On Saturday I saw the premiere of a new opera ‘My Father Cannot Speak’ at Britten Pears Arts Snape Maltings. Created by Ben Parry and Gareth Bardsley and sung by Roderick Williams it vividly describes a man’s relationship with his now dead father and his grown up son. My father died nearly 45 years ago, and we did not get on for a variety of reasons, but in some sense he returned to me on Saturday evening.

The opera also prompted me to reflect on my relationship with my own son, who is now 42 and so fifteen years older than I was when my father died. I hope I am a better father to him than my own father was to me.

But my melancholic thoughts evaporated yesterday afternoon when I was interviewed by Patrick Barkham at the brilliantly curated Norwich Book Festival at the The Forum Norwich. I’ve been interviewed now at quite a few book festivals and some have been good, and others disappointing, but yesterday was the best ever as Patrick was well prepared, asked thoughtful questions and got the balance just right. (Here’s a link to the book we talked about https://www.eyebooksgroup.com/products/down-to-earth)

The book signing afterwards was well organised by Waterstones and was even given a cappuccino in the green room before we took the stage. I’ve already been invited to speak at two book festivals next year, so really am starting to feel like a successful non-fiction author.

Now I feel ready for a week of research and writing as my next Wilton Square Books book begins to take shape. It’s all quite exciting at a stage of my life when most are doing less, I find that I am doing more!