sheldrake

Oh, I'm so pleased you enjoyed this!!

*licks gorgeous feedback* (don't worry, it's just something I like to do...)

the slightly unhinged sensation of being alone in a foreign country (I was in Rome in February!),

Well, and I'm glad that came off ok, as I have never been to Rome! Everything here gleaned from guidebooks or, well, made up. :)

Who is this Neil guy, anyway?

I see this has been answered by others already, but yes - Neil is lead singer and (well, he basically is the band The Divine Comedy. I've loved this band for years and years, because they're funny and romantic and clever and lovely. There is a (rather dull) biography on their website here.

As for their albums, I'd recommend... well, all of them, but 'Promenade' was the one I fell in love with. 'Tonight we Fly' is swoony. There's a 'best of' album too, 'Secret History'.

That picture is quite old, but I just like it. Here's a slightly more recent one, complete with the longer hair that appears in this story: