Monday means first physio, small operation and possible feedback on my first version of the written part of the thesis, plus ... one last musical piece of the puzzle. Whew! I'm wired xxx

Good supervisory meeting: further clarified my research question & methodology and began discussing various strategies for determining how the external supervisors might experience the music & text – together or separately. The light is returning! xxx

Beautiful early Spring afternoon! I believe I'm on the right philosophic path now and killin' it with my PhD (hope I don't regret that last comment!). Physio going well too, I believe fitness is again attainable! xxx

Up to Leeds next week (first time in a year) and up in loft bedroom again (keeping the camp bed til the end of the month, just in case). Image taken from the window outside our bedroom, now that's progress! xxx

Great time in Leeds last week: beautiful weather, good supervisory meeting, and my PhD is almost finished. Big change at home, the ground floor camp bed is folded up and my 'stuff' is back upstairs! Still takes me awhile to get there (so many stairs), but I do. xxx

Gorgeous weekend! Still ploughing through the many final edits and footnotes for the thesis still left to do (they seem endless), but I can see it's almost there. I'm looking forward to creating new music that's independent of academia as well! xxx

A milestone, first day back in the gym! My thesis work is nearing completion and I'm firmly ensconced back in the eagle aerie I call our bedroom, no more sleeping downstairs in my studio - life is improving! Hope yours are as well! xx

Waiting for feedback on 'finished' thesis, exciting and nerve-wracking. London weather has decided to go 'back to black' in the meantime. It's chilly as f**k! Take care all . . . what am I going to when my PhD is done???

The thesis feedback was positive but the loads of little changes requested are slow to do as I'm not really familiar with Word on Mac. Thought I'd post a pic of Leeds when I was there last week . Yeah, I'm physically so much better now! xxx

Almost finished with the creative side of my PhD, a few sections of writing to tighten up, mastering volumes to do and technical bits (bibliography, etc.). The view from my upstairs window. If anyone wonders, my images are whimsical metaphorical comments on my state of being.

Finished (more or less), ready to enjoy summer, so I look my supervisor in the eye and ask the £1,000,000 question - How can I improve this? And he tells me. My writing is a bit cliched and emotional for academia (admittedly nit-picking), so I'll be sorting that for a while!

Editing what you thought was finished work is its own kind of purgatory, a place I'm now very familiar with! I'll be sending the newly edited thesis to my supervisors in a few days and hoping my edits haven't made it unintelligible. I've read it way too many times! xx

Finally reaching the last moments of the PhD, my Viva is at the end of this year and the knee difficulties are pretty much sorted - Recovery! Summer weather's been changeable but beautiful, especially since I can view it from the top floor again! All the best to my FB amigos!!!

Started applying to run workshops on subjects I've been researching, a bit discomforting after a lifetime of composing and performing music but life is about change. Looking outside my window, clouds rush by, their shadows beginning to shift the landscape I've known for so long!

Just back from a lovely 3 days in Glasgow where we watched a Hollywood film crew setting up scenes for a new Spiderman in the centre of the city, not why we were there but fun. It was also roasting hot, climate change is affecting everywhere! 2 or 3 months 'til my Viva. . .whew!

As autumn weather settles in, I'm off to Leeds for a supervisor meeting. If earning a living wasn't important, I would love to continue being an academic researcher & writer as a future career path (+ music, of course!). All the best xx

Back from Leeds, just submitted my thesis and waiting for my Viva date. Felt a bit down, so started looking for some new music to perk me up and, lo & behold, discovered "Cain Culto", a US/Columbian musical badass! Check them out!!! youtu.be/2aQhQ0owH8o?si…

My Viva thesis is now officially uploaded & being sent to my external supervisor. I'm making a memory sheet of names and ideas to memorise for the Viva (went to a workshop and found out more about what I would be questioned on). The weather is beautiful again!

As a I wait to hear when my Viva will take place ( twiddling thumbs as well as reading thesis again and again), the weather is providing London with a wonderfully gentle Autumn. I'm also beginning to compose and record new music again. xx

My viva is set and a certain amount of trepidation is keeping me awake at night. Soon I must enter the academic gladiatorial field ... Whew! I've been working on new music and finding new Latinx and flamenco fusion artists. Check out Maria del Tango. youtu.be/C1lkZ5fTRmI?si…