I think hanging out in the grand hotels of the world in some way makes up for the tedium which is promotion. For the bands, the constant repetition of interviews, photo sessions and tv playback is sooo boring. There are a lot of early mornings involved which doesn't naturally go down well, along with huge amounts of time in studio dressing rooms. Anyway on this little jaunt we stopped off for three nights at the Grand Hotel Rome, and then in Paris at the Plaza Athenee. I was to spend quite of lot of time at the Plaza over the coming years, and the one down side to staying there was the cost of breakfast. Today around 50 pounds, but back then the equivalent and just a little more than I was getting paid in PD's that were supposed to cover expenses for food for the whole day!!

Having come back home, I was anxious to get stuck into my new past time, or hobby really, my picture framing shop. I had bought a lease to a shop, No 89 Kentish Town Road, the previous year but had been so busy on tour I really had not had any down time to work there. I had left it in the hands of my brother's wife, Tanya, to manage day to day, and John Croker's younger brother Tim, who was magic with making the frames and lived in the top of the house in the apartment above the shop.

The shop itself was the second of eventually about a dozen shops, all called The Frame Factory and a franchise business model created by two guys called Jeff and Eric in Islington, with their original Frame Factory in Cross Street Islington. I inadvertently had asked them if I could have a shop like theirs, at the point of them wanting to franchise, so I became the model, or example needed by them to sell the whole concept.

I started to call everyone I knew in the business, my business the music business and get work for the shop. It was a really busy period for us, as pretty much everyone I called needed something framed, and some needed loads to frame.....

The journey to the wedding was over a 1000 miles and took us, all 40 of us, a whole day to get there. Roger had rented a private plane to get the UK contingency to Naples, but it couldn't fly the whole way there with the fuel it could carry. So, we had to fly to the South of France first, refuel and then continue down to Naples. Of course it was the same deal to get home too.

I can tell you it was a real surprise when we came out of the church to see this barrage of photographers waiting outside. The happy couple posed for a few photos and then the rest of us came out and had time for a ciggie before moving on to the next stage of the event.

We were all to take a trip on a very large boat, around the island of Capri, just off the coast from Naples. It was a great trip, although the one problem, if you could call it a problem, was all of Giovana's relatives and friends were Italian, and spoke very little English, whereas the Roger contingent from the UK all obviously spoke English and virtually no Italian. So there was this big divide but don't get me wrong though, everybody had a great time!

It was only three weeks after I got back from Naples that I was suited and booted again to go see Nick and Julie Anne get married. This time though it was a short trip from home in North London to The Savoy, ahh the lovely Savoy, and all I really remember about this wedding was the pink flamingos, what a great touch.

I have NO photos of this day, I don't know why but I've saved what i think is a great pic of the happy couple, from the day in Naples, to put into this section for their happy day. If anyone has some I can include please let me know xx

It is 30 years since this happy day and I discovered a few choice photos on Julie Anne's blog the other day so I thought it only right to share...

Looking in my diary for this time period, it was a mixture of busy Frame Factory business and evenings having drinks and dinner with friends. The only show I went to in this month was Elvis Costello at the Hammersmith Palais and it's my old mates like Simon Renshaw, David Wernham, Kaz and Jed Doherty, along with Paul Loasby and Paul Roberts and Gisela that I spend my time.

Brooks flew over from NYC for a visit to London and she came over to mine for dinner. It was at the dinner she gave me a big surprise and I was set to join her and a few of her friends for Christmas in Antigua.