Robert in lockdown!

Lockdown lethargy

Since my column last week about mice nesting in the engine of my Dad’s lawn mower, emails and messages have been flooding in from around the globe! Well, from around Torlundy at least. And so, I feel it only right that I provide readers with an update.

Since I last wrote, my relationship with my father has become strained because I have somehow completely broken his lawn mower. On switching on the engine, it now just belches out oil onto the grass. Self-isolation is tough under any circumstances, but it is 10 times tougher when shared with a father who won’t speak to you on account of you breaking his beloved mower.

The grass continues to grow and we now have no means of cutting it, so you can understand that tensions are running high. For the sake of my mum, however, and the sanity of the household, we decided eventually to put our differences aside and shake hands. Or, should I say, to maintain a safe social distance and nod reservedly to each other.

My Dad has never been one to let the grass grow under his feet, so to speak, and the inactivity brought about through lockdown has been frustrating him. I suggested, therefore, that while we can’t cut the grass, we could play a board game. So out came the classic quiz – Trivial Pursuits.

Both very competitive people, and having so recently got over our lawn mower feud, we sat down to play. With a wry smile, Dad asked me the first question: ‘Who was the last British male to win Wimbledon?’ ‘Easy!’ I laughed. ‘Andy Murray!’ I was triumphantly reaching across the board for the dice when Dad replied in one breath that the answer was Fred Perry and that he should probably have told me before we began that this was the 1983 edition of the game! My Dad once again falling back on that favourite quote of his: old age and treachery will always overcome youth and exuberance.

Single success

Massive congratulations to the Skerryvore boys for the success of their charity single for the

NHS, Every Day Heroes. I enjoyed being involved in a very, very small way and, I have to admit, when Martin asked me to film myself playing along for their video, I certainly did not expect that the track would be sitting at the top of the iTunes charts the following week!

As I wrote recently, with so many gigs cancelled, the only thing for us musicians to do has been to go live on social media. When fans have been asked to donate to charity during performances, they have rallied to the call and pledged very generously indeed.

This Skerryvore single is the latest example of that and is unique in that it brought so many different bands together to contribute. A great idea from Martin and the boys and, most importantly, for a tremendous cause supporting all of those risking so much on the front line of the NHS.