Back in 2002 I made the acquaintance of the lovely Tamara.

After a brief conversation with her one evening, I was walking back through the crowds on South Terrace - it was probably raining - working out this melody in my head. Somehow the melody picked up the lyrics for the old John Newton hymn “Glorious Things Of Thee Are Spoken”.

I added the bass countermelody not long after - perhaps even later that same evening when I got home and had access to a piano and some manuscript paper.

I wrote out a fair copy - as best I could, my musical hand is only slightly less awful than my usual handwriting - and gave it to Tamara as a little gift.

I played this for my piano teacher some years later and he really liked it, but picked me up on the parallel fifths in the last line. Fair, but I like the shape of each line too much to change either of them.

And Tamara? Well - she’ll always know someone once took the time to create something unique and special for her, and I’ll always have this pretty little tune to play and share.