It's TOMORROW!!!!!

Well, blog readers the moment of truth is upon me. I sing in the first round of the competition main prize tomorrow eveing, 7.30pm and I am SOOOOO excited! I am having an easy evening to rest up for tomorrow as I have been feeling quite tired, and I really need to calm down in order to sleep. I have just been watching the 1993 final for a laugh and I am feeling really good about things. For info, the concert is being broadcast on bbc4 monday evening, but you can watch it live online I believe. Once all the singers have sung, the voting for the audience prize wil open and that's on thursday night.

I expect you're wondering what it's like being in cardiff and what I've been up to over the past few days. Well, I came down to Cardiff on wednesday evening to be greeted by the most marvellous team of people who filled me in on everything that is going to happen over the next 10 days or so. The next day the rehearsals started: I have had quite a bit of time with my song prize accompanist, the fabulous Phillip Thomas, several lonely practise room sessions and a piano rehearsal with the wonderful Carlo Rizzi, my conductor for the main prize. The latter rehearsal has been filmed and there have been a lot of cameras around! Today I had another rehearsal for the main prize, this time with the orchestra. Bravo them! They have risen to the challenge of my very difficult Szymanowski choice with aplomb.

I have also had a makeup and hair session with lovely Cyssian to make sure I am happy with what they will do to me tomorrow. She makes me look gorgeous (see what you think!) so absolutely no complaints there.

So on to tomorrow... I will rise fairly late, have breakfast and then go down to St David's Hall for a practise session on my own. I will probably do some warm up exercises and sing through some of the tricky stuff (so most of the programme!!!). I don't have to worry about my dress as Eric and his marvellous team of people will take it down to the hall, iron it and make it look flash as can be. Apparently even divas don't have to do the ironing on this occasion. I do, however, have to remember my shoes and necklace. My boyfriend arrives lunchtime so we will probably have a light lunch and then at 3pm I will head down to the hall again for my final run through with the orchestra - a television rehearsal too so there will be lots of cameras I think. After that I have a quick tv interview and then I am meeting up with the team england supporters for a quick hello. Then it will be straighforward mental and physical preparation (vocal stuff and relaxation and visualisation) before I sing at about 9pm. At least that's the plan!

So dear readers, here I go....