The event at the Norden Farm Arts Centre in Maidenhead feels like a home gig. As readers of ‘Please,Mister Postman’ will know I spent 19 years as a postman living on the Britwell Estate in Slough just up the road.
There were old friends from those days in the audience, chief amongst them being Ted Pedell and his wife who still live on the Britwell.

Ted and I were young postmen together delivering the post to Burnham from Monday to Saturday and playing football together on Sundays for Slough Postal.

Ted’s first love was rugby union and he’d take me to training sessions with his rugby mates from the Old Pennanians on Wednesday evenings. I was 11 stone soaking wet and when it came to doing squats with a partner on your shoulders I was a popular partner to choose. The other rugby lads would relish the lighter load on their squats whilst I had to labour under 16 stone props when we swapped over.

Lots of old friends from Slough Labour Party including former Council Leader Rob (himself a Britwell boy) and current Leader James.

During audience questions there is much discussion about the travails of the local Maidenhead MP.

The photograph shows me signing books in the interval with two splendid women from The Bell Bookshop in Henley on Thames. They will be with me again when the tour reaches Henley on April 27th.