Priceless

I still seem to be suffering from sleep deprivation today. I guess what people say about becoming a parent must be true. Hopefully I'll manage to catch up soon. Sue, my mother in law arrived from Auckland this evening and has agreed to look after Miles on Saturday. Gina is encouraging me to go out with the boys.... so I need to be on form!

Today's blip is of one of my most prized possessions. I started playing the cello as a not-so-keen 6 year old lad. As most children, I hated practising and my parents managed to strike the right balance between encouraging me to practice and not putting me off completely. I nearly gave up so many times, but I was scared of my teacher and couldn't muster the courage to tell her that I was quitting. When we uprooted and moved to France, I ended up with the most amazing teacher who really motivated me to improve. I got much better, and eventually needed to upgrade my instrument. My drum teacher at the time had a brother cellist who I bought this beauty from. She wasn't in the best shape - she had been left by a radiator and all of the varnish had bubbled, and there was a sign of a small repair on the back. She sounded amazing. Handmade in Strasbourg (where I was living at the time) in 1954 by Albert Stark, luthier.

When I moved back to the UK, I drove with my brother from France. We didn't have room for my cello, but she was sent with our other belongings in a removal truck. When she arrived at my new place, her back plate had come loose. Luckily all work was all covered by insurance and the luthier who repaired her took it upon himself to strip back the bubbling varnish and re-apply it in 7 thin coats (on top of the other work). When I finally got her back, I couldn't believe it - stunning. She now matched her sound.

Somehow she also has one of my favourite smells - a mix of the wood, the varnish, and the rosin (of which a few specks are still visible in this shot).

No matter what her commercial value is, to me, she is priceless.