The Challenge: Day Three

I woke up with the strong urge to work, but had totally forgotten that I'd promised to meet someone in town for coffee. I found myself instead of in my cosy lil studio stuck trying to find eardrops in a labyrinthine Boots, about fifty times the size of any normal high street pharmacy, surrounded by the bane of the earth (hoardes of christmas shoppers) and, due to the totally illogical layout of the shop, confronted with the Relics Of Bintishness. By which I mean the stand of torture weapons which women sometimes use (though how is often beyond me) to make themselves look pretty. I gave up forming designs on such pursuits when I read a particularly harsh Bliss article about how, by not stripping away your cuticules (surely they're designed to be there?), you were doomed to be unattractive, unpopular and unhygienic. Add to that a virtual cacophonic medly of "festive tunes" and I was ready to kill.

On finally arriving home again (having quite unfairly bitten the head off the person I was meeting for coffee), I settled down to work, and the first 5 hours pretty much flew by. I got a lot done - one track is pretty much finished, though I'm going to fiddle with it a bit more today and obviously it still needs mixing. Before beginning this challenge, I cleaned the house and set up the studio the way I really wanted it to be. Now, as well as being strewn with glasses, bits of paper, cables and more instruments than is healthy, there are white fairy lights and altar candles on every flat surface with space (which, granted, isn't that many). Once it gets dark and I light up the place, I feel totally and home, and grateful to be in this space, which is something I havent had before here, or even generally after dark. I am looking forward to the winter and the dark nights sitting here. Results are the aim, but the environment is a bonus and an encouragement.