PROLOGUE:
So, there I was, nonchalantly holding Hector's lead in one finger - who was giving the grand illusion of being relaxed after a long walk - when he spotted a squirrel and was gone taking my finger with him. A broken finger will certainly slow down how fast you can wrap up two magazines and a book when you're up against the clock.
Particularly with your girlfriend in Singapore and your kids needing to go places... and the dog still needing to go out later that same day and all subsequent days after.
I considered going to hospital to get it checked out but not a lot happens to broken fingers. If I recall correctly, they strap it to the finger closest to it and send you home after you've waited for something like close on four hours - so I did it myself, but I couldn't type even half properly so I took all of that off and have a pretty bent finger for my trouble. Not only could I not type properly - even simple things like getting dog sausages out of the oven is harder than you would think.
•••
In a few weeks, BBC Radio 4 are launching a new week of sci-fi drama - it starts on Saturday 14th June at 2.30pm with an adaptation of Ray Bradbury's Illustrated Man for which I shall be writing an introductory blog post for and am (apparently) also being interviewed for some post broadcast extras - or at least that's how it's been explained to me. I'll find out more next weekend when we actually do it but I'm really pleased to have been asked... seriously I am. That's normally the domain of people like Gaiman. Maybe he's washing his hair. The adaptation is written by award-winning radio dramatist Brian Sibley, whose previous works include the 1990s series Ray Bradbury's Tales of the Bizarre as well as the classic BBC Radio adaptations of Lord of the Rings, Gormenghast and The History of Titus Groan. I can't find a direct link for the show on the Radio 4 page at the moment - I guess it's a little early - but I'll link it up when it goes live.
Talking of Gaiman - which we weren't, not really - I'd love to see Dave McKean work up a cover for The Illustrated Man because so far, every single published version of the book has been dreadful.
For what we could have had, here's McKean's work for The Homecoming - which is not awful in any way:
•••
EPILOGUE:
I forgot to mention - while I was busy breaking my finger in the park, just before we headed for home, we bumped into Nick - the drummer from The Clash - who lives down the street and caught him out running! Looking good too - which is a far cry from where he was ten years or so back. It's pretty impressive what a man can do when he gets tired of the Self Destruction Blues. If I was the kind to wear a hat, I would take it off...
(I always liked the way there was an epilogue to each episode of The Streets of San Francisco - somebody should put that back on the TV immediately)