Off to Balquhidder [where?] for a spot of chamber music – part of my gradual reawakening in that department. Another sign too of my vastly improved work/life balance since moving to Scotland. It was great – Elgar’s Serenade for Strings, a Bach Brandenburg Concerto and some other bits and pieces. I’m so out of practice these days – Mrs Vanacek would speak to me most sternly in her middle-European tones. But I allow myself to be tugged along in the slipstream. She used to say to me, ‘You are like person who plays violin in phone box’ Interesting then as I drove the 37 miles back towards Perth to find the two cars in front of me stopped at a fairly dangerous corner. What was happening? Just a spot of road rage as the driver of the front one got out, stood in the road and berated the one behind. I could understand how people get shot in such moments. He needed some Scott Joplin on the MP3 player.