Just returned from a very enjoyable Festival in Zilleghem Castle, west Flanders. I landed in Brussels where it was a sizzling 35c, soon to creep up to 37c. The show in the concert hall was the warmest I have done for a while but I didn’t really think about it at the time, I kept trying to choose songs about winter and ice to spread some cooling vibrations. I flew with just the cello and mandolin but there was a piano and guitar that had been hired for me so I could do the full show. 

I stayed in a wonderful old farm house close by the festival. It had cool stone floors and thick stone walls. When the weather gets hot, it is nice to be in an old building.
It was good to meet some other musicians and I had some good chats, particularly with Australian singer Mark Lang and the excellent Finnish group Thalamus. The next day Mark and I did short sets inside the castle for the sponsors and a few local politicians. The stuffed bear in the photo was the first bear to die in captivity in Belgium. I had a nice chat with the Baroness. The canapés were delicious.