La Traviata does do great things to me…as do most of the Verdi operas….but there is something special about it…maybe cos it is the one I got to know first.

Well I plan to get better so there is no tragic opera to be made of my life I hope.

The Natasha Richardson story was just a bit too close for comfort – if I am allowed to be selfish here.

Yes, it was really sad….but it has definitely shaken me in a totally selfish way.

The media, from my days in it, know much more than they can say a lot of the time – that was often my experience.

A sad and, as you say, sobering experience…I was feeling very bright and happy on the morning when the lights went on on me also. None of us know when our number is going to be called.

Thanks for the good wishes though Claudio.

I think Traviata and a glass of wine sounds a good way to spend time – and is almost worth recovering for (as well as helping you recover, I hope). Perhaps the message of it all is to try to cram in as much happiness – and happiness is different from pleasure – as you can.

I’m not sure why, but I found the death of Natasha Richardson incredibly sad and a reminder of how fragile is our hold on life. She’s not a performer I had particularly followed, but always thought she was good value. When the accident was first reported, it had all the hallmarks of tragedy – the end seemed inevitable. How do the media know which stories will end sadly?

Let raise a glass to recovery!