Ouch

Ouch. I fell down the stairs at Luton Parkway on the way back from Scotland; I'd been waiting on the wrong platform for the train into London, and made a mad dash for the correct one when the train arrived, but missed it and skinned my knees and bashed my fingers at the same time. Could have been a lot worse, so I am grateful I didn't land on my head or break a bone. The chase was thrilling, though!
I had a lovely weekend, north of Inverness; I sang a bit on Shippy's track (he's a promoter form the north-east who runs the Jumpin' Hot Club, who has made an album) and recorded six of my own, just guitar and vocals, in a studio in the middle of a field with a three-piece flowery suite and a beautiful little bossa-nova guitar with a perfect tone and inlaid mother-of-pearl stars. Honestly, you should have heard the sustain on the bottom E! You could sing looking out of the window at the harsh February fields, with the sun shining and the gulls flying overhead, drinking cold coffee. The engineer, Pete, has really good ears and has the air of a scientist about him. His mum lives there too, who is 90 and dresses immaculately in elderly-lady chic, and a frantic little spaniel who wiggles and quivers and rushes about in excitement.
There were some striped pipecleaners in the bathroom and I made a tiger.
Also, I did some songwriting with Martin Stephenson for our album, which, believe it or not, only has about three songs to go before it is finished; just two songs to be re-recorded and one to finish the chorus of.
I am tired today, but very pleased by the weekend. I even managed to get a walk on Dornoch beach and see where silly old Madonna got married. She didn't leave any riches lying around in Ross-shire, no traces of stardom or glamour. It's a tough-looking place, especially in winter, with oil rigs and factories and big grey threatening-looking sheds. The sea and the sky and the hills are spectacular, though, and seem completely timeless and primitive. Which, of course, they are.
Meanwhile, Tom's finishing the mixes of Polyhymnia on Wednesday.
Today is a day of rest, which really means a ton of housework and a ton of shopping. But first, a coffee to boost my vim, and then perhaps a little guitar pickin' just to make sure my damaged fingers still function.