Bob was pretty anti any commercialised day of celebration - from Valentine’s day through to Christmas - but he made up for it by declaring the day you chose life on earth as a special day worthy of celebration and we almost always celebrated birthdays with a road trip or memorable hike.

Birthdays have felt a bit flat, especially for the last two years… and I’m pretty much planning (or hoping) to ignore this one.

“No expectations mean no disappointment” has been a long-held philosophy of mine and I intend to apply it successfully this year. But, having said that, I’ve been eyeing up a Handpan, also known as a Hang (incorrectly with drum after it) or a Spacepan or Pantam… and I’ve just had confirmation that I’m getting a refund for my cancelled packrafting trip - so I’ve splashed out and ordered one of these weird and ethereal-sounding instruments.

It won’t arrive in time for THE DAY, but it will be fun to have a play when it does.

This gives you some idea of its potential… doubt I’ll sound anywhere near that good, but it should be meditative and melodic entertainment.

It is a percussion-type instrument (idiophne type) that was invented in Switzerland in 2000 played with the hand. It’s made from two metal half-shells with a hole at the bottom that assists with resonance (and access for tuning). The top has a central area called a Ding which is the main note of the Handpan. This is surrounded by seven or eight Tone Fields or notes. I’ve ordered a D-Celtic…