Haven't touched my woodwinds for several years now, a combination of knowing the nerve damage has rendered the fingers of my left hand pretty useless and just not feeling alive enough to make music. I don't know why, it may just have been the music I was listening to but something prompted me last night to dig out my chanter and one of my recorders and tentatively try some simple stuff. Much to my surprise it wasn't too bad, that'll teach me to write myself off prematurely. It's not easy, the little finger is completely paralysed and gets in the way and two of the others are stiff, slow and numb but I managed a couple of slow Renaissance pieces on the recorder and a (less than wonderful) attempt at "Chi mi na morbhaenna" on the chanter. I was sufficiently encouraged to have a proper practice today...I didn't get out my preferred recorder - a tenor- thought I'd see how it went with the smaller descant before trying to stretch to the larger one...I pity the neighbours, as millions of parents know too well there is a particularly painful screechiness to a badly played descant, still it went sufficiently well that I intend to persevere, see what kind of standard I can get up to, can't see myself playing jigs anytime soon, but I had a lot of fun with it.