Hi Jeff…..I must tell you this before it loses its urgency. I’ve just listened to the 5 episodes of The River, back to back on iPlayer. They’re all marvellous, but Paul Evans is OUTSTANDING. I had such a good feeling about it – it must have been the title and what I know he can do with his imagination. He’s a master story teller. I’m standing at the kitchen sink arrested in the act of washing up, looking blankly out of the window. His voice is slackening and gaining speed as he approaches the point of no return in the title. Time runs in circles, leaps forward, stops completely. Total enchantment in 15 minutes. And what was so strange when it finished was that because I was listening on iPlayer, there was no announcer’s voice at the end, only silence. I’m still under the spell of Sabrina, and feel compelled to stay there – so, I spend the next minutes sitting in front of YouTube watching Norma Ann Sykes prepare for bed. I’m not kidding. She takes off her fur dressing gown, white, of course, and lowers her extraordinary body into a bubble bath. Her mouth seems to be moving, but I’m not sure. Perhaps it’s just the soundtrack of her famous song ( which I’d never heard before ) Persuade Me.

The other strange thing last week, which can’t be a coincidence, was that The Essay on Radio 3 reran the 5 episodes called Swimming Stories from last year. All part of the Roger Deakin 10th Anniversary celebrations I’m sure.

One more thing…..following on from Charles Causley, yesterday’s Poetry Please was on Jack Clemo, with all the Tim Dee hallmarks in the production and the voices of Rowan Williams and my old friend Luke Thompson. A fabulous programme.

That’s it Jeff. I hope you’ve had a fabulous Bank Holiday weekend. It all looks orange on the weather map for the SE, pretty warm here but heavy rain also. Now I’m off for a long walk.

Sue xx