Preparation is a wonderful thing. I went along to Olivia’s Celtic Connections gig last night, and mentioned to Helen as I was leaving the house that last time I’d gone to hear Olivia I’d found myself unexpectedly on stage playing lots of wrong notes. So this time I tucked my iPad into my pocket, armed with the chart for Olivia’s tricky arrangement of Purcell’s There’s Not a Swain. And sure enough, about half an hour in, just as I was getting comfortable at the back of the audience: ‘Is David McGuinness in the room?’, and this time I could just get up and enjoy making music with Olivia without worrying too much about playing a load of nonsense.

Of course if I’d really known I’d end up on stage I wouldn’t have been wearing an ancient old jumper with holes in it. But we did stay up quite late with Ali Roberts, Neil McDermott and Alex Neilson in the company of some good Williams Bros beer (Midnight Sun makes a very satisfying session pint), and a rather good session of another kind being led by the folks in Breabach: the proper Celtic Connections experience then.

This morning was the latest in a long series of work meetings held in Cottonrake: today’s introducing Zoltán Kömíves to more of the Bass Culture team … wholemeal toast and Scottish honey with tea is a good restorative after a late night.