Songwriting in Scotland

It's possibly been the best ever Songwriting Weekend! With the usual wacky cast of charaters, including some familiar faces from a couple of years ago, we took a stream of songs from a title or an idea to a completed concert in the space of a day, helped by the occasional foray into the rainy greenery of the hotel grounds. People who weren't expecting to write dongs suddenly did, and people who had been coming along for years suddenly blossomed, confidently singing their new compositions with their companions joining in for the choruses. There were lots of funny moments: the chap who told us he had minimal lyrics, missed a chord and yelled 'F*ck!', which at least 90% of the audience assumed was what he had meant by s minimal lyric; Liz's dog Dylan erupting into wriggles as we sang a mass group version (18 guitars?) of 'Down By The Riverside'. We tucked into leathery steaks or porridgey risotto, depending on whether or not we were vegetarian, but alas thus year there were mo profiteroles with sour cream (we imagined the box bring delivered and left on the back step for too long in the sunshine, before being re-frozen and served up over a period of five years). There were do many good songs it's impossible to single out but bravery awards go to Berni, Laura and Jine for writing and performing their first ever songs- and to Hugh for the same. John entertained us yet again with 'The Conjuror Sawed My Wife In Half', Liz with 'Internet Love'; Alan gallantly held up the music stand for Tim (who had joined Martin and myself for 'Freight Train') before returning to his seat to hold down the chords for Steve to strum as they shared a guitar fir the last song of the evening, 'Will the Circle be Unbroken'.
This evening I am knackered and so is Martin, but in a good cause. Thanks millions to Andrew who organises these events with such efficiency, tact and diplomacy, and roll on next year!