Open Writing

Mr C got his Birthday present two months late last year.

I should explain - before any readers start feeling too sorry for him - that this was due to circumstances beyond my control. I should also mention that we did throw an excellent party for him on the day, so all in all he didn't do too badly in the Birthday stakes.

Birthday surprises with a difference take much more organising than your standard-style treats. They require a casual-but-crafty questioning technique - to ascertain whether the surprise will be really welcome - followed by careful research regarding quality, price and value-for-money, quite a task if the surprise involves something you've no personal experience of.

I bet you're all wondering by now just what Mr C's surprise was. Perhaps you're imagining him careering round a go-kart track, zooming along at 100-plus miles-per-hour in a Formula One mean- machine, or maybe looping-the-loop in a small aeroplane?

Well, you'd be wrong, although I haven't ruled-out any of the above - except the go-karts which Mr C has already tried courtesy of some corporate jamboree years ago - for future pressies.

No, Mr C's birthday surprise involved a special evening out with the four women he usually spends Monday evenings with. Given that they are all younger and prettier than me, I think I deserve a tolerant wife medal.

On the odd occasion when I do complain about these Monday outings (usually when I want him to baby sit) Mr C claims the ladies in question are only interested in him because of his ability to play the Bongos, sing in tune and tell jokes.

I know this is true because collectively the five of them are known as the Christian group 'Living Flame' - although after a bad session they have been known to refer to themselves disparagingly as 'Dying Embers.'

I must say they don't have many bad evenings - at least not when I've been in the audience. I thoroughly enjoy their performances, which brings me back to Mr C's birthday surprise and my decision to pay for a recording session for them.

It was an article in The Press about a new recording facility locally, which initially gave me the idea, followed by a colleague who'd cut his own CD and revealed that these days you don't need megabucks to put down a few songs for posterity.

Once the decision was made I set about the research part of the job and was amazed to discover, via the internet, a confusing abundance of recording facilities locally, ranging from sheds at the bottom of the garden lined with old egg boxes to intimidating-sounding purpose built studios with all the latest computer mixing gear.

We finally settled on a session at the Woodman Recording Studio in Elland, which appealed because it had the facility to allow all five group members to sing in one big room together, rather than laying down individual tracks in separate booths. It also came personally recommended, was conveniently situated and - at £25 an hour - wouldn't break the bank. You can check it out at www.woodmanstudio.co.uk.