"Practising what, don't they just put something in a machine and press play?"

Erm, that swaggering flourish they do when they press play takes years of practice...

Seriously, though, I fully understand how you feel... when it goes stale, it takes a lot to brighten it up again. It doesn't matter what others may think - what you feel inside is what counts.

'Helpful' people tell me it's a shame I don't perform as much as I used to do - but it doesn't give me a 'buzz', I'm just going through the motions and am professional enough for it to appear as if I'm enjoying every minute... but I'd rather not be bothered.

If there's a magic formula to fix it, I'd be pleased to be given it...

Hope things work out for the best, mate.

Oh, and if someone says 'You never know what's just around the corner'... just give 'em a smack for me!!