I try to see my friends Dan and Sue as often as I can. The problem is that I live in Brighton and they live in Baltimore (that’s Baltimore, Maryland not Baltimore, West Cork).

We sometimes make it work though. Like crossing the Atlantic together.

Dan and Sue were in Italy last week. Their son Rex was attending a mandolin academy in Acqui Terme as part of the terrific Mando for Kids programme. As a mandolin player myself, this very much aligned with my interests.

Jessica and I flew out to meet up with them and spend a lovely few days enjoying the Italian food, landscape, and culture. And I got to hear the magnificent sound of massed mandolins, tremeloing together to create lush waves of beautiful music.

Somehow I got roped into a little demo of Irish tunes on the mandolin. It was a bit nerve-wracking, and I totally flubbed some of the tunes, but the lovely audience was very forgiving and receptive.