Not so long ago Matthew went through the whole upheaval of looking for a new property and moving house. For several months he kept us up to date on his search during which time we made such comments as “Good location-excellent access to local services-nice period features-good transport links-spacious kitchen-diner, ideal for a young family etc..” gleaned from hours wasted watching Location, Location, Location. Important as it was to Matthew and family, I can’t say I was particularly interested in his news until he informed me that his new house had ‘a shed’. Suddenly alert, I heard him then add ‘with electricity’. This last point was, well, electrifying, opening up the possibility we could rehearse there.
To be honest though, he had me at ‘shed’. For the male of species a shed is a special place, a holy place. A place where he can escape, be himself and allow his eccentricities to flourish and blossom. A place where he can create home brewed alcoholic beverages with which to terrorise unwitting house guests. A place where he can indulge his inner carpenter and fill the house with crude and unnecessary items. A place where mechanical items are tinkered with and model steam trains stop at model stations in an orderly and predictable fashion. A place where the next big invention might just be taking shape.
So it came to pass that Matthew bought the house, and Candi’s Dog found themselves with a new (and free) practice room where we have spent many hours making music, chatting, arguing and being either too hot or freezing cold. And really what else would the men of Candi’s Dog do in a shed? We lack the interest in alcohol for home brew and are totally devoid of mechanical skills for more traditional shed pursuits. But otherwise, our music is in true shed character. Honest, straightforward, crafted with love over many hours but a bit rough around the edges. And if our partners are happy with the time we spend in the shed, it may be because they love our music. Or it may be that they’d rather that then get splinters up their backsides from a home-made chair while sipping nettle wine. Who knows?
Shed image “Schuppen 7235” by User:Fb78 – Photo by User:Fb78. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Schuppen_7235.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Schuppen_7235.jpg
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