The secret of the keyhole is going to have to wait for a few days because I wanted to do a portrait tonight and I’m away for a couple of days from tomorrow.

This is the little-known geeeetaaaar and vocal band, Mike and the Mingster on one of their now very rare indeed jam sessions. They have performed for an audience once only as far as I’m aware, at Claz and Gaz’s 20th wedding anniversary party, in the garden of their former home in Reading.

I was there but not there at the time and I do remember this spectacle because the party was the day after I chucked out my ex-husband and I was….well, not to put too fine a point on it, completely plastered and sat in a corner feeling morose. As many of my friends know and as many regular readers of my diary know, I have always had a soft spot for the Mingster and all of a sudden we were both ‘free’ to pursue one another!!! It was liberating and scary all at once though we (me and ‘im) didn’t actually get together for some months after their unique performance.

Anyway, for the second time in as many weeks, Mike is our guest as he’s working in these parts this week and preferred a bed here than in a faceless hotel somewhere. I do love having the house full – all of a sudden, we’re starting to achieve this with overnight guests, dinner (food on the knee) parties and a string of ‘forthcoming events’ lined up.

I don’t know why I had a burning need to take a shot of the two of them with their chosen weapons but I did and I must add that the result pleases me enormously and I hope, when they see the fruits of my labours and their modelling, that they will be pleased with it too.

So, now for a night full of music and bonhomie. What could be better?

Last year, I was photographing dead things!