Planes, Trains and Automobiles

That's me home. I left Stockholm yesterday evening, waving goodbye to Tracy, Kenny, Carey (and Field Commander Haapalienen with his wee army cap on giving us all orders) who have three more days of overdubbing bits and bobs before they get to go home too. Its a weird feeling leaving, but its nice to know we're coming home having done the job we set out there to do. Its been a really exciting session for us, we've been working towards this since we finished touring last October, and its great to finally be at this stage and have done it justice.

Anyhoo, i set off from the studio armed with my return bus ticket to Skavsta airport, 40 crowns for the tube and 14 crowns in change left in my pocket, my phone battery was about to die, and if you remember i'd left my wallet in Glasgow, so no cards on me. But what could possibly go wrong. Jumped on the tube, there was a fight on the platform at Slussen Station right outside my carriage with two burly fellows trying to punch each other out which looked like it was a bit nasty. I've seen enough films to know that having a fight next to a rail line with trains running along it is probably a worse idea than just fighting normally. Got to T-Centrallen and jumped off the tube, plenty of time, followed the signs for the buses, got outside, thought, i think i may have come out the wrong exit as these are different buses, wandered about with my bags and bass weighing heavier as time passed and i wasn't where i thought i was, headed back to the exit i'd come out from, managed to find a nice person to ask where the bus station bit was, i'd come out the wrong way and needed to go back into the tube bit, walk along the platform and come out the other side and walk through central station. Luckily the nice lady at the ticket counter let me back through on the ticket i had (thank you) and i legged it back along the platform feeling a bit like that family from the fast show that always appeared running everywhere with suitcases. 45 minutes it took all in to get from the tube to the bus bit. But made it i did, and the bus was late anyway, so it was all fine and dandy. Got to the airport, spent 13 of my last 14 crowns on some pucko milk, which was nice. Flight was slightly late leaving, but not much, we made good time and the captain announced we would be landing 15 minutes early. Woo, then he said we'd be landing in 10 minutes, magic, then they didn't say anything for a bit. Then they said they were going round in circles cause they couldn't land (i immediately thought of Die Hard 2:Die Harder) cause of the weather at Prestwick. More radio silence followed, then they came on and said, Bad news folks, we're having to re-route to Glasgow Airport cause the fog is too bad at Depressedwick. Woo, handy squared, except Sharon, cover star of our first single, was picking me up at Depressedwick Airport. It took an age for them to be allowed to park the plane cause obviously they don't want ryanair planes clogging up a decent airport, and we had to sit in our seats for an age till they got buses sorted to take us into the airport. I got a hold of Sharon who was already tearing back up the 77 like a trooper having heard the news that the plane was re-routed (thank you) and after a lengthy bit of hanging around on the tarmac cause they couldn't fit everyone on two buses, i got my bags and bass, and was collected safe and sound and finally got home at 2am.

In a spectacular piece of bad timing, 'Er Indoors left yesterday afternoon for fieldwork in Chile a few hours before i got home, so the flat is all empty and Lynsey-free. Plus i have to go to work in an hour. But i mustn't grumble, we've only been and gone and done it as Uncle Albert once said, the new record sounds magic, and we're all really excited about you all getting to hear it when its ready.

Gav