Yesterday marked the half-way point of our tour. We had our last long drive, from Inverness to Penicuik, travelling through the Cairngorms. Writing this now with the sun shining in Penicuik, it’s hard to believe the blizzard that we encountered during that drive!

Last night’s concert was for Penicuik Community Arts Association. It was in an upper room, above a cafe, the perfect size for a chamber music concert with an intimate audience and decorated with pictures which had been painted by members of the Association – many of whom were in the audience for our concert! Another highlight of the room was the open fire which members of the Association ensured was fully blazing by the time the concert started.

The sense of community was palpable and it was a pleasure to see everyone chatting and having a drink around the fire in the interval and to join in ourselves, chatting about music, paintings and where to find the best pubs with live folk music!

Today we are going to New Lanark so have a much shorter drive of just under an hour. With a bit more time on our hands, we are planning on being tourists a little and enjoying the weather before the forecast storm blows in tonight. Tonight will be the last time we play our Debussy/Schumann/Bernstein/Yoshimatsu/Piazzolla/Gershwin programme and then our last concert will be in Melrose tomorrow. Can’t believe it’s coming to an end already!