I remember the days when you could enjoy a nice, relaxing drive without several people trying to beat you out of twenty feet of road-space. Lane-discipline was kept almost instinctively--if not always cheerfully--and you could walk in even the most crowded parking-lots with little fear of being run over. British drivers seem to have become almost uniformly impatient. Today, after being followed closely for several miles by the same car, I almost walked back when the guy stopped behind me at a light, to ask him where the hell he was a month ago when I really needed a proctologist?

Regardless of the weather I often take my laptop and drive out into the countryside around Norwich. Today I was in the area around Caistor St. Edmonds. The words 'stunning' and 'awesome' are grossly over-used these days, but the natural beauty of the area literally made me cry.

Just talked to Bernie Holland. Our lengthy conversation was an absolute gas, as we might have said in the vernacular of the 1970s when we last met. Loud and clear l’essence du Bernie surged through the wires, or perhaps fibre-optic cable. Though he may not be completely unchanged from the man I remember, Bernie never fell foul of the pressures that typically bedevil some of we other hyper-actives; the guy just never quits. His dreams and aspirations were arguably always of heroic proportions, and I don’t doubt are still brave as ever. We bantered about the possibility of reunion concerts at The Albert Hall, spoke more seriously about various web-related projects… as if any kind of human endeavour dare not include the Internet these days… and found a common desire to tackle some of the injustices committed on performers in the general area of ‘the arts’. However, with regard to the cost of long distance telephony we agreed to postpone discussing all things meta-physical. Just ‘Google’ him if the name’s not familiar; you’re in for a treat.

Since it looks like I just might finish writing something worthy of publication, I've decided to change my name a little. This is to include the professional name which served me well for almost half my life up to this point. Peter Leslie Rowney will become Peter Gavin-Rowney as soon as the deed-poll wallahs send me the documents and I get them signed. All associated cyber-links will stay unchanged for now, and whenever I get around to altering them I'll be sure to let y'all know. Those who know me will understand why it would be unwise to hold one's breath while waiting.

Thank goodness there's a name for this disorder. Somehow I feel better, even though I have it. Recently I was diagnosed with A.A.A.D.D.- ‘Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder’. This is typically how it manifests: I decide to water my garden. As I turn on the hose in the driveway I look over at my car and decide it needs washing. As I start toward the garage, I notice mail on the porch table that I brought up from the mail box earlier. I decide to sort through it before I wash the car. I lay my car keys on the table, put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table, and notice that the can is full. So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the garbage first. But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox anyway when I take out the garbage, I may as well pay the bills first. I take my check book off the table, and see that there is only one check left. My extra checks are in my desk in the study, so I go inside the house to my desk where I find a can of Pepsi I'd been drinking. I'm going to look for my checks, but first I need to move the Pepsi aside so that I don't accidentally knock it over. The Pepsi is getting warm, and I decide to put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold. As I head toward the kitchen with the Pepsi a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye… they need water. I put the Pepsi on the counter, where I discover the reading glasses I've been searching for all morning. I decide I’d better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going to water the flowers. I set my glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with water, and suddenly spot the TV remote; someone left it on the kitchen table. I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV I'll be looking for that remote, but won't remember where I saw it; so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs. But first I'll water the flowers. I pour some water in the flower vase, but quite a bit spills on the floor. So I set the remote back down on the table, get some paper towels and wipe up the spill. Then I head down the hall, trying to remember what I was planning to do. At the end of the day: the car isn't washed, the bills aren't paid, there is a can of warm Pepsi sitting on the counter, the flowers don't have enough water, there is still only one check in my check book, I can't find the remote, I can't find my glasses, and I don't remember what I did with the car keys. Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day, and I'm really tired. I realize this is a serious problem and have decided to get help for it; but first I'll check my e-mail....