Saturday 22nd January

As you can see from the photo below, we arrived at Budleigh Salterton for our gig - it was Carl's 30th birthday so his mum planned a party at the town hall with The Honeytones providing the entertainment, performing a set then providing the disco.

As it turned out, the partygoers had to be content with disco only because Bob had to be carted off for medical attention. He ended up in the Royal Devon and Exeter hospital for the next 4 days whilst they diagnosed and sorted out a spot of tachycardia.

We shall be returning to Budleigh later in the year to prove to Carl's family that we really can use all that gear we set up.

The paramedic attending Bob in the back of the ambulance was a lovely lady called Jayne. During their conversation, it transpired that Jayne is a singer in her spare time. Bob gave her the Honeytones website address and she said she would look it up and hope to do a song with us sometime in the future.

Thinking no more of the conversation, when Bob arrived home on Wednesday 26th, there was an e-mail waiting from Jayne. It seems that we will be arranging a "jam" after all.

Also, it seems that the equality and diversity department at Petroc (previously The North Devon College) has gotten to hear of the band. They want us to gig at their Barnstaple and Tiverton campuses, hopefully in March.

           The band arrive at the venue - Budleigh Salterton Town Hall.

Tuesday 25th January

The saddest of days, when our dear bandmate Jacob was given his final resting place. The band attended the Sacred Heart church in Exeter in their black Honeytones hoodies and were ushered to seats alongside Jacob's beautiful white coffin.

Jacob's brother Ben spoke tenderly and very eloquently, summing up the loss we all feel at Jacob's passing.

The service ended with the organist playing "You Raise Me Up" - Jacob's favourite Westlife song. Trudy commenced quietly singing the song and the rest of us joined in adding considerable volume. We did our faltering best to sing, though it was very difficult and there was probably not a dry eye in the church.

Bob expressed huge gratitude to the cardiac consultant at the RD&E for letting him leave the hospital briefly to attend the funeral.

                        The band remembered Jacob with this wreath