Introducing Ida via this nostalgic video
Starting out: if you like nostalgia and camcorder footage, the 8 minute video displayed above highlights Ida‘s first year of taking her music live into the public domain (2004); preparations and realities of first time busking in her hometown seaside resort Bridlington for annual Buskers Festival (with a brief 2026 video introduction);
Can Ida make it to ten best selected Buskers who showcase at Brid Spa?
// Songs performed in this video; Cat Out Of The Bag; The Only Thing Coming Down Is The Rain; To Be With You; written (words and music) by Ida Barker //
// Video contains footage filmed by Gwen Hullah and edited by BBC Humber’s Jen Bateman (it has then been filmed from a TV screen, hence why the visual quality is blurry in places); also includes additional Ida home footage //
NOTEWORTHY: Cat Out Of The Bag was lyrically re-written in 2025 by Ida Barker and Gwen Hullah, and retitled “The Leopard Print Song” full story of this mother and daughter rewrite is viewable via this 3 minute YouTube video link: https://youtube.com/shorts/T1EWEdGSBiA?si=1a_yTNOAaM3h6o0f
Ida, songwriter now turned author
In 2016 mother and daughter – Gwen Hullah and Ida Barker – set up in partnership a book publisher, She And The Cat’s Mother. At their core they are a “find your alternative” business
All in-house – complete format: writing, editing, proof reading, formatting paperbacks and eBooks to raising profile on social media – the only task they have not done is the printing. The acid test is getting their books into the highway of readers’ minds. They are authorpreneurs; and YOU CAN BE TOO !!
How-to self-publish as easy as eating good pie ⤵️
The #GirlLikeYou manual contains 300+ colour pictures and enables you to self-publish within *one week*
ツ BEGIN your new direction by READING the start of this self-publishing manual ⤵️
Redesigning artwork for #GirlLikeYou (front) book cover
Picture below shows a series of images highlighting, Ida‘s visual process of creating a self-portrait illustration for #GirlLikeYou (front) book cover via Photoshop software on 4th August 2018 (four months after publishing the original front cover of a black and white photograph of Ida holding a guitar);
“I’m loving graphic design. Never think your first effort is your best — spent five hours creating this Ida self-portrait for revised #GirlLikeYou book cover”
Quote, Ida Barker (4 August 2018)
Your guide to winning and selling property the alternative way 🏠🎉
NEW from 2020, Ida creates digital content with Gwen for RaffleProperty.net — sharing entrant and organiser news on house competitions. This #OwnYourFuture network is accompanied by their hardback, paperback and eBook, titled: Raffle Property: Your Guide to House Competitions for entrants, property-owners and charity organisers
This book acts like a kindness — it is inclusive, not exclusive; together, sharing research, inspiring its readers to think big and think differently within current property markets
ツ SAMPLE this winning guidebook TO #OwnYourFuture ⤵️
Did you know?
Ida also writes phantasy fiction for children-of-all-ages (9 to 109 years old) under the name Zizzi Bonah
Alice Returns Through The Looking-Glass; a story for children of all ages 9 – 109 years old
ALICE RETURNS THROUGH THE LOOKING-GLASS and falls into her own story while seeking the answer to Looking-glass question; much to the rage of infamous book reviewer, Paige Turner who threatens to jeopardise Alice’s writing career in Authorland – (all characters created by Zizzi Bonah, with exception to Alice who was created by Lewis Carroll).
ツ You really ought to READ the opening pages of Alice Returns ⤵️
For a piece of pure escapism, Zizzi’s debut novel, #Entrangement aims to take you to the curb in the sky
#ENTRANGEMENT: WHERE COLOURS DON’T BLEED “He saved her life, only she can save his death!” Salt Delray is wrongfully imprisoned for the murder of her lover – through a mysterious aide she discovers he isn’t dead; he’s in limbo! She must escape and enter a hidden underworld to reunite with him, and together battledore against a very different, terrifying reality
ツ ENTER the world of #Entrangement by sampling the first pages ⤵️
For readers with roguish tendencies, Zizzi’s, #GirlRogues aim to bring out the braggadocio in you
#GIRLROGUES: BRAGGADOCIO “They’re dangerous to love, more dangerous to ignore – which girl are you?” Zizzi Bonah’s collection of short stories and verses are for those with minds as broad as braggadocio, and nerves hard enough to rival a diamond from the first water
ツ Calling all roguettes!! YOU’RE INVITED to read the start of a rogue tale; can you guess how it’ll end? ⤵️
“It certainly looks to be full of beans” Quentin Letts, Daily Mail praise for Zizzi’s, Alice Returns Through The Looking-Glass: A Musical Vaudeville Stage Play, adapted from Zizzi’s original novel
Songs in musical, “Alice Returns Through The Looking-Glass” both words & music by Ida Barker — member of the Musicians’ Union and Performing Right Society
ツ Which Looking-glass character would YOU be? PREVIEW opening SCENES of Alice Returns THE STAGE PLAY; for small and large productions ⤵️
Ida, creating digital content for bookshop cafe Waterstones, Harrogate
Between September 2019 to March 2020 Ida Barker set-up and managed @HarrogateCafeW social media sites on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram; whereby she created over 90 original photos (posting 4 times per week) promoting new and favourite Cafe W products, books of interest, while documenting fun moments with staff and customers; and author and quiz events. Above is one of the most memorable photos Ida took; Cafe W customers fondly mention “Milkgate” from time to time
Ida’s top 20 for 2020
In a year where we tended to roll with it rather than being one step ahead of tomorrow, Ida‘s 20 memories (in pictures) from the year 2020 include:
🔹 working 3 jobs; (barista/digital creator at bookshop cafe Waterstones; home-shopper at ASDA; co-partner at She And The Cat’s Mother);
🔹 welcome get-togethers with friends and colleagues;
🔹 reading Paula McCavanagh‘s email, requesting inclusion of Ida‘s social media posts at Harrogate Cafe W into Monthly Commercial Updates at Cafe W, Waterstones;
🔹 meeting The Yorkshire Vet, Julian Norton at his book-signing event;
🔹 dressing as a “Willy Wonka Golden Ticket” beside the winsome wizard that is Keiran for World Book Day at Harrogate bookshop Waterstones;
🔹 meeting and then dating beau, Jesse;
🔹 wearing masks for the first time as we learnt to embrace a “new-normal“;
🔹 Asda supermarket’s “Thank-You Day” for store colleagues, now known as key-workers;
🔹 visiting Joseph Hayton’s workshop in Pateley Bridge to view his sculpture of Ida’s second cousin, Nidderdale farmer, John Rayner;
🔹 launching website http://www.raffleproperty.net to support her co-written book with mam, Gwen Hullah, for their book publishing partnership, She And The Cat’s Mother (who’ve successfully produced over a dozen original publications in 4 years);
🔹 and taking snap-shots of tabby cat, Purrdey‘s antics …
“As I say a warm goodbye to working with the lovely people at bookshop, Waterstones, I wish all of you reading this a happy and healthy new year for 2021” — ida xx
// Photos for 20 memories in pictures taken by Ida, except The Inn courtesy of Ian Davy; World Book Day courtesy of Rob Young; The Yorkshire Vet event courtesy of Keiran Lancaster; Fun Friday courtesy of Sam Strickland //
She And The Cat's Mother 