This is the time of the year when groups such as the U3A or WI begin to organise their speakers for the following year and I am contacted to confirm dates that are, in some cases, over twelve months away. It is a serious obligation and I would never dare ask to postpone after such a long term commitment. This year I have been talking to groups up to 50 miles away, sometimes in the daytime but often in the evening. In the summer it is pleasant to visit one of the villages in the Dales to meet interesting folks and sometimes they are already familiar with my books. The size of the groups varies between a dozen and over a hundred but always there are interesting questions to answer and often a cup of tea with home-made cake to follow.