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The first was a Tarada Classical bought second hand when I passed my 11+. I still have it - with more dings, cuts and thumps to it than you could count. There's also a rough bit on the side rear where I epoxied a collar stud so I could attach a string to play it standing up.

There were several after that until I found a "Yoshi" dreadnought which I am still playing nearly 25 years later. It's a strange guitar with what appears to be a solid maple top, and maple back and sides. There is the classical flame patterning following through the wood, otherwise I'd be sure it was a laminate job.  I recently replaced the original pins with Tusq pins, which has made a huge difference to the lift of the guitar.

My last acquisition is an electro-acoustic Freshman - which is a great little Guitar, as Radchael has already mentioned.

Hey Jerome,

As we say in Belfast. "Keep her lit !"

Russell,

I have to disagree with you. I will, however, start with a caveat. Not everyone's hearing loss is the same. Nevertheless, you can get very close to your previous hearing by using hearing aids.

First of all, modern digital hearing aids can fill in the gaps that your "normal" hearing has lost. That is their job. They are set electronically to do that. The loss of frequency that most people have is not an absolute loss. Amplifying those frequencies will, in the majority of cases, return your hearing to approaching normal. That is why my morning is peaceful until I put on my aid and get drowned out by the birds that have gone unheard up until then.

With the digital hearing aids that we get in the UK ( Free from our wonderful National Health Service), there are a number of pre-sets - normally three ( all around sound, face to face sound and loop - or 1, 2, or 3 beeps when you adjust them). There are other settings that are available. One of these, known as "setting 3" is specifically for music. The other pre-sets are set for speech with high db and high hz so that you can get the s and f sounds. They will not be giving you a broad sound range ( you may get clicks in higher registers). You can ask your audiologist to replace one of your existing pre-sets with the music pre-set.

I only heard of this from an audiologist a few weeks ago, so it's something that I have yet to try, but you can be sure I'll be asking for it at my next appointment. I do not need the loop setting.

Finally, Russell, if your hearing aids are old, they may be analogue, rather than digital. Digital will make a huge difference, as an audiologist can set them for your specific hearing loss. Do go back to your doctor and check this out, you will appreciate the difference.

"Depicted in one of the panels on the High Cross of Clonmacnois (dated about 910 a.d.) is a sculpture of a man playing a bagpipe standing on two cats"

I wonder is the sculptor refering to the sound of the pipes here ?!

"The continuous mono-drone starts to get inside of my head and a war begins with my sanity and my ability to control it."

Precisely why they were carried into battle !

The War pipes (the stand-on-yer-feet Scottish type ones) were banned in Ireland by the Engish on pain of death. They couldn't do that in Scotland as the Lairds who had treacherously sided with the English couldn't wake up of a morning without their whisky and the skirl of the pipes.

This Davey Spillane track is a wonderful example of the Uilleann Pipes that were developed so that we could have the bagpipes without the piper getting topped.

It's "Cuina Cu Chulainn" or Cuculainn's Sword - Cuculainn being a legendary warrior who saved Ulster from the hordes of Queen Mebh.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=IjN7ZbnbicI

"we had to get up and manually change the channel!"

Don't talk to me ! I brought all the gear back from the caravan last week, but forgot the doofer (means the channel changer in this deranged household). Herself went straight into a huff, because she would have to get out of bed to change the channel when I'm away. So I'll have to waste guitar time heading back up there to retrieve it !

Don't remember the very first, but the first colour programme I ever saw was a revelation. It was Disney time in the sixties. We were at an Uncle's house and they were trying to get us out from under their feet. On went the brand new TV, and I still remember the burst of colour from Tinkerbell's wand !

Talk about pester power even then, I think we had a rental colour TV within the week.

One thing I never understood about the US is that you never developed a Health Service like that in the UK.

Over here most hospital treatment and treatment that you would go and see your doctor about is free. You don't need it when you're young, but we're happy enough to pay the taxes so that your parents can receive the treatment for the troubles that arrive when you reach old age. In times like these, it also means that you or your kids don't lose out when you lose your job.

Am I missing something ?

I'm not getting into that one LesPaulGuy, a couple of them have the same Queen and the other has a woman president - from Ardoyne in Belfast by the way ! Neither of them are black.

UYK,

Barack Obama is IRISH - did you not know ( cue embarrassing YouTube video )

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=EADUQWKoVek .

Belfast is grey in the wind and the rain this morning, but there's a glow in the west - must be those warm american hearts rejoicing!

THis is the position in the UK.

http://www.mcps-prs-alliance.co.uk/abou … right.aspx