The year is picking up again in the second half of January, after a slow start unpacking boxes in the new house.

There's been some more shooting for the NHS, and I recorded a very interesting lecture from Rupert Isaacson for the university. Rupert has written a book and made a documentary both called "The Horse Boy", about his autistic son, Rowan, and his adventures which resulted in a huge reduction in the negative aspects of his autism. Chatting to him afterwards, and comparing his experience to my comparatively minor, everyday experiences of what it's like when your child is in distress, I can only imagine how miserable life must often have been before they discovered Rowan's connection with horses.

Interestingly, the film also features contributions from Simon Baron Cohen (Ali G's cousin, thanks Tom W.), a Cambridge academic expert on autism, who I recorded lecturing at last year's Alumni Weekend, and found very interesting then.

Subterraneans played a gig at the 12 Bar on Denmark Street last night - not sure I played all the right notes in the right order, but people came up and said nice things afterwards, and the door did OK, so who's to complain? We made our first new recordings of the year a week or so ago, too. Hopefully there'll actually be a new record (figuratively speaking, these days, of course) soon. And, as always, it's nice to hang out with the boys; went out for a nice meal in Chinatown between soundcheck and gig.

Usually attributed to Martin Mull or Elvis Costello, "writing about music is like dancing about architecture" is an appealing enough aphorism that I've certainly said it a few times over the years. So just to demonstrate that those of us nodding sagely are a load of cynical old curmudgeons, my mate Monika has made a film in which she dances about architecture.

Had a rather more civilised evening's work than is sometimes the case today, recording a string quartet performing the score for a short called Exit Strategy, which I did sound on a while ago.

Nice bit of variety to be in Christ's College with my recording kit, listening to music for the evening, rather than running around with a heavy soundbag round my neck :)

Last night the band I’m in played a gig at the 12 Bar in Denmark St (in London, for people who don’t buy lots of guitars and thus automatically know what I mean by Denmark St).

It was as nice to see the boys as always, and between soundcheck and gig, Guy took me and Robin to his daughter’s Soho restaurant Cattle Grid on Poland St, which was chilled out and did lovely food.

Koogaphone and Sister Chain & Brother John (who we know from our gigs in Berlin) supported us, and people said kind things about it afterwards. Which was especially forgiving as we went on about half an hour late ‘cos of equipment nightmares in the soundcheck earlier... Koogaphone kindly lent us some gear to bail us out.

That’ll be it for our band for a month or two, as Guy’s off touring America for the summer with his slightly bigger band Van der Graaf Generator.

I got home in the small hours of the morning, and am still feeling a bit deaf.