Summary

It's been 4 months since the climax of this project - the cottage retreat - and I'm just getting around to writing up some sort of summary now.

When I say 'now', I mean at three o'clock on a Monday morning while waiting for a web site to finish uploading so I can test it.

And... Hey - it works!

Right, where was I...

First let me say that I'm really really glad I did it. Yes, my credit card will hurt for years, and yes, I only managed to half write a couple of songs and scratch at the itch of a couple of others but that's still more than I've managed in years.

But the important thing is that I like what I've written. 'Fiftieth Anniversary Edition' (aka 'I'm back') is a cool and understated album opener, slack and good-humoured; while 'Keep On' will be a driving, not to say relentless, dance track (It's not at the moment - a little too skippy) in keeping with its theme. I haven't even touched on 'Captain Clare' or 'Ruby'.

Maybe I'm older and mellower now, but two weeks alone wasn't as intense as I expected. When I was younger, I would go into the hills at night and talk quite seriously to the moon, or write impossibly righteous songs which put the world to rights.

Now? 'I'm back... flat on my back... I like it like that.'

Still, I simply wanted to enjoy making music again without any pressure and that's exactly what I did.

No surprise here, but one of the highlights was the weekend in the middle with my family - absence obviously does make the heart grow fonder - and I had a great time cooking for them and taking them for walks and scrambles down by the burn with the dogs. And Ruth is certainly one of the most desirable women on the planet...

Although the following Monday was a little weird.

So, now I'm fifty-one, and I have a largely unfinished project on my hands from last year...

Great! I still have so many plans for this project. Song and production ideas, lyrics and concepts - and let's not forget the album cover!

I don't know when I'll find the time of course. Mediachrome is doing great, I'm doing good work for the company and at this rate we'll be looking to expand soon.

Maybe I should wait until things are a little quieter. I could book a cottage and take a couple of weeks away, just me and the guitars and the dogs...