I was 17. redoing my O levels at Exeter tech - 7th floor.

I remember my birthday that year. It was january. I got some Richmond fags and smoked one or two of them in the dinner hour in a coffee bar above a record shop called The Left Bank in Paris Street, Exeter -- very bohemian. I chose Richmond cos it was a name I associated The Rolling Stones.

That night there was an eagerly awaited documentary about Donovan on the box. The young Mr Leitch was shown larking round on the beach in St Ives in winter time with some beautiful women. And he was playing a tasty looking Gibson - lucky sod. Someone in Melody Maker pointed out next week that they were all posing as penniless hippies but in actual fact the young ladies were all dressed by Courege.

One of the girls hitched a lift and outraged my parents by trying to scrounge some money off a lorry driver (it was in the script). Over the top of it Donovan sang Jansch's Running from home. This surprised me as I hadn't thought Donovan's guitar picking was equal to that sort of thing at that point. To be honest I was a bit pissed off, as I don't think I had figured out Running from Home at that point myself.

what bliss in that bright dawn.....