The North Winds Doth Blow

Well I had a lovely break in a famous seaside town that’s not called Blackpool (to misquote Marriott Edgar)! The weather was great for this time of year;not too cold and it didn’t rain too much. I spent most of the week just relaxing, which is what I needed after such a hectic year. I also had a chance to read Humphrey Lyttleton’s book It Just Occured to Me, which I had got last Friday.

I went to hear Humph at what they call a ‘platform’ at the National Theatre. Now I wouldn’t say I was a jazz fan, I only really know about him as a presenter and chairman on I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue. But I’m quite happy to learn about all things musical, so I went. The audience was somewhat older than Clair, Kate and I, by about 40 years! Nevertheless we had a great time, with Humph on top form for funny stories. We were also delighted to discover the event was being hosted by Barry Cryer – two Clue people for the price of one!

After the event Humph was signing copies of his book, so I duly got my copy signed. I was also cheeky enough to ask him to sign my Uxbridge dictionary, as I had missed seeing him on the Sunday night. He noticed that all the others had signed in blue ink, whereas he only had black. I said it was fine as he was more important! He then said that he had a way of squeezing his signature into a small space (as there wasn’t a lot of room left on the page), and did so beautifully.

The other highlight of the evening was watching Barry try to leave the building, first by one locked door, then by another before finally making his escape. We happened to be sitting in the cafe near all these doors and I had been watching as Barry walked past us, only to see him struggle with the first door. I was trying to stifle a laugh as he walked back, but he spotted us and said ‘what are you laughing at?’. After his second attempt we were all laughing out loud, including Barry, who obviously saw the funny side. Who’d have thought that getting through a door could be so funny?

So back to Humph’s book. It’s a great read and I’d highly recommend it. It’s a meanderthrough Humph’s life with lots of stories, jokes and humourous asides. One story flows effortlessly into another, before heading back to the original thread in a way that tumbling memories do.

One word of advice though – if you’re going to read it in a public place, don’t be too put off by the strange looks you get when you inevitably laugh out loud!