We're now on the home straight before The Gentle Shepherd - time for me to get my head down and make lots of small musical decisions, having made most of the big ones.  Before rehearsals on Thursday, I'll also have seen most of the actors individually to work on their songs.  Both shows are now sold out.

The Mungrel Stuff CD has arrived from the factory, and I should get to have one in my hand tomorrow at some point.  So when we go on In Tune on Radio 3 on Wednesday we'll have something to plug after all.  We'll be playing live, and the show is streamed in real time at www.bbc.co.uk/radio3 1700-1930 BST - the quality's not bad as these things go, and they're going to put some video up there too.  I don't know if I'll have to do any talking: if so, this will be another opportunity to say 'arse' on the radio, which pleases the childish side of my sense of humour.  A few years ago I was presenting 'Composer of the Week' (on Muffat) and had innocently put the word 'smartarse' into one of my trails.  The evening it went out I was rehearsing with the SCO, and one of the chorus came over to me in the tea break: 'You're on the radio this week, aren't you?' 'Yes.' 'You said "arsehole" on Radio 3.' 'No I didn't'.  Mr McFall's Chamber are playing on Monday's In Tune: I had a call from Robert on Friday asking if they could borrow some of my kids' toys for them to play on 'Square Dance for Eight Egyptian Mummies'.

I bumped into photographer Clive Barda at the Queen's Hall last week - I hope I can persuade him to come along to our last rehearsal next Sunday, as I've always loved his pictures of musicians at work.  Meanwhile, tomorrow Marie and I are meeting Tom Laurie to finalise the business end of our Glasgow concerts in November.