Y'know how I'm always saying that people in the South East don't talk to strangers in the street?
I was walking back from Waterstone's this morning with my copy of Phillip Pullman's 'The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ' and I was dipping into the first chapter as I walked. I'd noticed a couple of a certain age at the R68 bus stop.
As I drew level the woman reached out and touched my shoulder, to stop me, and said, "Did you hear the debate on Radio 4 this morning, about the book you're reading, on Andrew Marr's show with Phillip Pullman and David Badiel...." So we had a chat about hearing in on BBCiPlayer and living in Teddington and the eccentricities of the R68 bus service.
Then she said, "How do you manage to read whilst walking along the road?"
"Ah," I replied, " a friend told me the trick is to look 100 yards up the road every so often and mentally map out any obstructions, open manhole covers etc..."
She was impressed.
