Looking at it weather-wise, the summer in Germany wasn’t anything to write home about. I guess only the UK had worse weather. I know this because of all the washed-out cricket matches this season! Still, I had the good fortune to make it through several open air festivals without them having to be cancelled, although some were damp enough to affect my Tavil and Kanjira, both drums with natural skins. Interestingly, the concert I played in Varna, Bulgaria, on the Black Sea was rained out, and we had to move to another venue, an art gallery. However, I did manage to swim in the Black Sea on the afternoon of the concert and it was sunny and warm with no hint of the thunderstorm brewing in the background! ‘Blitz und Donner’ as we say in German, is what it was! Barely two weeks later I was back on the Black Sea coast in Mamaia, Romania, to play at the ‘World Music Festival’ with Madras Special. Things couldn’t have been more perfect. And now, before gracefully accepting the fact that autumn is upon us, I’m flying to Madrid to play at the Global Perfussion Meeting with Luis Fernandez, Nacho Arimany and a host of other percussionists, and thus hope to eke out the last few summer days! Good thing I’m headed for India in December but more about that trip later. 🙂