January 31, 2019

Seeing Clare and dropping my teeth

So the other day, in this week off before we tour North America, I popped into Clare College in Cambridge to check out its facilities before we host our fourth UK Summer School in July. First of all, this is going to be a seriously good course. Second of all, the participants will fall in love with Cambridge and all that it has to offer. Thirdly, the person who had the idea to turn the crypt under the Clare College Chapel into a common room, with a bar, couches and a pool table, deserves a gold medal. Can’t wait!

Today I was practicing my pram-pushing skills by taking the son of some of my best friends around Oxford city centre. I’d taken my Invisalign retainers out for lunch, working my way through a steak sandwich and using a one-handed technique as I slalomed past busy lunchtime foot traffic, and somehow my retainers had fallen out. Momma and poppa (parents of my precious push chair cargo) were following me a minute or so behind and apparently heard some girls point down at the pavement and laugh at the fact that someone’s ‘teeth’ had fallen out (!) and, fortunately for me, momma and poppa recognised them as being mine and picked them up. What are the chances?! I am one lucky chap!

At this point I should probably tell you that I went and bought a lotto ticket and am now the lucky winner of Euro Millions...but I’m not going to push my luck and will just thank my friends repeatedly for quite a serendipitous outcome!

It’s been a super positive start to the year, the concerts have been great and the new group sound is coming along nicely. Nick and Eddie are great fun to have around the group and I hope they’re looking forward to this hefty tour. It’s probably at the extreme length of our touring patches, what with being three and a half weeks, but knowing that Liz and the other plus-ones are joining us for the GRAMMYS a week into the tour makes it very much more palatable! We’ve got some great places to visit, most of them new for me which is always exciting, so there’s much to be positive about.

Been planning holidays for April and August so it’s nice to have those in the diary and nearer the time we can begin to check out things to do when we’re there. Fun times!

Hope you’re well, wherever you’re reading this. Stay warm, dry and safe.

Bye for now!