Cardiff and then home (sniff!)

So, I got out of the car, only to be told Merrill had just gone in - rats! However, I got more than my fair share of him later on, so all was not lost. A few weeks earlier Jenny, Merrill's European assistant, had announced that if it was your birthday at an event, then you'd have a little surprise - it was Janette and Shelley's that day and I saw them go in as I arrived. When they came back out again, after watching a bit of Merrill's sound check, we shared chocolate cornflake cakes which I'd bought with me (not made myself!). YUM! We all waited outside for ages, but it was very pleasant. The Point is in a very quiet (on a Sunday) part of Cardiff Bay and is a former church, decommissioned in the early 1990s, having been built at the turn of the 20th century. After a while, security came out and, given my tendency to not like being called names like 'love', 'dear', 'sweetheart' and stuff like that, when he asked me to wait at the other side 'my lovely', I was tempted for a second to deck him, but, actually, that's quite sweet! He was very nice too (if you know what I mean - haha!).

Anyway, eventually, after Mr Osmond decided that he'd checked his sound loud and clear, I went in first, joking that they could now shut the door on the rest of the crowd! Rather surprisingly, they didn't listen to me! BAD security people! LOL!

I was guided to my seat and it was at the end of the third/fourth row in the middle, right in the centre of the stage - very good view of anyone who happened to appear on it (and there was - when you adjusted your camera to not get anyone's head in the way - JOAN! HA!). We waited quite a long time, and I chatted to loads of people and just waited and looked at the venue - really lovely inside, they've kept a lot of the stained glass windows and the interior - really lovely. Music was playing a lot of the time in the background and it was very mellow! We were given a package about the Shiloh weekend and our ticket for the M&G which I promptly nearly lost! I met Jenny and got a hug and a thank you from her, which was sweet.

Merrill coming on was a bit strange - he just suddenly appeared, really quietly from the back of the stage, it was like 'Oh, he's there!' LOL! He then sang a few songs, interspersed with chat about the weekend, about his family, about working on Sundays (the guilt some may feel about being there, he said something about 'if you need to be here, then that's OK', or something like that), he talked about being away from his family (and given what he went back to, that had added poignancy for me later). The weekend in June became even real for me. He told us to prepare for it beforehand, because it will change us, take us out of our comfort zones, specially the creation therapy. He introduced some people who were going to help him with the weekend. He answered some questions, which I can't remember most of now! It was a very moving time, to hear him talk about what he wanted to achieve and then the songs interspersed with that. Let Me In got me going AGAIN - thank you, Janette, for the hand hold and the tissue - much appreciated.

All in all a lovely time with him, he did the first half, there was an interval where I decided to go and look at the merchandise - I had it all (am I sad, or what?! LOL!)! The second half was Mal Pope, a really lovely guy who has got to know Merrill very well - he talked a bit about what they've done together, he introduced himself by singing the theme song from Fireman Sam - which he wrote. All together now............... LOL! I love a man who can laugh at himself! Merrill came on for some of it and sat and watched him at work. They did some stuff together, even some Osmond hits (Mal needs to work at his Crazy Horses dance! HA! Tooooo funny!). All of it was a very lovely time.

Afterwards, I decided I needed a drink, so after recovering (!), chatted to people (I spent the second half sort of in the first/second row in the middle again) and went to the bar! I got myself a Coke, and was just casually loitering with no intent whatsover - honest - and Merrill suddenly (again!) appeared down the side, I was pointed out to him, got a HUGE bearhug and then 'Would you like my sandwich?!' Well, I didn't quite know what to say, really - WHY does he feel the need to give me his food?! LOL! Sweets last June, Chicken mayo sandwich today - hmmmm....... ha! So, I said yes! HA! And he gave it to me, and then came the dilemma of what to actually DO with it! So, I went to the merch stall, wrapped it in a Osmania Stateside booking form (SORRY Karens!) and carried it around with me for the rest of the day (it went in a plastic bag when I got to the hotel).
Next June I'd like a lovely Belgian chocolate please, Merrill! (I know it's supposed to be healthy eating, but one won't do any harm!). We also had a raffle, which I forgot to buy tickets for - sorry Karen!

Then came the Meet and Greet Time, I was 34 or something, and they were being pretty strict about going in order, so I waited a bit, chatting to people in line, or who were just sitting there, soaking up the atmosphere. I discovered that the M&Gs were taking place upstairs, and decided that I would go walk upstairs, I had my crutches with me, I could do it. I discussed (!) it with Jenny and one of the security guys and they said they'd help get me up. So, I waited in line and when it was my turn, I got up, walked up one step, two steps and then there was a third, MUCH bigger step - and my foot got stuck! No matter how hard I tried, I could not move it. It was gently (ish) put to me that perhaps I shouldn't go upstairs - I wanted to try, but my foot wouldn't move. So, extremely reluctantly, I stayed at the foot of the flight of stairs - and bawled my eyes out! I was annoyed with myself, embarrassed that all these people wanted to help me and my body just couldn't do it - grrr!

