I was just listening to the John Peel show on the radio, as I do from time to time. One thing you can say about John Peel is that he is unpredictable. Just when you get used to him playing the most obscure cutting-edge stuff imaginable he throws up a total surprise and tonight he played Status Quo (Whatever You Want). I couldn’t believe it, as I can’t remember the last time he played something by someone I have heard of let alone a song I know.

Anyway, its my 42nd birthday tomorrow. 42. Famously the answer to the ultimate question, the meaning of life, the universe and everything, so a good time to wonder what the hell I am doing this for. I think the answer is practise. Basically, there have been times in my life when it has been interesting and would have been worthwhile keeping a diary but I never did. I would love, now, to be able to read a diary of the events during the times I toured with a theatre company and played the Old Vic, or when I was travelling a lot with my job, flying all round the world, meeting loads of people and visiting all sorts of places, or perhaps a diary of one of the elections I fought, or of my first year as a councillor or my year as deputy mayor. I just have a feeling that I may one day find myself in more interesting circumstances again, and if that happens I will blog it all. So all this cobblers is so I can get into the habit of writing, because it does not come naturally: I am writing this and writing reviews on Amazon, and that all helps develop a habit of writing regularly.

Now I just sit back and wait to see what life throws at me as I hurtle towards the big 5-0…