My list

There are so many things to do when you get home from holiday…

write; send off my tax return; write; plant sweet peas; damn – prepare ground for planting sweet peas; make presents for my first American grandchild, expected in July; write; practice saxophone; slackline.

Remember my slackline? I am just – only just – finding time to get back onto it after a long, long, winter of abstinence, followed by too many holidays followed by frantic gardening.

I go to San Francisco in September, and by that time I want to be able to walk the length of the line without falling off. I plan to saunter down to Dolores Park where all the young bucks prance along their slacklines. I want to surprise them - show them that grey-haired English writers can slackline, too.