But the drumbeat strains of the night remain

Oh wow! Oh wow, oh wow, oh wow! That was the most incredible experience; one that for years I thought I'd missed forever, but was wrong! It was supposed to be a secret but some weeks ago the Cat was let out of the bag, and one of my huge heroes for many decades performed live again - his first festival in 37 (or was it 27?) years. Only four songs, but so powerfully performed that it didn't really matter - grown men cried with joy. Why? Yusuf (T.A.F.K.A. Cat Stevens) was the guest performer with Fairport at Cropredy - and he sounds the same as he did 40 years ago. What a privilege to have been there.

The annual summary of the weekend will follow later - Cat deserves his very own blog all to himself.