Hello Jack! You're absolutely right - you were playing a green recorder (if I remember correctly), not a whistle. Please accept my apologies. I wasn't thinking too clearly maybe; am still recovering from a recent bereavement. Managed to get on the wrong train on my travels plus attempted to leave a cafe without paying my bill.

I was surfing the Net after I came back, for Sandy Bell's, and came across your website. Hey, I thought, that gentleman looks very familiar - I was sitting next to him at Sandy Bell's. I noticed that you came from Nitten. I know Nitten too! My grandparents and my aunt lived there. My mother was born nearby in Easthouses. I was actually christened there. My father and sister were born in Edinburgh. I have a distant cousin, Barbara Stirling, who still lives there.

I was up for the weekend. I am learning how to be a storyteller. We don't have any storytellers in Middlesbrough so I pack a little case occasionally and go away (Newcastle or Edinburgh generally) for a couple of days to a festival or workshop. This time I was attending a workshop run by Ewan MacVicar.

I'm also a singer. I'm not sure whether I'd want to sing at Sandy Bell's - there is quite a lot of background noise. If you know somewhere in the Edinburgh area where they like floorsingers I'd be very pleased to hear about it. I aim to be up a few more times. Thank you.

It was a pleasure playing with you.

Diane