Elinor was brilliant, she gave me a hug and managed to calm me down, reassuring me that at least I'd tried. I was left for a couple of minutes to get my breath back and then Merrill appeared 'Now, Ms Gerry, dry those tears!' He then crouched down in front of me and gently admonished me, saying that I didn't need to go to him, he'd ALWAYS come to me. I told him that I wanted to do the opposite and felt frustrated that I couldn't. There then followed the most wonderful conversation I've ever had with him and I'm keeping it to myself, if you don't mind, but it was lovely. We talked about health issues, families (mine and his), Belgium, it was just absolutely wonderful. I've always said that I'm often concerned that people talk about what's going on in their lives to Merrill, just didn't understand it - but I do know now. May never do it again but I needed to this time, obviously. Then Mario appeared and we had our photo taken together on the little ledge by the stairwell. The background and setting may not have been what I wanted (and I'll probably look like death warmed up in the photo), but the atmosphere couldn't have been bettered. Absolutely gorgeous.

Eventually, he went back upstairs and I floated back out to the hall! (Why couldn't I do that up those flipping stairs!). Thank you to Elinor and Joan for all their help, you are stars!

When I got back out, I spent the rest of the time talking to people, watching people go in (and again, one or two!). We were eventually asked to leave, very politely, by the security guys, as they needed to get everything down. So we went outside, and waited for a VERY long time whilst everyone else saw Merrill. Had great fun, got told the history of the neighbourhood by Bernard - bit dodgy, kept being threatened to be thrown in the Bay if I was naughty! There was a pub across the way which was a bit noisy, and some lads were playing with this small bouncy ball which they promptly lost and at one point we were all looking for the stupid thing - in darkness, with not much lighting where it had gone!

Most of the evening was spent deciding which exit Merrill would come out, and we were sure that certain people were playing cat and mouse with us, so several people were eventually posted at each entrance - tooo funny. 35 years of experience of trying to locate an Osmond is not to be sniffed at - or to try and con them into thinking Osmonds are somewhere they are not, or vice versa! LOL! He eventually came out at 10.15PM, after asking to see Susan's children, who were as lovely as ever! There was only a few of us mad fools there, it was flipping freezing, I had no long coat with me, but I got a handshake (!) and a 'you take care, Gerry' from Merrill as he got into the car and went off to Holland.

I was a bit worried about my hotel, so Lesley offered to give me a lift back in her car (even though I wasn't sure how to get back to it - it was DARK!), but I couldn't get into her car. Bernard and Susan offered, and I knew I could get into his, and he knew vaguely where it was, so off we went, with the family, and eventually got back to the hotel. They waited to see that everything was OK, just in case they'd forgotten I was coming back! If I had problems, we would go find somewhere else (or a nice quiet spot on the water somewhere, apparently! LOL!).

But no, no problems, checked in properly, hugs all round and then off to bed! I hadn't eaten all day so wondered about room service, but quite frankly couldn't work out how to get it, so had a tea and a few shortbread biccies that were provided instead! The room was quite narrow, not really suitable for a wheelchair, although the bathroom was - it had a shower, which was no use, so I had a wash, went to bed. Slept quite well, and woke up the next morning, and realised I didn't know when my train was! HA! Checked and, luckily, had time for breakfast, which was lovely - scrambled egg and bacon. Not many people around, so good service. Oh, and the lights were the same as the Jurys at Newcastle, so I was an expert on them by now - although when you took the card out at night, they went out straight away - which meant it was an experience getting into bed!

Ordered taxi to station and then sat in foyer and read the paper. Taxi came, took me to the back entrance to the station, which was not exactly the right place to go, but they were very helpful in getting help to get me to the train - which came very promptly. He carried my bag for me, was quite chatty without being overly so, and eventually I got to the platform. Same little four carriage train, such a LONG journey. No famous people this time. Sat opposite two young lads who were going to Manchester, journey was uneventful, same stations, some with weird names! Raining in Manchester (!). When I got on the train in Manchester, I started to feel quite emotional, thinking about the weekend and looked out of the window a lot (if you know what I mean!), there were a couple of extremely weird people sharing my carriage a couple of times, one of them muttering under his breath something about stupid train companies, I'll get them! A little disconcerting, but he was quiet the rest of the way to Leeds. Then there were two businessmen who chatted very loudly about closing this company down (they may have been lawyers), and then spent most of the rest of the time emailling on their little hand-held thingies.

Got off train, was helped to the taxi rank - it was assumed that I would stay in my chair, so went down this very long line of cabs to find a wheelchair accessible one, who couldn't or wouldn't get out of the line, so I told them I could get out and the customer services guy apologised for not asking me! Eventually got home, tired but happy - and hungry!

Thanks so much to everyone who made the Cardiff day a really special occasion - it was a truly lovely day.

Next time - LONDON!