Like this heron, I’m going out on a limb today, admittedly without much risk to my health, but public commitment to a deadline can be a powerful thing. The next Dr Dan book, drum roll please, will be published on October 30th. There. No going back now.

Yesterday a friend asked me how deadlines work when there are no penalties for missing them. Well, maybe no penalties in the sense of a massive fine or a pillorying in the world’s press, but I still have to live with myself. My, ahem, career, has been built, not by clever publicists or inspired marketing, but on the loyalty of my readers. When they stop asking for more books, I’ll stop writing them. Probably. I can find plenty of other ways to use my time. For instance…

One of my lockdown achievements has been to overcome my fear of circular knitting, as witness this sheep’n’fishing boat Shetland wool beanie I prepared earlier. I had two false starts that had to be unraveled amid much gnashing of teeth, and then, to make life even harder, I went off-piste so I could have a black sheep among the white ones. That’s not a diversity quota, by the way. I just fancied a bit of improv. The hat is by no means perfect but who needs perfect?

And finally, because I’ve been quiet lately and I’d hate for you to feel neglected, here is access to my most recent gift to mailing list subscribers: an interview with Enid, the long-suffering wife of Professor Bernard Finch.  the hon enid I hope you enjoy.