I’ve renamed the fourth novel ‘The Snow Making Machine.’ which comes from the very last line in the book. I think it’s a stroke of genius rather in the Wile E Coyote manner ‘It’s Genius! Sheer genius!’ I say as I put the final touch to my new ACME device.

Given the restrictions which are not so restrictive and are increasingly not noticed in the new ‘normal’ that’s nothing of the kind we’ve reached the 14^th July without a fly past. It’s recognisably hot, but so far nowhere near the three domes of heat that sat on top of us in May, June/July and August last year. I have no urge to go into detail about how hot it might be the way Josep Pla does in the Grey Notebook. But given my, What was it last year? Green! And the year before that? Green! And the year before that? Green! - It’s a bore! feelings about weather I don’t launch into the topic of how we read books in the way Josep Pla might have launched into the topic once he'd finished talking about the weather either.

It’s difficult for us to imagine what is going on inside the heads of many people, such as those people in the US who go to rock concerts without social distancing or wearing masks, except of course for how we know the way a lethal virus works is one of the things that isn’t what is going on in them.