It’s hard to believe that after today, the nights start to become shorter. We’re at this time of the year already. Hasn’t the second half of the year gone by so quickly?

It’s also the first day of winter, so the least said about that, the better.

I was in Central Scotland with someone whom I knew back in my University days. We were attending college lectures and so seeing that I was with him, I followed him off to the public library for some books. He found everything that he needed, including a couple of books that I thought were largely irrelevant, but I took copies nevertheless. However for one course, I couldn’t find a suitable book, so I told him and some of hi friends, that I would share with him when it came to it.

That wasn’t all that I did during the night, but we had the early morning performance again, 06:15 this time, and much of the stuff melted away immediately.

And I didn’t have my early night either.

Well, I did, but just as I was settling down under the covers, “The Saint” came on the radio.

We all know Roger Moore and Ian Ogilvy from the television. And we all know Vincent Price and Tom Conway from the radio. But how many of you know Paul Rhys?

In the mid-1990s the BBC commissioned three 55-minutes radio plays of The Saint, starring Paul Rhys in the title role. And firstly, whoever wrote the scripts for the broadcasts deserves a medal because they really are excellent. And secondly, the voice of Paul Rhys has a hypnotic quality and I could even listen all night to him reading something quite banal, like the telephone directory perhaps.

And as I said, one of these programmes came onto the radio just as I was settling down.

I’ve no idea why the BBC didn’t extend the series because just three of these programmes is nothing like enough the explore the full range that the scriptwriter and the actors could offer.

I had another early breakfast and then did some stuff on the internet for quite a while, totally carried away with what I was doing. So much so that it was midday when I stopped. The weather had brightened up by then so I nipped down the road to Caliburn and came back with more stuff, including some clothes. I need a change of outfit and I’m running short of undies too.

Seeing as I had a free hand, I brought back His Nibs and now he’s ensconced on a corner of the bed where he’ll stay for a while.

After lunch I carried on with what I had been doing, but crashed out for an hour or so later on. I’m definitely getting old, aren’t I?

For tea tonight I had the second of my two pies with potatoes, carrots, leeks and gravy. And it was just as nice as last night. Now that I’m using the small table-top oven, it’s cooking quite nicely and i’ll have another go with a pizza in due course.

I’ll try again for another early night. But it doesn’t make much difference. I don’t seem to be able to last the pace these days.