It's a quiet Sunday, and I'm preparing for tomorrow's trip to the Netherlands to tour with the Ensemble Cl�ment Janequin.

I'm a little bit apprehensive as I often am before heading out into the unknown. I've never worked with these guys before, though I've been a fan for years. And we only have a few hours of rehearsal time before the first concert. It can be quite strange to appear on stage together with a group of people whom one barely knows. It is also unfortunate that I never took the trouble to learn French. (Though it's never too late!) Communication will be interesting. On the other hand, I'm also very excited and very much looking forward to this experience. I think it'll be fun, and musically rewarding.

This is also my first long separation from Zan in ages. Last time I was away for a week or more was last year, before Zan was pregnant. It's such an amazing experience watching Zan and the baby growing that I don't like the idea of going away at all! I'll return to find her a different shape! Oh, well, better get used to it. We're going to be a bit like ships in the night this summer. I return from Holland next Sunday evening, and she leaves for Cyprus at the crack of dawn the next morning. And so it goes on until August, when Zan begins to slow down her work schedule. In fact, she's taking a full seven months off playing altogether, starting in September.

This is the end of week 19. It's easy to remember what week she's in, because it coincides neatly with the weeks of 2004. She was 19 weeks on Saturday, which also happens to be the end of the 19th week of the year. The end of week 40, i.e., the due date, is around the 2nd or 3rd of October.