Neil Young rescue squad...

November 9^th – After yesterday’s little query, think of today’s as an extreme form of Desert Island Discs; like extreme ironing but to music.

OK, let’s rephrase a little, set the scene so to say.

The kids, should you have had any, are all grown and happily living with their partners (if they have one, happily on their own if not) in comfortable homes dotted around the country and are all in secure, well-paid employment (fairy-tale time, methinks, but we need to get the nuts and bolts out the way before seriously considering the conundrum, OK?) You’re on your own at home (a home that is paid for and fully insured) as your partner has gone out for a drink with some friends (an outing you thoroughly approve of as you know and trust all the people involved and you completely trust your partner…) and you’ve settled down with a lid of tea and a bun to watch an episode of Frozen Planet, lulled into full relaxation by the dulcet tones of Mr. Attenborough. Of a sudden you smell something… something like burning…! You spring up from the armchair and open the door to see the whole of the kitchen enveloped in flames. You foolishly left that pan on the stove; the one you’ve just conjured up a single serving of lamb tagine with pan fried aubergine in, the oil’s caught fire and blessed you with a vision of Hades from the hall. Everyone near and dear to you is safe, all pets are OK and, I repeat, everything is covered by insurance. You’re granted just enough time to go to one room and retrieve an item, two at most, that is precious to you, so, where and what?

OK. Your starter.

I asked that question here at home and it’s amazing how, when you press people, it concentrates the mind. What you have to do is insist that the rules are followed. It really is just one (1) room and that room has to be exactly as it is when you ask the question. You can’t have folk saying; Well, I’ll just rearrange everything pre-inferno so’s all that’s precious to me is in one place

Not allowed; everything as is at question time, thank you, and absolutely no more than two (2) objects/things. Any more than 1 room and 2 things you’re toast; OK? If it’s done seriously the answers can be very revealing; the answers from my home in sunny Cornwall certainly were.

After some discussion as to why only one room as the things most precious were in two rooms and my insistence that rules is rules (as you can tell, I have a lot of time on my hands) my lovely lady plumped for our photo’s. The fact that some of them were in a different room altogether to our main collection (and these were very precious too) made for some soul-searching as to which batch to go for but, eventually, the major collection, voted for purely on number, was the clincher. For her it’s all about family and history and memory and love…that’s what formed the basis of the choice.

My decision was relatively easy. I chose my lap-top with the attached 50-gig standalone. On it are all my ideas and writing development, future novels, plays and developed first drafts… So, as you can see, all about ME. Shallow as a babbling brook…sorry…

Imagine, then if you will, the dilemma faced by Neil Young when, on this day in 2010, a raging inferno engulfed a warehouse where he stored his memorabilia, vintage cars, guitars, recording notes, song ideas and rough recorded material awaiting release… With that much stuff on the verge of incineration, my guess is that one may as well give up all thoughts of a rescue mission, chuck some spuds on it and invite your friends round for a Barbie.