Tam of the Binns

First visit to the Book Festival and it was chucking it down. This was supposed to be the dry day according to the previous night's forecast. Ahem. And the queue was already round two sides of the square with half an hour to go! Why??? Just madness.
However, it was a sell-out to see Tam Dalyell, former Father of the House, launching his autobiography, The Importance of Being Awkward. Left to himself, it might have been a bit self-important, but Jim Naughtie was an excellent foil, and Tam himself seemed at ease. And what a bloody memory! I can't remember yesterday without blip. At the end, when asked what he'd be doing next, and what he'd still like to achieve, he shook his head, "There's nothing so ex as an ex-MP". And he seemed quite reconciled to that. He's written his book and that's it. Posterity awaits.