Your correspondent admits

I gave another of my library talks on Tuesday evening. It wasn’t one of the big audiences, but only – ermm … [thinks] … about seven people, We sat in lovely comfy chairs, with a big plate of nibblies of various kinds and a tray of bottles of nice stuff (including champers !). I had a glass of a very nice white: I needed something, as at that stage I thought no-one at all was going to turn up – it was pissing down, outside. But they did, all at once, and off we went. More…