Hi friends,

I am writing this from the airport waiting to board my flight to Austin! I seem to be a beacon for big loud annoying families with lots of children so I am practicing my ZEN calm (Dad taught me this one). But here's some of the highlights and lowlights of the week.

It's Wednesday as I start this weeks episode of the newsletter. I hit the cinema by myself for the first time on Monday and it was a 10/10 would do again experience. I watched a film that depicted a lot of British lad/ladette culture and I sat wondering if the other people in the cinema (also all people by themselves), understood the significance of the language and the music and the outfits. It made me nostalgic for the mess I was at University, but the kind of nostalgia where it was a nice memory but not something you wish to repeat.

On Tuesday I attended the opposite, a Preds game, what they in America call 'hockey' but I cannot for the life of me say anything but 'ice hockey'. Never have I seen a sport where they allow two grown men to whip off their gloves and fight hand to hand on the ice. If Nashville scored the chant would be at the goalie of the other team - "it's all your fault", which I think may be worse than that of English football. A bit on the nose for my liking.

My friend Josh was also playing in the halftime entertainment which was fun to see.

On Tuesday morning, I felt like I fed my inner child. I saw the frontman of a band I had loved as a teen in a coffee shop I was working in. Usually I would never say anything - I saw Tom from McFly in the Vans shop on Carnaby Street as a teen and left him to go on with his day - but as a 27 year old I took the risk. And he was so nice and kind, and it made me reflect a lot on little 14 year old Hannah who listened to that band on her walk to school, imagining a world where she didn't have to deal with school every waking hour of her day and where she got signed at 17 and got to make music the rest of her life. At 27 I've never had that so called 'big break' but I think she'd be proud of me for trying, and still trying after nearly 10 years of releasing music and nearly 20 of writing it.

Wednesday brought a write, ticking off my other Nashville goal. And it was a good one, we wrote a really cool little tune. Working from 10.30am to 7.30pm we came out of the room with a great demo. DM me if you want to hear it, it's not just mine so I won't share it on here!

Better yet, my friend's wife got her Green Card approved so there is a lot to celebrate.

A quiet Thursday and Friday led into a move at the weekend to a new home, where I'm looking after a sweet 16 year old cat. She's deaf and blind, but still sweet and cuddly.

On Saturday night I was out once again. I am so grateful for the friendships I have here in Nashville and for the people that have welcomed me into their lives. I know that Nashville is somewhere I will come back to, regardless of what I decide to do next.

Sunday, I was miraculously not hungover, and the sun was shining. It felt nice.

I'm excited for my week in Austin, and seeing my English friends. I'm excited to not have the only weird accent in the room. Thanks for reading, hope you all have a lovely week.

Love,

Hannah