b'I never think if only, because that puts some sortand it all had to be sold. I persuaded my bank of blame upon Alex, but I do sometimes think whatmanager to give me more credit, and I borrowed a if I had managed to carry on. The undisciplinedlittle from my parents. I was able to keep some of structure of friends as staff had already shownthe best timber, buy back some of the things that I signs of cracking, and I had spent far too muchhad sweated over during the previous 6 years and money on expansion, including the big saw and arecover some of the tools that I had bought or made high tech finishing shop, which never got used. Thein my teens.administration side was almost non-existent, andI wasnt entirely sure what I was going to do next, never up to date. If I had felt better in myself, Imbut while I was thinking about it, Mr and Mrs Fate sure I could have streamlined it all, kept the bestdecided to have another go. There was a flood. staff and rebuilt, but in some ways I didnt want toThe town centre was under four feet of water and carry on, it had all become too much.the industrial estate suffered badly. One morning Writing this brings back all sorts of memories; IveI opened the workshop where I was gathering just remembered that Martin Simpson was stayingeverything together, to be faced with water with me in the final days.everywhere, wood floating, tools and machines When the business closed down, there was a bigsoaking wet. I sat on a box in shock; I simply didnt liquidation sale. I think every guitar maker in theknow what to do. Through the door came three country came along and stocked up, particularlyyoung men. No guiding star, no unusual wisdom, with Indian Rosewood that I had sawn myself fromno camels or exotic gifts. Id never met them before; the logs, I still see it in guitars being made today. IId forgotten that they had an appointment. They had handled, cut, counted, stacked, dried and storedwaded into the water, over their boots and shoes, every single piece entirely by myself, Id recogniseand started putting everything right. We spent that wood anywhere. There was so much stuff atthe day rescuing stuff, then drying our feet and the auction - unsold guitars, parts of guitars, tuners,drinking my whisky. One in particular, Malcolm wood of every sort, machines, jigs, hundreds ofHawksworth, became a life long friend, he taught clamps and hand tools. I had made a lot of it myself,me how to fly a hang glider, how to handle heavy horses and to drink out of date bass beer, and Hugh Burns When he is not recording with Jack Bruce and Paul McCartney or on film scores such asDie Another Day, The Full Monty, Return of the Pink Panther, Moulin Rouge or the Hobbit, Hugh goes to northern Scotland, sits at my display stand, plays my guitars and tells endless stories of the music world. In 2012 he bought a Rio Rosewood Ariel and is using it on his latest recordings.You may know that Hugh played the guitar part on Gerry Raffertys Baker Street.62'