To Return to The Boring Stuff . . .

Well, the birthday’s gone (thank God for that!) so now there’s only this year to take care of!

I can’t really think of any news at the moment, but to return to the boring stuff, here is something that might amuse you (well, I’m sure it would amuse most people, but there’s just one or two who might actually enjoy it!).

I went up to the town centre yesterday (not far away) and on the way back, I passed a house that had just been cleared out.  There was a perfect piece of wood by the skip, and I thought it would be just right to replace the one I have been using as a ‘coffee table’.  Problem was, it was very, very heavy.  So heavy, in fact, I had to keep resting down the road in order to carry it.  When I could, I kept resting it on a wall to take the weight, then carry on some minutes later.

Well, I rested it on one wall halfway down the hill, but when I went to pick it up – it slipped.  Right across my foot.  The pain was intense; more so, because I was only wearing sandals.  Luckily it did not hit my bad foot, but it half crushed the other one, and I was then left with two bad feet!.  I rested half and hour or so to let the pain subside, but then I decided to carry on – with the bit of wood.  I was determined to get it home, as no bit of ‘cast off’ wood is ever going to beat me!  I did get it home eventually, before realizing that my right foot was badly  bruised and swollen.  Although its lucky in a way I was wearing sandals,  as it had swollen beyond normal shoe boundaries.

Anyway, I got it into place and it looks really good!  I guess the moral of this story is, don’t pick up discarded pieces of wood!

Had a rather nice phone call later on though, which rather made up for it.  The person said that she had just finished reading my new book in its entirety.  She said it was ‘the best I’d ever written’ – so if that’s anything to go by . . . ?  I don’t know.  I’m wondering slightly.  Because I just wrote it without really caring how it came out.  I mean, all I had to do was remember events, then write them down as these actually happened,  and I really didn’t care about making any story out of it.  Well, its not meant to be a story, anyway.  Its just an autobiography.  If there’s any story at all, I just hope it can all speak for itself. But at least there’s no fiction in it.  Do you know? if there’s one thing I can’t stand, its fictional stories!  I mean, why fictionalize anything, when its much easier to simply tell the truth?!

By the way, going back to the matter of that ‘shelf’; I eventually got that done lunchtime as well.  Somebody helped me with it – or more precisely, I helped them!

But back to my normal profession’, another phone call from someone this afternoon, wanting me to give another talk soon.  Its London-based so that shouldn’t be so bad.  I only wish all these things didn’t tend to come at once; or at least, took place in the lovely warm weather!

Still, the year is still young.  By the way, I’m not really 72 you know!  Just my way of illustrating how easily such speculation can get twisted and even lied about!

Back to tonight: some more wine I think, and just leave two other pressing letters till tomorrow.  Frankly, I just can’t be bothered to fish out all the requested documentation.

So, with that, I hope you are all well everyone, and will join me in a glass of wine . . . or something!

For the moment,

David