There was a sense of release in the air this weekend. We were staying at the Edinburgh flat with Daughter and Heiress, and the pleasures of city life were slowly – yet surely – unfurling around us. It was our first weekend there since lockdown started four months ago, and simple acts like sitting down and having a coffee in Newington (Indaba Deli, recommended)  seemed twenty times magnified.

It was a double lockdown release for me, as, on the way over on Friday, I finally managed to get my ears hoovered, and can hear properly for the first time in weeks and weeks. What a difference that makes!

This week, I’m on holiday, and part of that holiday for me is going to be spending time away from screens. I’m not sure from a brief google if there are any studies that actually target the effects of screen time on creativity, but previous breaks away from electronic devices (such as a weekend in Northumberland with friends with no access to wifi, telly or mobile signal) suggest to me there is an effect, and it’s one you can reverse quite quickly.

So here’s what I’m going to do. Today (Monday) and tomorrow I’m going to be using screens as usual – trying to record some of those songs that have been evolving in the weird hissy silence of my double lockdown.

Then, on Wednesday and Thursday, I am going to try to avoid any use of screens at all. Right up until Thursday night, 8pm GMT, when I will break my fast (as it were) watching Nick Cave perform live at the Alexandra Palace. There’s something to look forward to – just the God of Goth and a piano in the midst of that vast auditorium, performing his work!

Then, next Sunday, I’ll report back on the results. See you on the other side!