My piano has arrived!!!

After all this time.

It sits there in the corner of the room, looking brown and pianolike.

Actually, ‘in the corner’ is an exaggeration. It’s a lot bigger than I remember it, and seems to take up fully one quarter of the room. This has already caused tensions between the music- and non-music loving members of the household.

I understand now why John and Yoko needed such a big white living room.

I play a note. ‘Plink!’ it goes. Wahey!

Plink!

Plink, plink, plonk, plink, thud, plink, plonk, plink!

Hmmm. ‘Thud’ is not good, but it’s an A flat, and I tend to save the black notes for special occasions anyway.

Likewise, the ‘soft’ pedal doesn’t seem to work, but I’ve never used the ‘soft’ pedal in my life and don’t mean to start now.

It needs tuning, if I am to learn all the works of the great masters - Beethoven, Shostakovich, O’Sullivan.

I know it might take me a long time to reach that standard. But I am prepared to work for at least the rest of the summer, and some weekends after that as well.

Today West Norfolk.

Tomorrow the World.