JANUARY 2013
In which The Author recapitulates an earlier theme
189 THE MUSIC BOX
In which The Author helps to move some furniture
In which The Author helps a friend, loses a friend, and makes a new virtual friend
FEBRUARY 2013
191 DOWN THE TUBES
In which The Author and his friends go underground
In which The Author experiences the joys of Co-codamol (again!)
193 DÉJÀ VU
In which The Author has a blast from the past
194 BRIEF ENCOUNTER
In which The Author meets a travelling companion
In which The Author concludes his trilogy of train-based encounters
In which The Author has a non-train-based rail-related encounter
MARCH 2013
197 30 DAYS OF KINK
In which The Author is glad the Spirits could do it all in one night
In which The Author keeps his wallet in his pocket
In which The Author’s friend gets through the firewall
200 LAST ORDERS
In which The Author gets a surprise birthday present
In which The Author supports a Liberal Democrat (believe it or not!)
In which The Author reflects on another security leak from the future
APRIL 2013
In which The Author gets a surprise phone call
In which The Author becomes a co-author
In which The Author is in a whimsical mood
206 COMPUTER LOVE
In which The Author makes some imaginary friends
In which The Author has his horizons broadened by the BBC
In which The Author resists the temptation to give a silly answer
In which The Author is a tad cynical
MAY 2013
In which The Author offers some advice to prospective students
211 WAXING LYRICAL
In which The Author can’t hear clearly now
In which The Author reaches the end of a friendship
In which The Author dips into a book of science essays
In which The Author cracks the nationals
In which The Author has a very odd day
In which The Author goes back to school
In which The Author encounters a real-life Goon Show
In which The Author minds his own business
In which The Author goes bump in the night
JUNE 2013
In which The Author catches up on four weeks’ listening
In which The Author is way down
In which The Author hasn’t got your number
223 GETTING STONED
In which The Author and his pals have an impromptu day out
In which The Author plays computer games with the Government
In which The Author decides to buy some headphones
In which The Author tries to get connected
In which The Author tries a juggling act
In which The Author and his friend have some technical difficulties
In which The Author is a midnight rambler
In which The Author wastes £7.40
In which The Author writes an unsolicited (and unpublished) review
In which The Author carries out his usual audit of unexpected trivia
233 BUGGER RUGGER
In which The Author risks alienating half the Welsh population
In which The Author develops a new addiction
JULY 2013
235 IN OTHER NEWS…
In which The Author offers an alternative perspective
In which The Author doesn’t go to a music festival
In which The Author penetrates the corridors of power
In which The Author enjoys some highbrow jokes
239 BREAKING NEWS…
In which The Author has a touch of the vapours
In which The Author and his friends get ripped off
In which The Author bucks the trend
In which The Author wants to do something different
In which The Author reaches for the reference books
In which The Author needs a change of scene
In which The Author goes bus-hopping
In which The Author sends a postcard home
In which The Author has a shock
248 DRIVEN TO TEARS
In which The Author is feeling very depressed
In which The Author recommends a radio play
In which The Author brings you a bumper bonanza of bizarre facts
AUGUST 2013
In which The Author stretches his legs
In which The Author hears from his local councillor
In which The Author continues his mission to educate and entertain
In which The Author continues his exploration of the Forest of Dean
In which The Author returns to Coleford
In which The Author has an odd phone conversation
In which The Author walks out of the pub
258 RETURN JOURNEY
In which The Author makes his way home from the Forest of Dean
In which the Author witnesses colonialism in reverse
In which The Author experiences yet another odd coincidence
In which The Author has a strange night in the theatre
262 NETWORK NEWS
In which The Author reads between the lines
263 XMAS COUNTDOWN
In which The Author marks the change of season
SEPTEMBER 2013
264 CAVEAT VENDITOR
In which The Author promises not to laugh
In which The Author offers some words of warning
266 DEATH OF A CLOWN
In which The Author says goodbye to another friend
In which The Author is undecided
In which The Author comes unstuck in time again
In which The Author goes trainspotting
270 ON THE UP
In which The Author feels that his luck might be changing
In which The Author wonders about the Cosmic Order
272 BAD WOLF
In which The Author proves that what goes up must come down
In which The Author wonders whether everybody is in on the joke
In which The Author goes for a wander
In which The Author remembers a fragment of a disturbing dream
OCTOBER 2013
276 BOOTHBY’S GHOST
In which The Author has further technical difficulties
In which The Author spends some more money on books
In which The Author takes another day trip
In which The Author makes an appeal for help
In which The Author feels unseasonally chilly
In which The Author decides to take a stand
282 DREAM TOPPING
In which The Author contemplates a good night’s sleep
283 GLOOMY SUNDAY
In which The Author is halfway into the dark
In which The Author is the bearer of bad news
In which The Author discovers a new place to go
In which The Author explores the Land That Wifi Forgot
287 2 H.B.
In which The Author has a dream
In which The Author listens to the radio once more
289 OUT OF TIME
In which The Author wishes he’d enabled Safe Search
In which The Author digs out an old magazine article
In which The Author battens down the hatches
In which The Author continues to be surprised
NOVEMBER 2013
In which The Author takes a challenge
294 DAY TWO
In which The Author tries to reschedule his train of thought
295 CARRIE
In which The Author loses a virtual friend
In which The Author wishes it had carried on raining
In which The Author picks up on another annoying use of language
In which The Author is back in the fight
299 WET WEDNESDAY
In which The Author hates short cuts
In which The Author has some unexpected visitors
301 ONE YEAR ON
In which The Author is in reflective mood
In which The Author performs a conjuring trick
In which The Author goes to the theatre
In which The Author’s magical career continues to develop
305 CRASH
In which The Author can’t think of anything to write
In which The Author recalls a colourful character
307 BLOCKED
In which The Author is still stumped
308 SECOND POST
In which The Author finds himself at the halfway mark
309 AUTUMN WOES
In which The Author lets the train cause the strain
In which The Author remembers a work colleague
In which The Author trusts the evidence of his senses
In which The Author has more technical problems
In which The Author shares some information
In which The Author breathes a sigh of relief
315 JUST A QUICK ONE
In which The Author introduces another obscure band
316 ENEMY ACTION
In which The Author discovers he’s not paranoid
In which The Author makes a list
318 FLYING BLIND
In which The Author should have gone to Specsavers
319 STONED AGAIN
In which The Author has a night at home
In which The Author does some calculations
DECEMBER 2013
In which The Author is incommunicado again
In which The Author loses some money
323 GOING POSTAL
In which The Author gets a strictly second-class service
In which The Author contacts the BBC again
325 ORDER! ORDER!
In which The Author misses a trick
326 REGENERATION
In which The Author adopts a new look
In which The Author relives a childhood nightmare
In which The Author revisits some comedy catchphrases
In which The Author remembers more of his overdue books
330 UNDERCOVER
In which The Author has a funny feeling
In which The Author has another bizarre experience
In which The Author is visited by the Ghost of Xmas Past
In which The Author visits a non-existent tourist attraction
In which The Author is determined not to be outdone
335 IN THE CITY
In which The Author weighs up the pros and cons
An Autobiography in Random Chapters 