Writing this book—my somewhat delayed “debut novel”—was the most fun (and the hardest job) I’ve had in a long, long time. And it is my favorite.

To my continuing astonishment, I turned 86 this week. And I’m glad to report that it was a joy, despite the wretched Covid-19.

One birthday, my beloved co-author and friend, the late Harry Lodge, gave me a brass marine clock which he had had restored. The face is some ten inches across and it sits on a deep brass ring.