Penultimate Event

I directed Janice in the taking of my blip tonight - a portrait of myself and Terry Macleod at the end of our event in the McNally Robinson bookstore in Winnipeg - the largest independent bookstore in Canada.

Terry is the host of a show on CBC radio (the Canadian equivalent of the BBC), and chaired tonight's event, interviewing me in front of a large audience of Manitobans who, according to the bookstore, have been buying the Lewis Trilogy in large numbers.

As I worked my way through a long line of readers afterwards, signing books, it turned out that many of them had Hebridean roots, and virtually all of them had antecedents from Scotland. On the eve of the Scottish referendum it would be fair to say that the vast majority were in favour of Independence. But, of course, like me none of them have a vote, so we can only watch from afar and wait.

Tomorrow, it's off to Toronto and the International Festival of Authors.