Traffic jam

Trying to get to Derby. Meant to be there in 40 mins but cruddy traffic means I'm still in London. Had email from conductor Jeremy today who says 50 % of our singers are either incapable or not well enough prepared to perform the motet live. Studio sessions continue but I am out of money and have no more sources of funds. I may well have to admit defeat for the first time in my life. 

Off to Derby for the Gillard Awards. Watford Gap: The Musical has been nominated but I'm sure has no chance of winning. This was meant to be a really fun evening for me but I have no hope of arriving there in time. I now have half an hour to get to Derby and am still on the North Circular! 

Listening to accounts of the engine explosion on the Qantas airbus. It sounds armingly similar to what happened to us as teenagers on a flight back from Canada, right down to the rather calm announcement made by the pilot. We'd been on an orchestra tour and had to make an emergency landing in Toronto after dumping all the fuel over the Great Lakes. We landed on foam with all sorts of emergency vehicles screaming down the runway behind us. It was terrifying but sadly we didn't get to take our high heels off and bomb down the emergency slides!