

"We will open the book..its pages are blank...we are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day" (Edith Pierce).

Well...my son recently got his first school project to do… on the Solar System...so I’ve been helping him with all the planning and research. The dilemma I’m sorta having is when does “helping him with it”, become “completely taking over!”… ye see, it’s such an interesting subject and I can’t help myself…the more we research the more I find myself becoming “involved”. Of course, he’s quite happy to let me get on with it but I don’t think the teacher would be too happy…So…as hard as it is, I’m having to force myself to step back and just “guide” him.

My daughter had me smiling again at the weekend… so what happened... I was about to go out for the evening… (quite rare these days!)… invited to a friend’s 40th birthday party. I was all dressed and ready to go when my seven year-old daughter asked me if I was going to wear something nice!!

I don't know about everyone else, but sitting here in the UK, thousands of miles away from the hustle & bustle of the Tori Amos North American tour, really gets frustrating...I've just been reading some of the cool reviews and comments from US fans that have been to shows in the last few days and weeks and as you might imagine they are all so positive and full of admiration for her brilliant live performances...

So the other day I helped my 9 year old son with his literacy homework, which went…so well … not! It was a bit embarrassing really… I didn’t know or couldn’t remember the rules for punctuating speech. But anyway, we muddled through and he tells me that if it’s wrong, not to worry, he’ll just advise the teacher that it was dad’s fault. Of course, that made me feel much better!

So what's going on in (not so) Sunny Southport... weekends at the moment are just a bit too predictable...you know how it can get... busy with the usual taxi service for the kids, shopping (for food...how exciting...not!). To be honest I love it really.... My daughter's busy with her dancing at the moment... has an exam in a few weeks time. She's also practicing her violin before school and in the evening for a competition later this month... makes me so proud. Managed to get some tickets to see KT Tunstall in Manchester later this month...

Had some time on my hands so I've been taking a look at some of the accounts of how we've all become fans... finding out how Tori and her music has become so important to many of us. Lots of them are so moving... it immediately hit home just how many of us have had to deal with so much unhappiness or experienced traumatic events... maybe in childhood or in marriage/relationships... It really puts life in perspective when your feeling a bit low... makes my own petty worries and troubles pale into insignificance!

One of my "vices".. or obsessions, whatever you like to call it, is going to live gigs... well I don't smoke or do anything stronger, I don't drink ... all that much!.. so I guess I deserve this little indulgence or at least that's what I tell myself. Yes, I do sometimes spend a little more than I should going to see live shows (according to my wife!) - in the last few months I've seen Nerina Pallot, Shawn Colvin, Roger Waters (Pink Floyd), Suzanne Vega, Norah Jones and of course best of all Tori Amos.