Interlude

You could be forgiven for thinking that I have given up. Let me assure you, readers, that I have not been idle.

One of the paradoxes of the present state of things is that I can be simultaneously exhausted and awake. The result is that the wee small proverbials are much occupied with thought of what I am to write next and that my phone, with its screen dimmed and its normal clicks silenced, is as active as I, an extension of hand and mind. Come the daylight: routines other than writing tend to take over and personal deficits (that I will explain) lose me time. Not long now, I promise, and we will go further in our story.

Now that I know that there is more than one person reading this—and do please tell your friends to drop by—I have decided to address you as “readers”, pure and simple. Do please let me assure you however that you remain dear to me and that I value your companionship in this space, whether I know you also in the real world or only in the sense we now call, with increasing ease and naturalness, by the name “virtual”.

Back asap then, but in the meantime stay safe and do take a moment to look at this picture. The man shown has a cameo appearance coming up.

A Frenchman, when smoking was still cool