My sincere thanks go out to the group of around twenty ex-classmates, friends and simply interested readers who attended the ‘author evening’ organised by Dunbartonshire Libraries on the evening of Monday 15th September, at Westerton Library.

I was delighted (and I have to say, very pleasantly surprised) to see about half the audience comprise old friends from primary and secondary school, several of whom I had not seen for over fifty years! And with my recently published ‘A Space Hopper Killed My Hamster … amusing tales of growing up in the ’60s & ’70s’ being the discussion topic for the evening, it was wonderful to see three young(er) ladies turn up in matching orange, ‘space hopper’ tee shirts.

On reflection though, I guess I should have spent a bit more time outlining the content of the book. I was aware around half the audience had already purchased a copy and thought it a bit superfluous to do so. Of course, that did mean 50% of the audience hadn’t already bought a copy, and may then have been interested to hear more about it! (Duh!) 😀

I could also have delved more into my other books, copies of which were also displayed – and, I must say, sold. ‘Damp Dogs & Rabbit Wee,‘ contains many funny, farcical and frightening tales of my early years working with pets and animals, mainly dogs and cats.

There was the psychopathic cat; the rabbit with the devil eyes and stare; the time I got my arm stuck in the letterbox of a client’s front door. And more.

On ‘No Laughing Matter …‘ I could have explained what it feels like to have been brought back from a ten minute visit to ‘the other side’ having suffered a Sudden Cardiac Arrest.

And who wouldn’t be charmed, amazed and also at times concerned at the tales of the stray beach and street dogs in Goa, India, as related in ‘Give the Dog a Home.‘

Instead, I did that old west of Scotland thing, and awkwardly refrained from telling everyone how good these books are! 😉 (We tend to take the understated view that things are ‘quite good’ and leave it at that. On occasion, we might feel in boastful mood and say something ‘really quite good.’)

Still, by the end of the evening, every household represented in the audience had a copy and a the few other books I brought with me were also shifted.

All in all, a lovely evening, back on the site of my Primary One school classroom and in the company of some who shared that very first day at school with me.